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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the 1980’s? The crazy hair styles, the new and improved things that were being created made this time alive, and fun. To be born in the 1980’s would have a been a privilege, who wouldn’t want to be known as “The decade that defined…. “US!” The 1980s was a decade that began on January 1, 1980, and ended on December 31, 1989. This decade was a great social and economic time period for people living in the 80’s. The world was becoming more developed as well as everyone in it. This decade became the “Look at me” generation of status seekers. The 80’s made a new breed of billionaires and money makers. “The decade began with double-digit inflation, Reagan declared a war on drugs, Kermit didn't find it easy to be green, hospital costs rose, we lost many, many of our finest talents to AIDS which before the decade ended spread to black and Hispanic women, and unemployment rose,” according to Peggy Whitely of Lone Star College. Although this time seemed like all fun and games, there were many problems. People say we lost the meaning of “We” and it suddenly became “I.” Citizens were realizing that you couldn’t depend on others around you; they were coming up with new ideas, and inventions to allow things to be more efficient. Although the 1980’s suffered a huge change for the American people, the fads and fashion part of the people strived, as well as the inventions. These two things will be some of the most historical, yet fascinating parts of the 80’s generation in American History.
The first item that I wish to discuss is inventions. It is one thing to think of an invention, but creating it is a whole other story. Although challenging, it seemed like everyone in the 80’s was think...
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...s that cocaine would be too, but not in this case. For one gram of cocaine it cost around 100 dollars to 125 dollars. Cocaine and crack were so popular in the 80’s that in the 1986 poll they would win out over alcohol for most abused drug, which was pretty impressive. Associations such as “Just Say No to Drugs,” and “DARE” were introduced to lessen the cocaine use.
There could be a lot more to say about the 80’s when it comes to drugs, but if you really do your research, cocaine is what defined this decade. The 80’s is glorified because of its crazy clothing and awesome inventions. The 80’s had its highs and lows, but for the most part you could say it was the decade that changed everything and everyone for the worse or the better. People took pride in their fashions, fads, and inventions in the 80’s; as a matter of fact, everyone took pride in these three things.
The use of cocaine had reached a worrying numbers in contrast to that of the early 1970s.
The 1980’s is one of the most interesting decades that was experienced in the United States. Dealing with the stock market, the coming up of new inventions, all the way to the types of music people listened to. During the 1980s, the only thing that made Americans be “Americans” was because of the things they were provided with. Many Americans had fun throughout the 1980s with materialistic, glamorous, and technological life styles; therefore there were different economical problems that Americans faced.
Clayton, R. R. (1996). Cocaine use in the United States: In a blizzard or just being snowed. Cocaine Use in America: Epidemiologic and Clinical Perspectives. National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph, 61, 8-34.
The 1970s was a tumultuous time in the United States. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued to fight for their freedom, while many other Americans joined in the demonstration against the ongoing war in Vietnam. Due to these movements, the 1970s saw changes in its national identity, including modifications in social values. These social changes showed up in the fashion industry as well, delivering new outlooks in the arenas of both men’s and women’s clothing.
The United States was only a country for about 15 years before the basic way of life for people in the country changed drastically. We developed politically and economically, expanded westward and divided along sectional borders. However, these are not the only characteristics that define this time. 1790-1860 was a period of rapid industrialization, market revolution and changing social order. This was largely due to advanced methods of transportation, mechanization and the changes in women’s roles.
