When reflecting on the decade of the eighties, no one single term, idea, or event comes to mind.

During this single ten-year span, large-scale cultural changes and major political events took place around the world. The early eighties were marked by events such as the election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency of the United States, a renewed Cold War, and revolutionary developments in technology. By the end of the eighties communism had all but ceased to exist in eastern Europe, America was mired in an economic recession, and large numbers of people found themselves using personal computers on a daily basis.

Important political events took place at home as well as abroad. We witnessed Michael Gorbachev lead the U.S.S.R. into a new era of democratic thought and improved relations with America through policies like Glasnost, Peristroika, and treaties like The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (parts I and II), as well as the re-unification of Germany, and democratic elections throughout eastern Europe. During this time we also saw failed attempts for democratic reform in China where, as Elizabeth Bland shows in her essay “Remember Our Freedom,” thousands of teenagers were killed by the government in the Tianamen Square massacre. In America, some of the landmark events to make history were the death of seven astronauts and one teacher in the Challenger Explosion (see Jarett Epstein’s essay “The Challenger: Our Disaster,”) a stock market crash, and a failed attempt to assassinate President Reagan.

Social perspectives also changed during the eighties, resulting in new-found awarenesses of issues such as teen life, women’s roles in society, and AIDS. Ashley Van Valkenburgh, in her paper “Teen-Angst in the Eighties” explores how Hollywood director John Hughes depicts teen life in a more significant light than previous movies have. Heather Brausa’s essay “The 1980’s:The Baby Boom Meets Its Doom . . .” discusses the relationships between alterations in the female work force, childbearing trends, and fertility rates. In keeping with the decade’s women’s movement, more women led lives outside the home resulting in a new sense of independence. This concept of liberation and empowerment was facilitated by the rising interest in health and fitness as discussed in Juliane Gestone’s paper, “Booming Bodies and Heatlthy Minds.” For women, the fitness boom served as a social movement resulting in changes in the cultural perception of women and consequently their role in daily life. In other areas of health, the AIDS epidemic surfaced. Deepa Channaiah’s paper, “The Ryan White Story: A Shift from Fear, Confusion, and Ignorance to Acceptance and New Found Knowledge of AIDS” focuses on teenager Ryan White’s experience with the fatal disease. As a result, the widespread ignorance of AIDS among the general public evolved into a better understanding and acceptance of the disease and its victims. Finally, Keya Veney’s essay “The Vanessa Williams Story” examines the role of the African American woman in society. Thus, the 1980’s revolutionized cultural views of society through distinct changes in social issues. But that’s not all.

With the eighties came a booming interest in athletics which increased exponentially over the decade as sports evolved. This interest in athletics reflected the decade’s prevalent values of competition, success, and self-image. These same values helped define the eighties. Americans took a superior attitude towards other nations in sporting events, as was evident in the international competitions of the decade. Alexis Siggers’ paper “Nationalism and the Olympics in the Eighties” examines the Olympic Games as prime examples of the intense competition on which Americans thrived . Throughout the decade, the Olympics were a perfect showcase for the nationalism that was provoked by competition. Not only did the attitudes about sports change in the eighties, but the actual sports also went through drastic change. Josh Levin’s paper “The NBA Revolution” points out that one of these most noticeable changes was the emergence of professional basketball. In the eighties, professional basketball was transformed into an exciting game that captured the hearts of millions of Americans. To them, basketball was more than a sport. Along with the health craze which had emerged in the late seventies and Americans’ changing attitude towards college and professional athletics, came an increase in the marketing of athletic apparel. Will Thompson’s essay “My Adidas!” delves into this sneaker boom of the eighties. The sneaker industry became the driving force behind this increase and not only became important to athletics, but also took the fashion scene by storm.

Finally, the eighties are defined as a new era of image-oriented entertainment. This era is highlighted by the influence of music videos and the changing role of blacks in entertainment. The introduction of MTV made image a crucial part of music and advertising. Matt O’Neill’s explanation of this media where a new kind of rock star was created is entitled “I Want My MTV.” Madonna was one of these successful performers who relied on her image to capture her audience. The video-style format opened a new market for both performers and advertisers. Madonna’s success is analyzed in Todd Slaughter’s study “The 80s: Music Video and Madonna.” During the same time Rap music began to develop and increase in popularity, giving inner city youth the oppurtunity to express their culture and develop a new identity to mainstream American society. Oyama Caviness describes the significance of rap in “There Ain’t Nothin’ Like Hip Hop Music.” The Cosby Show changed the image of blacks on television and broke down many previous stereotypes. The Huxtables were a professional family, a doctor and a lawyer, who definitely broke out of the lower-class stereotype frequently representing black families on television prior to the show. Anthony Crenshaw takes a look at the change in television portrayals of the black American in his essay “The Cosby Show Changes the Way Blacks are Viewed.”