Quote:
Originally Posted by stellastar2345
I was born in 93.
Did life revolve around the fear of unemployment like it does now? Were families more intact (people more loyal to one another)? What would you say the general feeling during the time was? Did the fear of the soviets grip the nation?
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Well if you were an air traffic controller, Eastern Airline employee, steel worker you may have had unemployment issues.
We had a mini-recession in the early 1980s and folks were dumping their stuff on the Craigslist equivalent. -Bargain Trader or newspaper classifieds.
We had a bank bust in the late 1980s which affected folks as well.
We were concerned about our deficit and military expenditures.
A lot of folks were worried Social Security would not last.
We had a problem with Iran and their militant Islamic government. We were involved in some small guerrilla wars.
Israel was threatened without and within and they were our ally needing support for their preemptive border actions.
Israel was concerned about Iraq's nuclear capability and bombed their nuclear power plant to ruins.
We had immigration issues leading to Amnesty.
We had mass immigration here from Cuba that overwhelmed the INS folk.
Automotive fuel economy was a concern.
Pollution was a concern.
Find safe alternative energy sources was a concern.
Chrysler had monetary issues and required a bailout.
There was concern some televisions shows were too violent.
There was a freeze on Gov't hiring so forget having a Federal job out of college. See Grahm-Rudman.
There was Executive level scandals that caused a re-look at the honesty of the Federales.
There was some criminal activity among Federal elected officials-senators, reps, judges which caused concern at our politicians could be bribed.
At least in my city there was rioting twice in a decade due to blacks dying at Police hands.
Homosexuals demonstrated for their rights; they believed they were being discriminated.
Some women demonstrated for their rights; they believed they were being discriminated.
The Soviets....we accepted the Cold War. There were some incidents back and forth but it was via proxy or other actors that would not result in a 1914/1939 type of ultimatum. You know it was over by the end of the 1980s.
No one trusted the CIA.
It was a good thing to be an American. U.S. dollar sound and preferred all over the world. We were still the good guys in most parts of the world.
As now, depends were you lived, your standard and your prospects.
You did not have fear mongering news 24/7 as now and ranting on tv from commentators.
So some was familiar and some was not. Reading over the list above I realize more familiar than unfamiliar with today. Nothing changes but the visual images.
But honestly I never heard such fear of the future among young people as now as we read here on CD. I hope it is just a CD think because elsewhere on hobbyist (cars) forums young folk are as cocky and optimistic as I was back then.
I see there are a few books on U.S. culture in the 1980s. Recommend visiting your library for them. The documentary mentioned above is very well done as is the one for the 1990s. NatGeo channel and if your library has any funding they might have a copy as well for loan.
If you want to step back in time then read a book rather than watch something as that is really how we gained knowledge back then. The benefit is that it stimulates your brain and you retain the information longer.
There is an outstanding thread here about what life was like in the 1970s and early 1980s. Very detailed from the participants. Mine is post 203
//www.city-data.com/forum/histo...e-mid-70s.html
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My life does not revolve around fear of unemployment now, nor in the past. 
My god! 