Of all the 1980’s films, that can be described as “Eighties Teen Movies” (Thorburn, 1998) or “High School Movies” (Messner, 1998), those written and (with the exception of “Pretty In Pink” (1986) and “Some Kind of Wonderful”(1987)) directed by John Hughes were often seen to define the genre, even leading to the tag “John Hughes rites de passage movies” as a genre definition used in 1990s popular culture (such as in “Wayne’s World 2” (1994 dir. Stephen Surjik)). This term refers to the half dozen films made between 1984 and 1987; chronologically, “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club” (1985), “Weird Science” (1985), “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” (1986), “Pretty In Pink” (1986) and “Some Kind Of Wonderful” (1987) (the latter two being directed by Howard Deutch). For the purpose of this study, “Weird Science” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” shall be excluded; “Weird Science” since, unlike the other films, it is grounded in science fiction rather than reality and “Some Kind of Wonderful” as its characters are fractionally older and have lost the “innocence” key to the previous movies: as Bernstein states “the youthful naivete was missing and the diamond earring motif [a significant gift within the film] was no substitute” (Bernstein, 1997, p.89). Bernstein suggests that the decadent 1980s were like the 1950s, “an AIDS-free adventure playground with the promise of prosperity around every corner … our last age of innocence” (Bernstein, 1997, p.1). The films were very much a product of the time in terms of their production (“suddenly adolescent spending power dictated that Hollywood direct all its energies to fleshing out the fantasies of our friend, Mr. Dumb Horny 14 Year Old” Bernstein, 1997, p.4), their repetition (with the growth of video cassette recorders, cable and satellite with time to fill, and also the likes of MTV promoting the film’s soundtracks) and their ideologies.
The 1980s was a well-known decade for many new ideas such as technology, music, and social outlooks. Ronald Reagan was president for most of the decade, and the decade seemed to be in a process of growth. While many would think the 1980s a great time to experience, it was not the best decade to be living in. The 1980s were a time where having the necessities for living just wasn’t enough, and that the image of success was important. For those that were unfortunate enough to have the necessities, they became even more poor as they had nothing to support them. For those that were of different races and color, they had a hard time trying to be accepted and earn the same viewpoints and rights as originally-born Americans. Many were struggling to keep up with the pace of the 80s, “and while felt good for a while... they weren't good for America. They left important business undone - and they rationalized a dangerous ethos: The losers bring it on themselves, and there's nothing to be done about it. Nor should we really try.” (Nichols) The 1980s was a negative decade compared to past
In the 1970s, cocaine was expensive and considered a "status" drug. The introduction of inexpensive crack increased the accessibility of this substance, and crack has become the drug of choice for many users, especially for inner...
Our nation came a long with our new creativeness, our fearfulness, and our new militaristic ways. Although all of the generations since the 1900’s ended up playing a roll in the way America is sculpted, the 90’s were the final push into the new century. The final push that was made as a nation was defiantly beneficial for America and the rest of the world also. Today has been impacted dramatically from the changes in culture from the 1990’s and is still feeling the effects of all three most significant points of this era.
During the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this country’s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the country’s place in the world should be. The issues challenging America led the country to change from isolation to war, depression to prosperity, and social change. The threats to American way of life, foreign and domestic, were the changing forces to the country in the twenties to the sixties.
The Soviet Union lacked military strength but their bonds with other countries increased, causing them to have an advantage.
Robison, Jennifer. “Decades of Drug Use: Data from the '60s and'70s.” 2 July 2002. Gallup, Inc. 28 March 2011.
population from doing the same? In the 60's and 70's, drug use was never spoken
The 90s are anything but an ordinary era, with its booming entertainment industry, production of hot new foods, basketball players like Michael Jordan, and the presidential elections of Clinton and Bush. The 90s are an unforgettable decade. The banging music industry with incredible artists like Nirvana, and Britney Spears, who are popular today. Sitcoms like Friends, and Full House keep watchers' eyes glued to their televisions. The MLB strikes from 94 'to 95’ shocks America, as does Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls with his extreme amount of talent in the NBA. Sports are not the only thing shocking America, though, the hot new candy Baby Bottle Pops, and Melody Pops, are some of the most popular new candies of the 90s. Portable foods
Life in the 80’s was bright and colorful and happy. Everything was neon and pastel. The fashion was weird, music was over-digitized and commercialism consumed everyone.In this time period people all got to divine in their own way and party alot of the time. Slang words from the 80’s are still used now. Most of the slang that are used in the 80’s are still commonly still used today on a daily basis. Like the slang the lifestyle in the 80’s was just as similar to the lifestyle in the 20th century today. This is because the 80s was one of the decades that was full of catastraphies and dramatic language that teenagers used. Some of the slang that was popular in the 1980’s were...