Then vs. now: 2014 vs. 1984 in my own words. As the summer of 2014 winds down, I can’t help but think back to the summer of 1984. This has been the 30 year anniversary of a lot of “stuff.” For starters, we knew right away that Orwell’s book was not an accurate description of the year, though 30 years later, it may be more prescient than we thought, with cameras everywhere, forensic DNA technology solving decades’ old crimes, and the Patriot Act allowing government intrusions in places it hadn’t been before…and where it isn’t allowed by the law, the NSA apparently just does what it wants anyway. But I think back to what a great time I had in the summer of 1984, approaching my 14th birthday. In sports, my Orioles won the World Series the previous year (and haven’t come close since), and in ’84 the Tigers started 35-5 on their way to winning it all. I had my first real kiss that summer (I think). What I really remember is the music and the movies (more on that later), and in spite of the advances in technology between now and then, there are some things I miss. I try to talk to my kids about some of this stuff, and it just goes over their heads, not unlike my own parents telling me about the difference between my childhood and theirs. There were several “firsts” that year. Two that are near-and-dear to my heart are the first flight of the Voyager, which in 1986 would be the first plane to circumnavigate the globe non-stop, without refueling. The original Frontier Airlines had the honor of having the first all-female airline cockpit crew (Denver to Lexington, Kentucky). Air Florida stopped flying (the whole airline, not just one plane in Washington), but the shuttle Discovery flew for the first time of thirty-nine. American Eagle, which is about to be shut down, began operations in November. Comair, my previous employer, joined ranks with Delta, and began their explosive growth. Here’s a list of just a few things that have gone by the wayside, and not always for the better. We now have cell phones and cordless phones, which are incredibly convenient. But….there was something lost when you no longer had a long phone cord to play with or wrap yourself in, or to wrap around a doorknob so you could swing a door open and closed while you talked. We actually had busy signals. Now, it just goes to voice mail. And you can’t slam a cell phone, especially a smart phone. If you were mad at someone back in the day, you could really let them know by how hard you slammed the phone. And when you did, it didn’t break. Try that today, and the phone is likely to shatter. And who can forget collect calls? There used to be TV commercials for the best collect calling services (remember 1-800-CALL-ATT and 1-800-COLLECT?). In fact, toll free numbers were ALL 800. There was no 877 or 866 or any other prefix. Long distance was expensive (we all called Grandma on the weekends). If you wanted directions or the name of a store, you didn’t Google anything. You got your trusty Yellow Pages. The book was thick, and by the end of the year, it was dog-eared and covered with handwritten notes. And the cover was probably half-torn, if not missing. Not anymore, and I think that’s a loss, along with the Sears catalog. I used to love looking through the Sears catalog. Speaking of stores, we had maps. Lots of maps. We used to keep them in the glove box, which is now filled with phone chargers and drive-through napkins (the drive through was a relatively new phenomenon then, one that was quickly catching on and forcing many restaurants to remodel). Some were hopelessly out of date, but there was always someone who could figure out where you were and how to get unlost. One store we’ve lost is the record store. If you’ve never been to a good record store—with records—you have truly missed out. Downloading songs is easy and convenient, but half the fun of buying a record was the unknown. The album covers were part of the appeal, and the record sleeve or cassette insert offered something as well. Were the lyrics enclosed? Was there a note about the songs roots? Who were the guest musicians? You would buy a record or a cassette (or a record and a blank cassette to record the record to play it in your car) for one or two songs, and wind up falling in love with one or two songs that probably never got played on the radio. If you were the first of your friends to get a new record from a favorite band, it was a big deal. Honk if you know what the letters “LP” stand for (without having to Google the answer). Record stores also had singles. Actual 45 rpm singles, the ones that determined which songs Casey Kasem played on AT 40 every week. Singles, if you don’t know, where mini-records, with chart song on one side (side A) and another song on the B side. Sometimes, the B side would become a hit on its own (Bruce Springsteen’s live cover of Santa Claus is Coming to Town is an example). New singles, old singles, and everything in between—record stores had ‘em all. A record store then was like a book store: you could go in looking for a new Michael Jackson record, and come out with ten more you didn’t intend to buy, but you just had to have. I miss those days. Speaking of those record stores, what were