Am I Cheating On The 70's When I'm Nostalgic For The 80's?

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'm actually more of an 80s kid, really, having been born in December of 1974. But I remember the 70s better than a lot of folks my same age. I think partially because I started getting comics and older kid toys earlier than most, and didn't stay in the Pre-School range long.

So, that's a round-about way of saying, it's perfectly fine to be nostalgic for the 70s and 80s. Heck, I'm a bit nostalgic for the 90s now too!

Chris

[Werewolf]

There were some who seemed to believe that all songs, TV shows, movies and toys lost all value at the exact stroke of midnight on December 31st, 1979.

I've noticed that too and it is a little depressing and confusing. I had always thought of the 70s and 80s as culturally connected and so many of us grew up in both. We're the Gen X generation the unloved middle child were everything we loved sucked or was demonic and popular music began and ended with the Beatles. I still remember older collectors mocking 80s toys. I know it's petty but I does make me smile that their great grand children will still be playing with Transformers, My Little Pony and many other 80s toys.

I don't think everything 80s was totally awesome. I didn't like teen comedies and I can take or leave Back to the future. Give me Tron, Krull and Dragonslayer.

I do find it hard to feel sorry for resentful 70s kids when you can walk into Target and buy vinyl and Megos and virtually every show you loved no matter how obscure is available on affordable DVD boxsets.

[palitoy]

You know, when I posted this, I was surprisingly not thinking about the current wave of 80's nostalgia. Surprising because it is everywhere right now. I think I have a different nostalgia for the 80's then the stuff people are reveling in right now. I don't feel a connection with the current wave.

That's an interesting notion. I'm certainly not rejecting all things 80s as bad but yeah, I wasn't a kid then so stuff from that angle isn't my favourite.

One thing I will note- when I first came here to the Museum, I definitely remember some folks feeling about the 70's the way this current wave seems to feel about the 80's. There were some who seemed to believe that all songs, TV shows, movies and toys lost all value at the exact stroke of midnight on December 31st, 1979.

Yeah, i understand that, never shared that viewpoint.

I remember when I joined the Museum mailing list in the middle 90s someone posted that "we probably all exclusively listen to classic rock right?" and that couldn't have been further from the truth for me, I was in a golden age of new music at the time.

I love the past with all my heart but i live in the present and love it too.

The best line I've ever heard about nostalgia is this, "The best time to be a kid is when you were eight".

[Wee67]

My childhood was in the Seventies, but my truly formative years were the '80s. I have nostalgia for both decades.

Exactly! One of the big differences in my nostalgia for each time in my life has to do with the hazing abilities of nostalgia. Nostalgia seems to be capable of stripping away a lot of the dirtier details. Mostly the rosy, fuzzy warm feelings remain. My memories of my teen years are much clearer than those of my early childhood. While much of the difficult aspects remain clear, I still remember those Mall-dwelling, first dating, first job days with fondness. Space Port rules!

I just find with 80s nostalgia it's just become a bit over the top. Everything is the GREATEST! People take it very seriously now and I swear if I see any more stuff with VHS tracking digitally added over a synth track, I will puke! Not every 80s property was amazing, you were five!

You know, when I posted this, I was surprisingly not thinking about the current wave of 80's nostalgia. Surprising because it is everywhere right now. I think I have a different nostalgia for the 80's then the stuff people are reveling in right now. I don't feel a connection with the current wave.

One thing I will note- when I first came here to the Museum, I definitely remember some folks feeling about the 70's the way this current wave seems to feel about the 80's. There were some who seemed to believe that all songs, TV shows, movies and toys lost all value at the exact stroke of midnight on December 31st, 1979.

[palitoy]

Breakfast Club totally worked for me, most Hughes movies did but I'm 6 years your junior.

PS I had jobs since i was 7 but i think Schermer IL, was a well to do area.

