During the 1980s in America, the business and celebrity icon side of culture took over and made a big impact, creating a whole new side of the term ‘billionare’. The list of the 400 richest people became more important than its 500 largest companies. Binge buying and credit became a way of life, ‘Shop Til you Drop’ was the new catchphrase and expensive labels were everything. Video games, aerobics, minivans, camcorders, and talk shows became part of a typical American’s life. Some of the memorable events consisted of hospital costs rising, many of the finest talents were lost to AIDS which before the decade ended spread to black and Hispanic women, and unemployment rose. On the more positive side, the US Constitution had its 200th birthday, ‘Gone with the Wind’ had it’s 50th aniversary, ET phoned home, and in 1989 Americans gave $115,000,000,000 to charity.
American education came under fire during the 1980s. Liberals cried out against budget cuts and rising student costs. School districts offered teachers exams and exit exams became a part of graduating for Education majors. Desisions were made for the return to the classics for college students and back to the basic skills for public school students. An attempt was made to improve the teacher quality by raising salaries slightly.
Team sports for kids were really popular, beginning in the seventies and going through to the 80′s. Kids had after school and weekend cheerleading, baseball, football, soccer, gym, dance, jazz. Nerd’s became a hot commodity in the 1980s. Wealthy and brainy computer wizards grew in popularity and TV joined the nerd ranks. Food of the 80s included the popular fast food places like Taco Bell and McDonald’s McDLT and McRib. Kids loved Sweetarts, Skittles, Nerds, Runts, Hubba Bubba Chewing Gum, and Five Alive. Collectibles were big in the 80s. Smurf and E.T. paraphernalia, Cabbage Patch dolls, camcorders, video games (Nintendo, Pac Man, Game Boy), Rubik’s Cube, Teenage Mutant Nija Turtles and Barbies were big. Power dressing was in. Madonna was a big influence on young fashion. Film continued to influence and inspire clothing. The Flashdance look had young and old in tank tops, tight-fitting pants or torn jeans, and leg-warmers. Teens not wearing designer clothes alternatively went for Michael Jackson’s glove or Madona’s fishnet stockings, leather, and chains. Tanning salons thrived and Sneakers were so popular the price became extremely high. The shoe companies, like Nike, claimed the cost of high technologies needed to create the shoes was responsible for the huge jump in price. Also, during the eighties, Americans continued to travel around their own country – using every mode of transportation.
Cable was born and MTV, orginally intended to be promos for albums, had an enormous impact on music and young people. The CD revolutionized the music industry. Dances learned on MTV included slam dancing and break dancing. Gay, black, and Latino males imitated the beautiful jet set with their ‘Vogueing’ dance popularized by Madonna incorporating the struts and stances of high fashion models. Pop, rock, new wave, punk, country and especially rap or hip hop became popular in the 80s. VCR sales rose 72% in 12 months. By 1989, 60 percent of American households with televisions received cable service. Broadway revivals were important during the 80s. Sell-out musicals were ahead, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega hits Cats, Starlight Express, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera were born. The American Ballet Theater also turned 40. TV innovations and trends included anti-family sitcoms, tabloid tv, stand-up comics and info-tainment. Some popular and well known 80′s movies included: Arthur, Stephen Spielberg Movies like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Big Chill, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Out of Africa, Back to the Future, Cocoon, The Breakfast Club,Platoon,Star Trek, Good Morning Vietnam, Fatal Attraction, Rain Man, and Driving Miss Daisy.
