The 80s
1979 :KOOL KIDS NEVER HAVE THE TIME (fwd)
We were born in 1979 (or 80). People were still getting over Vietnam
and Disco had swept the country. Dolly Parton had a song called
Jolene,and Diana Ross had records, yes those big black frisbees that
were 5 times the size of a CD, as big as her hair. The Muppets were
our heros, and Atari was the game of choice. Pac Man invaded our heads
and our parents' pockets. We had those bouncy balls that had the handle
on the top and you could sit on and bounce all over the place. The
Reagan administration came around, but all we cared about were our
mini-wheels.
Snack time in Kindergarten was cool and the opposite sex still had
cooties. We liked to play Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. Tic tac
toe was still fashionable to us. Star Wars, and Ewoks were imiatated
all over the nation, ET made us (or at least me) afraid to go into
the bathroom. Girls fought over My Little Ponies, Barbies and Cabbage
Patch Kids. Boys were more into Transformers, He-Man, and GI Joe, not to
mention their prized bb guns. Pretend was always fun too.
In second grade, we watched as the Challenger lept from the earth
only to float back unexpectedly, devastating the nation, and plunging them
into a state of mourning. Cuba was the enemy, drugs were becoming
big and Iran got on our bad side, as did Oliver North. TV rotted our
brains with "Different Strokes," "Silver Spoons," and "The Cosby Show." Leg
warmers, bandanas and spiked hair, consumed us as we listened to Boy
George and his Culture Club, Bruce Springstein, Rolling Stones,
Madonna, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, and Michael Jackson.
Pretty soon, hair stopped being spiked and started getting
BIG..chains, and spikes, and jelly bracelets were the rage, and everything was
"awesome" or even "rad." People started getting computers like the
Apple 2E. Bubble dresses were cool and the youth were following the
path of rebellion. Drugs and guns were becoming more and more common, and
we watched as the world discovered HIV and AIDS, and an 18 year old boy
from Indiana died from a transfusion..
We also lived through the Bush administration. Our generation
watched the Gulf War come into our living rooms at night with the
green night images and the blazing dots across the screen.
We watched older brothers and sisters go off to a war that we never
thought we'd see, but we made up songs about Saddam Hussein to the
tune of "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. Bill Clinton became the President
taking Al Gore as his VP. Rolling your jeans and wearing GUESS and
ESPRIT clothes made you popular. Skinny people were beautiful and
fat people were funny, but everyone was crazy for McDonalds.
We started dating more frequently, searching for the love of our
life. Girls in the high schools started getting pregnant and we
started getting our licenses. We lived through all the crazy fashion
flashbacks, the hair, and the environmental crisis. We got to our senior year
and we waited for proms and homecoming and most of all graduation day.
We picked up our caps and gowns and all that senior stuff that's
supposed to help us remember the good 'ole days, but some of the things that
you remember most, can't be put on paper..That day finally came, and you
sat there with all of the friends that you had made over the years..you
looked out at your family and deep down you knew that this was a once
in a lifetime moment. It was the last time in your life that all these
people would be together in one place.
Yeah there would be reunions but there was always the chance that
one person wouldn't make it there. You looked back on your time with
these people and realized that it was short lived and that it didn't
seem as if there was enough time for everything that you wanted to
accomplish...sports, activities, SAT, ACT, and all that good stuff.
They called your name, your tassle got turned, and you got a piece of
paper that said that you were smart. Then you said good-bye..maybe
to your town, and that school and your friends.
You know that you can go back to visit, but there will be strangers
in the halls and it's not the same. It's different, and you're
different. But it's not the end. In fact, everything is just
beginning.
-Anonymous
* send this on to all the people you know born in "our" year so
that they too enjoy the reflection on what defines us and makes our
memories.
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