[Mikey]

I never could understand the appeal of 80's teen comedy/drama films

At 20 years old was I too old to "get" The Breakfast Club ?

The movie tried to get me to like them and understand all of their delicate problems with growing up …..

My thoughts were, spoiled b_stards need a job … when I was their age I was laying sod after school and on weekends

BTW, if I was thinking this at 20 I must be a total d_ckhead today

[palitoy]

Let me start by saying "You're breaking the 70s heart you cheating #$&%%$&!!!!"

I'm kind of apathetic to 80s nostalgia, possibly a bit envious. Let me give my back story.

I loved my childhood, born in the tail end of 1970 and growing up in a house that looked like the Kroffts decorated it (Mom liked Orange) it was a happy time. I also enjoyed the early 80s, it of course houses the end of childhood, my awkward phase (my kids would say that never ended) and awesome stuff like first kiss, first love, first job, first concert and some high school glory days, so it's got some stuff that totally makes me happy. I do love many 80s properties, movies and television series.

It's just when I was living in the 80s, I had to hear every drone on and on about the 60s, how life was better, music was better, Captain Action was the best, Mego is crap! Fuzz head Gi Joe? Blech! blah-blah-diddy-blah.

I expected the wave of 70s nostalgia that would no doubt come pouring out of the 90s to be fun. It totally was but the 70s was treated kind of like a joke and boy, was i in on it. Don't get me wrong, I still poke fun at it every day. I think that might be the result of being a generational middle child, cynicism, I don't take pop culture seriously at all.

With 80s nostalgia, I find it's just become a bit over the top. Everything is the GREATEST! People take it very seriously now and I swear if I see any more stuff with VHS tracking digitally added over a synth track, I will puke. Not every 80s property was amazing and worthy of lauding, you were five! Agh! I dared to mention that "Back to the Future" was a great movie with terrible sequels to people younger than me once and it got really ugly not long ago. I was initially all onboard but it feels cliche to me.

Totally aware that this is my perception and some people view it as a golden age that will never end, that's fine, mileage varies, I want off the bus.

I should love Stranger Things, I am the same age as the cast at that time but i just can't.

Looking forward to the 90s nostalgia.

[Bruce Banner]

Mostly 70s nostalgia for me, plus the early 80s up to around '84 or thereabouts.

[Hedji]

Those of you mentioning Mall Culture... did you watch Stranger Things 3? I thought it was splendid.

80s is so in right now, it's hard not to be nostalgic. But then I watch an old 70s Drive-In B-Movie like Supervan and I realize I am a child of both.

I recently binge watched V-The Series, and whoo boy does that bring back 80s memories.... some not so obvious.

[B-Lister]

80s culture for me was the mall culture, combined with the East Coast surf/skate scene. I was a punk and I loved it. But it was not idyllic. The late 80s brought me a lot of pain I carried into my teen years, and even into my 20s and beyond.

[Hector]

Three things stand out for me in the 80s...

Movies, video arcades, and music.

[Werewolf]

I desperately miss 70s/80s shopping and mall culture.

[Mikey]

I go into nostalgic phases

First off, the early 70's were more of a 60's feel than late 70's so the 1970's should be split up in 2 era's

Same with the 80's ---- The early 80's was more like the late 70's than late 1980's …. and so on

Right at this moment i'm kinda in an early 90's mood reminiscing about the days of waiting for a new Star Trek The Next Generation episode to premier … while HATING Babylon 5

[PNGwynne]

My childhood was in the Seventies, but my truly formative years were the '80s. I have nostalgia for both decades.

[Klosterheim]

Luke Skywalker overlapped both decades, so I like both.

It depends if a person was isolated from certain things that happen in a decade, to really appreciate and have nostalgia for that decade.

What can be disappointing is when a person gets used to the world as viewed through TV shows, clothing and cars, then that person grows up and enters the world as an adult to find out that everything has vastly changed.

It seems like, in the past, there was more style, function and purpose in the world.