The 80s - the never-ending decade? (war, 1990s, economy, years)
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I used to think it was the Nineties that were continuing in perpetuity, but now I think that it's rather the zeitgeist of the Eighties that we can't seem to move past.
Of course in absolute terms a lot has changed. Fashion, the use of Internet/cell phones, etc. The trends and attitudes of the 80s still seem very much alive though. The Cold War might be over but McCarthyist attitudes still persist and you still see that ideological divide within countries between their political left and right. There's probably less support for socialism than there ever has been in history in fact so aside from the fact socialists are so few in number you could practically argue McCarthyism is stronger than ever.
Neoliberalism is a product of the Eighties that's still strongly believed despite the problems it's causing. The early 1990s-present revival of the American city is mostly a myth as big-box stores are bigger than ever and most development by far is still in the 'burbs.
And despite the 80s being characterized as a "decade of greed" any backlash towards the materialism of that decade in the 23 1/2 years since has at best only been token.
As far as art goes, I can't think of a single major genre of music, or even a major subgenre that's popular today that didn't already exist in 1988. The Eighties also began the trend of technology and profit being used at the expense of art. Back then like today you had dim-witted action movies full of special effects and low on plot, and music big on production and low on substance, just like today. The CGI abuse of today's cinema is just a continuation of the ethos that gave us the gated drum abuse of 80s music.
I do love the Eighties but it's mostly because I just love the style of that time and the zeitgeist that was already starting by then hadn't lasted long enough to produce the negative effects that are apparent now and have been for the past 15-20 years or so.
Maybe, but the 80's pales in impact compared to the 60's. The music alone, which is heard every day in many TV series, commercials, and films is astounding. The ongoing progress of women's rights, racial and ethnic equality, environmental activism, gay rights, the drug culture (positives and negatives), questioning authority including government propaganda, the severe right/left political divide, individual choice in fashion, hair and lifestyle and many other examples all had their start in the 60's.
Maybe, but the 80's pales in impact compared to the 60's. The music alone, which is heard every day in many TV series, commercials, and films is astounding. The ongoing progress of women's rights, racial and ethnic equality, environmental activism, gay rights, the drug culture (positives and negatives), questioning authority including government propaganda, the severe right/left political divide, individual choice in fashion, hair and lifestyle and many other examples all had their start in the 60's.
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The left/rightdivide is quite old as old as the fight between the Progressives and later new Dealers and their opponents perhaps even as old as society itself(i.e. progressive types that want to change things to something theorectically better vs. Conservative types that want things to stay the same or return to an earlier idealized state.)
What the 60ies does is give minorities esp. those in the southcivil rights which leads to the first African American major politicians (i.e.big city mayors) in the 70ies and 80ies. Women view the workplace as being somewhere where they are equal to men and the feminist movement gains traction in the70ies. Gay rights would take longer but after the stonewall riots the current fight for gay rights is born and authorities no longer raid gay bars to arrest people simply for being gay. Sex outside of marriage becomes less demonized due to the 60ies. The world changes from one where Ricky and Lucy (late 50ies), a couple married both in TV and real life can not even be shown in the same bed to one where sex outside of marriage is almost praised. Mainline Church attendance drops and only Evangelical church attendance rises.
While the 80ies brings neo-liberalism, a lot of the decline in unions is due to the decline of blue collar work(i.e. it doesn’t take as much man power to create stuff as it used to due to automation and the computer really hurt low level Blue collar and White Collar jobs! Also imports increased such that we produce less stuff in this country. ).
The 80s died when Nirvana got popular. The 80s and 90s were pretty different decades. Although the 80s were highly materialistic, the truth is the economy in the 90s was much stronger.
Truthfully, I feel like the end of the 90s have been dragging on for awhile now although the fashion has definately changed.
The 80s died when Nirvana got popular. The 80s and 90s were pretty different decades. Although the 80s were highly materialistic, the truth is the economy in the 90s was much stronger.
Truthfully, I feel like the end of the 90s have been dragging on for awhile now although the fashion has definately changed.
That's my point ... aside from a brief period in the early 90s the 90s as well as the 00s and the part of the 10s that is in the past has continued the materialism of the 80s.
I agree with you the pop culture of today still has a late nineties type of feeling to it, though. I just think the overall attitude of people is still basically stuck in the eighties.
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