One guy's thoughts on life, love, faith and his world

Friday, April 23, 2010

I Love the... What decade?

My best friend recently posed an interesting question to me. What decade is it that you really associate with? At first thought, he believed he associated with the 80's the most, as did I, but after further discussion, we had to agree it was the 90's. Whether or not this decision was made with the influence of copious amounts of adult beverages is up to you to decide, but, nevertheless, a decision was made.

And, so, the question goes out, what decade do you identify yourself with most? I pose this to all 14 of my followers (and I do know that there are more out there). I'm also happy to say that my following, albeit small, spans many different decades, not to call anyone out specifically.

Are you a child of the 60's, where everyone loved everything, yet turmoil in the country ran rampant? Many people think of the 1960's as a time of freedom and perhaps rightfully so. The continent of Africa alone had 32 different countries gain independence from their European colonial rulers during that timeframe. At the same time, not everything was so lovely. The Vietnam War was raging and we saw the deaths of some of the most influential people in history - John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X just to name a few.

Perhaps you identify with the Decade of Disco, the 1970's. Now I was born in that decade. Let's run down a bit of history from the 1970's. The United States witnessed the resignation of a President. There were three popes in 1978 alone, with the last becoming the first non-Italian pope since 1523. Yes, you read that correctly, 1523. Both towers of the World Trade Center in New York City were completed and became an American landmark. Little did we know that the falling of those towers would also become a landmark a few decades later.

Here come the 1980's with the Huxtables leading the way. During this time period, I was more concerned about who was going to be the one to hook up with Kelly Kapowski - Zack Morris or A.C. Slater. And I was more concerned with that than anything having to do with school. Adolescence will do that to you. But I also lost my innocence because for the first time that I can remember, I realized how precious life was during this decade with the Challenger tragedy. It hit home to me because there was a teacher on board.

The 80's also saw the advent of quite possibly the worst acronym in recent human history. And with the unknown, there is always fear and blame. Luckily, there have been many strides in thirty years and although there is not yet a cure for AIDS, we are getting closer.

That brings us to the 90's, the decade that I identify with the most. The Giants won the first Super Bowl played in the decade, the Yankees won three World Championships and Brandon Walsh was ruling the zip code of 90210. Stone Cold Steve Austin continually beat The Rock in championship matches and I learned what a woman was. The funny thing is, if I hear a song from the 90's, I can pinpoint a place and time that I heard that song growing up no matter how big or small the event was in my life.

And I think that's what really defines what decade you identify with. If you can hear a song from a particular decade and remember some event, whether it be extreme or mundane, silly or serious, than that's your decade. And there's No Bonz About It!

3 comments:

  1. 1. You still don't know what a woman is
    2. Reagan led 1980's not the Huxtables
    3. The worst acronym in recent human history is LOL
    4. "President" (4th paragraph, 4th line) should not be capitalized because you are not referring to a specific person. Did the 1970's witness the resignation of a president of a financial company? Or did the 1970's witness the resignation of the President of the United States of America? Grammar police.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "a bit of a surprise"??? Where does that come from??

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ryan - very thought provoking. I will have to figure out what my decade is, probably the 80's but I will have to give it some more consideration.

    Kyle - You may not be a teacher but you certainly have the genes. LOL

    ReplyDelete