the big names? Michael Jackson’s Thriller album (1982) was still going strong (it was in 1984 that he burned his scalp shooting the Pepsi commercial). The Police broke up, but the Footloose soundtrack had us all imitating Kevin Bacon. Born in the U.S.A. put Bruce Springsteen in the stratosphere and got Ronald Reagan in hot water for quoting the song out of context in a speech. Ray Parker, Jr. answered the question about who you’re gonna call with the soundtrack to Ghostbusters. Wham! was hitting the big time, but we all learned how to Relax, because Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Innocent Man, Against All Odds, and All Cried Out were popular ballads. Huey Lewis and the News released Sports in 1983, and it exploded in 1984, Van Halen told us to Jump while the Pointer Sisters told us to Jump (for my love). It was a great time for music, and it reflected the upbeat mood of our society at that time. As the artist first known, then formerly known, and now again known, as Prince said, Let’s Go Crazy. Not everyone loved it our music—One Night in Bangkok was banned in that city. I mentioned a couple of the movies. Ghostbusters and Footloose were classics, but there was also Beverly Hills Cop, Gremlins (this is the movie that ultimately was responsible for the PG-13 rating), The Karate Kid, and Police Academy. The Best Picture went to Amadeus, which was the ultimate Revenge of the Nerds. Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald were a force in Sixteen Candles. Arnold—this was the decade of first-name-only celebrities—under the direction of James Cameron, told us in The Terminator, “I’ll be back.” Both were. On TV, the Movie of the Week was still a big deal (Fatal Vision), as was the mini-series (V), another lost art. J.R. got shot, and we all wanted to know who did it. Alex Trebek took over Jeopardy! NBC began the era of Must See TV with shows like Night Court, the Cosby Show, Punky Brewster, and Miami Vice (remember those jackets?). Cable TV had not reached its peak yet, and most people still watched the Big 3 networks. That meant for a show to get picked up, it had to be pretty good. To stay, it had to be great. Today, it just needs to be made, and somebody will play it, no matter how bad it is. If not, there’s always You Tube. VCR’s were still rare, so you made it a point to be home to watch your show, commercials and all, and changing channels often meant standing up and walking across the room. Many households still had working black-and-white TVs. Back then, if you had cable, MTV actually played music videos. School was different, too. When you needed to do research, you didn’t have the internet. You had the school library, the public library, and if you were lucky, your parents owned either the World Book Encyclopedia (who remembers door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen?) or the Encyclopedia Britannica. Apple Computers were just making their way into schools, and nobody knew how to use them. When you tried out for a team, you actually tried out. Those that didn’t have it got cut. It was a different time. Kids rode bikes….everywhere, including to school. Tighty whiteys and short shorts were cool (OP was the brand), cars didn’t all have A/C, so we rode with the windows down. Speed dial didn’t exist, so you actually had to learn someone’s phone number, and if you needed to remember something, you couldn’t take a picture (unless you had a Polaroid), so if you had to, you wrote it on your hand, Sarah Palin style. Nothing was made in China, and everything was made in Japan. Much has improved in 2014, but much has been lost in our zest for convenience (you’re reading this on Facebook) and simplicity (Wal-Mart). 1984 was a great year, probably because I just want to remember it that way. But I think it was a great year anyway. Even as a teenager, I can remember the increasing optimism as the country found its stride after the turmoil of the 1970’s. The conflict of that optimism and some of the harsh realities in the world—Ethiopia, We Are the World and Live Aid would all come on stage in 1985—as we tried to come to grips with the past (the Vietnam War and the treatment of the vets was a black on the country) played itself out in the music, movies and TV shows. But it was mostly a time of looking forward and embracing the future. After all, George Orwell had instilled a sense of fear about 1984. But communism was dying, and we knew it. By 1982, Prince was telling us to party like it’s 1999. By 1984, we knew that we could, and we often did. Who knew that we would be chastised for drinking a Big Gulp? These things ebb and flow. The 1950’s were a boom time, the ‘60s were chaotic, and the ‘70s are just best forgotten. The 1980’s and early 1990’s were loose and fun, and the Aught decade of the 2000’s was painful for all of us. It’s possible we’re just turning the corner on a new era of growth and prosperity as the economy and American society once again reinvents itself. At some point, a kid will be able to grow up, look back 30 years and say, “That was great.” But it won’t be like 1984.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 00:31:21 +0000
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