# What were the 80s like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671 "2017-12-06T00:19:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671/121 "2017-12-15T23:38:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > MTV was born. They played Music Videos 24 hours a day. First couple of years they didnt have enough so you saw _Karma Cameleon_ and \*I want my MTV \*every hour. I’m having flahsbacks to VH1 and “Like The Weather”. For some reason they played that thing to death! ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671/122 "2017-12-15T23:57:22Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Would they hold their purses a little more tightly on public transportation when a crew of young black men boarded the bus? Probably. Would they locked the car doors when driving through “certain neighborhoods”? Yeah, probably. This was the decade of wildings and the squeegee people, of course everyone practiced safe movement, that chick that was raped in Central Park while Jogging, times square being a war zone. Crack Cocaine coming online during the latter part of the decade, simply cause and effect. > [@j666](#): > > But for me the 80s was like a transition period, between “racism is wrong” and “we need to talk about race”. Wrong decade, it may have had its genesis in the 80’, but for the most part that was a 90’s thing after the LA riots. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671/123 "2017-12-16T01:49:42Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > OK, it’s not worse today. Or at least in my observation among my various peer groups. > [@RickJay](#): > > You believe they didn’t in the 80s? > > It isn’t. Not even close. > [@Declan](#): > > This was the decade of wildings and the squeegee people, of course everyone practiced safe movement, that chick that was raped in Central Park while Jogging, times square being a war zone. Crack Cocaine coming online during the latter part of the decade, simply cause and effect. > > Wrong decade, it may have had its genesis in the 80’, but for the most part that was a 90’s thing after the LA riots. No, it was the '80s. It was pre-internet. Which, now that I think, might be why I was unaware of rampant racism the rest of you experienced. Ah, the Central Park Jogger - the case in which five men found guilty were later exonerated? And some suggested they should still be executed? Not in the 80s, but in the last year or so. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671/124 "2017-12-16T17:50:13Z")
And people polarized about Bernie Goetz’s actions. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671/125 "2017-12-16T21:13:14Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > And people polarized about Bernie Goetz’s actions. A horrifying precursor to today. ---
**Author:** ![Tempe\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tempe_jeff/32/7328_2.png) [@Tempe\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tempe_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671/126 "2017-12-17T01:56:41Z")
I remember seeing Anwar Sadat assassinated live on CNN. MTV first day and watching ESPN showing Australian Rules Football live. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2017, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671/127 "2017-12-17T06:24:58Z")
The mention of MTV reminded me of Nickelodeon, which was also born then. Nick started with reruns and imported shows - Belle and Sebastian (where the band’s name came from, I expect,) animated Star Trek, You Can’t Do That on Television with occasional appearances of Alanis Morisette, Today’s Special, and best of all Danger Mouse. Original programming began with Eureka’s Castle and then branched into game shows for kids. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-80s-like/803671.md?page=6)