1979,1989 :KOOL KIDS NEVER HAVE THE TIME
We were born in 1979 or 1980. People were still getting over Vietnam and
Disco had swept the country. Dolly Parton had a song called Jolene, and Diana
Ross had records, yes those big black frisbees that were 5 times the size of a CD,
as big as her hair. The Muppets were our heros, and Atari was the game of
choice. Pac Man invaded our heads and our parents pockets. We had those
bouncy balls that had the handle on the top and you could sit on and bounce all
over the place. The Reagan administration came around, but all we cared about
were our mini-wheels. Snack time in Kindergarten was cool and the opposite
sex still had cooties. We liked to play Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. Tic
tac toe was still fashionable to us. Star Wars, and Ewoks were imiatated all over
the nation, ET made us (or at least me) afraid to go into the bathroom. Girls
fought over My Little Ponies, Barbies and Cabbage Patch Kids. Boys were more
into Transformers, He-Man, and GI Joe, not to mention their prized bb guns.
Pretend was always fun too. In second grade we watched as the Challenger lept
from the earth only to float back unexpectedly, devastating the nation, and
plunging them into a state of mourning. Cuba was the enemy, drugs were
becoming big and Iran got on our bad side, as did Oliver North. TV rotted our
brains with "Different Strokes," "Silver Spoons," and "The Cosby Show." Leg
warmers, bandanas and spiked hair, consumed us as we listened to Boy George
and his Culture Club, Bruce Springstein, Rolling Stones, Madonna, George
Michael, Cyndi Lauper, and Micheal Jackson. Pretty soon, hair stopped being
spiked and started getting BIG...chains,and spikes, and jellybracelets were the
rage, and everything was "awesome" or even"rad."
People started getting computers like the Apple 2E. Bubble dresses were cool
and the youth were following the path of rebellion. Drugs and guns were
becoming more and more common, and we watched as the world discovered
HIV and AIDS, and an 18 year old boy from Indiana died from a transfusion...
We also lived through the Bush administration. Our generation watched the Gulf
War come into our living rooms at night with the green night images and the
blazing dots across the screen. We watched older brothers and sisters go off to a
war that we never thought we'd see, but we made up songs about Saddam
Hussein to the tune of "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.
Bill Clinton became the President taking Al Gore as his VP. Rolling your jeans
and wearing GUESS and ESPRIT clothes made you popular. Skinny people
were beautiful and fat people were funny, but everyone was crazy for
McDonalds.
We started dating more frequently, searching for the love of our life. Girls in the
high schools started getting pregnant and we started getting our licenses. We
lived through all the crazy fashion flashbacks, the hair, and the environmental
crisis. We got to our senior year and we waited for proms and homecoming and
most of all graduation day. We picked up our caps and gowns and all that senior
stuff that's supposed to help us remember the good old days,but some of the
things that you remember most, can't be put on paper...That day finally came,
and you sat there with all of the friends that you had made over the years...you
looked out at your family and deep down you knew that this was a once in a
lifetime moment. It was the last time in your life that all these people would be
together in one place. Yeah there would be reunions but there was always the
chance that one person wouldn't make it there. You looked back on your time
with these people and realized that it was short lived and that it didn't seem as if
there was enough time for everything that you wanted to accomplish...sports,
activities, SAT, ACT, and all that good stuff. They called your name, your tassle
got turned, and you got a piece of paper that said that you were smart. Then you
said good-bye...maybe to your town, and that school and your friends. You
know that you can go back to visit, but there will be strangers in the halls and it's
not the same. It's different, and you're different. But it's not the end. In
fact,everything is just beginning.-Anonymous
Send this on to all the people you know born in "our" year so that they too enjoy
the reflection on what defines us and makes our memories.