BETWEEN THE LINES: Fads and trends: Part II
Between the Lines
Last week, I touched on the topic of fads and trends, demonstrating that as much as we talk about the desire to be our own person, we are largely influenced by our culture. Socio-economists call this the herding instinct. It is quite prevalent in nature.
Last week, I covered trends from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. This week, I begin with the 1980s.
The decade of the ’80s began during the end of the Carter Administration. The United States struggled economically during that time, but with the election of President Ronald Reagan, the economy took off and optimism returned. The result was a string of popular long-running comedy TV shows starring Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett and Bill Cosby — with a couple of action shows such as the "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Magnum P.I." tossed in for variety.
The music scene of the decade was quite diversified, but the star of the era was no doubt Sir Elton John. However, many others helped frame the period as well, such as Billy Joel, Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, Air Supply, Christopher Cross and the fabulously talented Whitney Houston, with her “One Moment in Time."
The decade ended with Michael Bolton’s 1989 hit "How am I Going to Live Without You."
Oddly enough, the decade produced few cinema classics with only two films landing in the top 100. Both of these works were on the dark side. One was Robert DeNiro’s "Raging Bull," depicting the seedy side of professional boxing, which came out in 1980; the other was Oliver Stone’s “Platoon" from 1986.
Other fads of the period included the Rubik’s Cube, the boom box and Trivial Pursuit. The cube presented a challenge for many, including yours truly. However, I was more successful with trivia — just my luck to remember worthless information that has no economic benefit, but at least I make a good team member.
The memorable quote of the decade came from a Wendy’s television commercial when an elderly grandmother-type opens a large hamburger bun to discover a minuscule burger and asks: “Where’s the beef?”
Good times continued into the 1990s as the economy continued to expand. The motion picture industry witnessed the growth of independent movie producers, and the years before the 21st century provided a great comeback for films spearheaded by such classics as "Forrest Gump," "Jurassic Park," "Shawshank Redemption," "Titanic," "Silence of the Lambs" and "The Lion King," each making the top 100 films of all time.
Not to be outdone, television countered with many innovative series that broke new ground. Series such as "The X-Files," "Seinfeld," "Frasier" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" were audience favorites. For youngsters, the popular series of the decade was "Saved by the Bell," with its cast of thoroughly entertaining mischief makers.
Music of the decade ran the gamut from pop and rap to alternative music and featured groups such as Hootie and the Blowfish, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, but boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, N’Sync and 98 Degrees took center stage. It seemed like everybody at one time or another was dancing the Macarena and wearing their acid-washed jeans.
The catchphrase depicting the decade came from the movie “Jerry McGuire" when actor Cuba Gooding Jr. says to his agent, played by Tom Cruise: “Show me the money!”
Fads are a reminder that nothing stays permanent. Life changes — hopefully, for the better, but there are no guarantees. History tells us that as we age, older inherently becomes better. That might or might not be true. I guess we will just have to wait and find out.
Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 12 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, email ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.