Tk Things Gen X Forgets About the Mid-80s
The ‘80s are always coming back in one way or the other, and people always celebrate the neon signs, the mall culture, and the crazy hairdos you don’t see around anymore. But those who lived through the real 1980s know there was a lot more to them than just those vibes and the aesthetic everyone thinks summarizes the times.
Politics weren't great at the time, and the economy wasn't thriving either. Going to the mall was often just that, going to the mall without buying anything at all. So, here are some things Gen X forgets about the mid-80s, with some good things, some bad things, and some really ugly things.
Fotomats
Fotomats were everywhere in the ‘80s, but what many don’t remember is that you had to wait to see the pictures you had taken. You had to take all the pictures in your reel to go to the fotomat, and you had to wait for a day to get them. And you were usually disappointed that they didn't look like you thought they did.
Choking Hazards
The ‘70s and ’80s weren't very safe, and a lot of the regulations we have now originated because people were hurt or worse during those years.
The Challenger Disaster
The truth is that, if you were a kid at the time, it's pretty impossible to forget about this.
Batteries Not Included
You couldn't charge your things with USB cables because they didn't exist. Instead, a lot of toys needed between 2 and 6 batteries to function, and some even required different types of batteries to make your life harder.
War on Drugs
It wasn't a great time to be alive.
Salad Bars
Fast food chains used to have this, and they even had ads focusing on the quality of their salad bars.
Live Aid
Another thing everyone remembers, of course, but the reason this existed was the tough AIDS epidemic that struck the US and changed everything forever.
Buying Music
Music stores aren't a thing anymore, but back in the day, they could feel like a home away from home. However, like with everything in the '80s, you had to wait a whole lot. For example, if you wanted to buy a cassette, you had to wait for a clerk to remove this casing.
Mall Hangouts
Yeah, malls thrived in the '80s, and hanging out with friends was awesome. You could spend the entire day there. But without cellphones, you also spent a lot of time just wandering around, waiting for someone to arrive, or looking for your friends in the many stores you could walk into. There was a lot of waiting for pretty much everything back then.
Chicago Tylenol murders
Drug tampering led to deaths by poisoning that shook people all around the US.
Smoking
Everyone was smoking everywhere. You could shop for clothes and browse in stores while smoking a cigarette, and everything was perfectly normal.
Scrambled Channels
If you weren't paying for premium channels, usually for adult content, this is what you saw on your TV. You could tweak some settings or simply wait a lot and the image would look like a negative for a second, and that thrill was incredible.
Leaded Gas
Gas used to contain lead, and after some studies, it became clear that it was very dangerous. Today, more updated studies have established a relationship between the use of leaded gas and criminal activity.
The Cold War Was Everywhere
The Cold War lasted a good couple of decades, and you didn't know what new menace was going to show up the next day. There were boycotts in important events, like the Olympics, and people went through many different “crises” involving missiles, drugs, and much more.
Hands Across America
You'd think a charity event of this magnitude would be remembered for ages, but you hardly hear about it.
