The 80's

I am a child of the 80's. Everything about the 80's I embraced. I wanted to look, act, sing and dance like Madonna. I fell for Duran Duran. I loved the Brat Pack. And the list goes on and on.


I've been watching this series the National Geographic channel has showing called "The 80's - the decade that made us." I'm shocked at how much I'm learning, or didn't know, about the 80's.


It's interesting to witness that decade as an adult.  Things that happened you didn't see the same way as you now see them as an adult. It really was the decade of excess and really did start pop culture and planted it firmly in our society.


One example is Tetris. It tore down walls. It was one of the games made by Russians, marketed by Japanese and sold in the US. It really hit our culture with a bang and everyone who was anyone played Tetris.


Except me.


I am probably the only 80's child who didn't play Tetris or own a Game Boy.


The other thing I learned is what the Cold War really means. I, at a theoretical level, understand what the Cold War was about. And I understood that Russia was bad. What I didn't know, or missed in history class at some point, is that it was called the Cold War because all communications between Russia and the US stopped. Effectively we gave Russia the Cold Shoulder.


I learned more about the Iran Contra scandal. I wrote a paper on it in school and clearly missed the entire reason for the scandal. I knew who Oliver North was - but somehow I didn't understand what Iran had to do with Nicaragua.


Fascinating. It makes me wonder what I not understanding about today's world.


And Knight Rider. Oh goodness I loved that show. It wasn't about The Hoff...no it was about the car. I wanted a KITT car. And who can understand the inexplicable reason why the Germans love David Hasselhoff.


And who can forget Jessica McClure that got trapped in a well? I mean, the entire world came together to pray for this child to be saved. Where was lassie when you need him? Turns out that this particular story is what cemented CNN to be a 24 hour news broadcasting station AND opened the door to the crazy media that we know today.


And who can forget..."Mr. Gorbachev...Tear...This...Wall... Down." I understood at a very thin level what the Berlin Wall was. I didn't fully understand it was a prison for East Germans. I didn't understand that it was grim and isolated. I did understand the glory when the wall came down.


The 80's were truly a decade fully of history and crazy. But boy am I glad I'm having an opportunity to see it now through the eyes of National Geographic.