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Growing up in the 1980's

GPK26
7 months ago

Following on from my "Good Old Times" discussion, I thought that I'd start a discussion about growing up in the 1980's...

It was during the 80's that I became a teenager with a certain amount of living carefree without the responsibilities that adult life brings and without knowing (or even suspecting) that I was autistic.
There was a lot going on - both good and bad.

BAD

  • We were still going through the Cold War - as a child I remember the seemingly constant threat of nuclear war.
  • The Falkland War
  • The miners strike
  • High unemployment (3 Million)
  • Famine in Africa
  • The rise of AIDS

GOOD

  • The British Armed Forces demonstrated how capable they were in protecting the Falklands
  • Space exploration was revitalised by the Space Shuttle programme
  • Only 4 TV channels, mostly with great quality programming (no narcissistic reality crap!)
  • Technological advances....that didn't take over our lives as mobile phones and social media have done
  • Band Aid / Live Aid (probably one of the most positive memories that I had of the 80's)
  • The Iron Curtain / Berlin Wall fell 
  • IMHO, probably the best decade for music 

What are your memories from the 80's?
Do you remember them as the best times of your life? Or maybe the worst times?

Parents
  • 7 months ago

    Some great comments - thank you.

    As Roy mentioned, Chernobyl was a major event in the mid-80's.
    Earlier that year (1986) I vividly remember the Challenger space shuttle exploding shortly after take off, It was Tuesday late afternoon. I had got ready for Scouts and was waiting for the scout leader to pick me up from home. Put the space shuttle launch on TV (as I would for most of the launches back then) and remember being so shocked with what I witnessed on the TV.

    School was a challenge for me. I had passed the entrance exam (11 plus?) to get into a grammar school. Yes, I was quite a gifted child in terms of numeracy, problem solving, etc. But I was not very interested or capable in literature areas (I've never enjoyed reading fiction). Grammar school was a struggle for me. I struggled to work to the high levels of expectations (from the school and my dad). Fashion / labels were a big thing among the trendy (wealthy parented) kids and I felt like a just didn't fit in.

    I remember being infatuated by the USA. Everything seemed to be so desirable and cool.
    The movies, the music, the culture, the TV programmes, NFL, MTV, burgers.
    Back to the Future, Top Gun, ET, Ghostbusters
    Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Madonna
    living the dream
    Dallas, Dynasty, Cheers, Jonathon King's weekly music programme with Jenny Powell on BBC2

Reply
  • 7 months ago

    Some great comments - thank you.

    As Roy mentioned, Chernobyl was a major event in the mid-80's.
    Earlier that year (1986) I vividly remember the Challenger space shuttle exploding shortly after take off, It was Tuesday late afternoon. I had got ready for Scouts and was waiting for the scout leader to pick me up from home. Put the space shuttle launch on TV (as I would for most of the launches back then) and remember being so shocked with what I witnessed on the TV.

    School was a challenge for me. I had passed the entrance exam (11 plus?) to get into a grammar school. Yes, I was quite a gifted child in terms of numeracy, problem solving, etc. But I was not very interested or capable in literature areas (I've never enjoyed reading fiction). Grammar school was a struggle for me. I struggled to work to the high levels of expectations (from the school and my dad). Fashion / labels were a big thing among the trendy (wealthy parented) kids and I felt like a just didn't fit in.

    I remember being infatuated by the USA. Everything seemed to be so desirable and cool.
    The movies, the music, the culture, the TV programmes, NFL, MTV, burgers.
    Back to the Future, Top Gun, ET, Ghostbusters
    Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Madonna
    living the dream
    Dallas, Dynasty, Cheers, Jonathon King's weekly music programme with Jenny Powell on BBC2

Children