OP shorts

Ronald Reagan

Ninjas were awesome.
Kids had more freedom
Ecto cooler

The energy and optimism.

Fashion and contemporary styles in general were vibrant and exciting. Movies and music were youth driven (MTV, the Brat Pack). TV was focused around wholesome families (Full House, The Cosby Show, Family Ties, etc.) and over-the-top excess (Dallas, Dynasty, Fantasy Island, etc.). Inflation was high but the stock market was climbing and businesses were booming, and while labor unions and factory jobs were declining, they were still significant. We were worried about nuclear weapons, but it felt like we were finally winning the Cold War as the USSR was dying. Our President was telling us it was “Morning in America” and cracking jokes. Racism and sexism were still concerns, but it felt like we’d triumphed over the worst of it and that our younger generation would sweep out the vestiges with the passing of the older generations. Computers went from room-sized mainframes that belonged to major businesses and institutions to desktops that even middle-classed families could own and knew it was just the beginning of the future.

Basically, we felt like we were at the start of a bright and shiny future, both personally for Gen-Xers like myself, and also for the nation and even the world in general.

Anonymous wrote:The 1986 NY Giants.

'84 Tigers

Anonymous wrote:Yep, everything was stored with memory and not treated as if it wasn’t recorded, it didn’t happen

My uncle videotaped his kids just as much as people do now with their phones. Longer because he would record whole games, concerts, Christmas morning, etc.

I remember, back in 1981, touring outside a British landmark and seeing a few everyday tourists with the then giant camcorders on their shoulders. I marveled at people turning themselves into ad hoc news crews vs. just buying a pamphlet like others of us.

We quit work at quitting time.
Weekends were our own unless we had to go in to work, which was rare.
In our case we were in our 30s, cats and we were young. No chronic illnesses.
We had a sense of optimism looking forward to life adventures even though "vacations" were usually just 2 nights at VA Beach. We didn't start traveling much until 1990.

The Berlin Wall fell.

My grandpa was 90. He said he didn't think he'd live to see that happen.

It was one of those moments when history was moving in a good direction for little people.

Yep, everything was stored with memory and not treated as if it wasn’t recorded, it didn’t happen

Class divide less pronounced than now. There actually was a middle class.
Society was more free pre-9/11. No restrictions to enter government buildings like there is now.
no social media or iPhones. So you could do dumb shit as a teen without it ruining your life.
Oh and much easier to get into good colleges.
And movie theaters! Movies were good and going was an event.

The entertaining was great, dinner parties, etc.
No internet, no phones, no social media.
Also, outlet stores were actually a really good way to get great stuff.

No internet and no cell phones. People talked to each other, and relationships mattered more. Life was more peaceful and sane. People were more "normal."

Lack of social media and mobile phones. I miss those days.

The 1986 NY Giants.

People remember the music. Anything else?