Culture Reflection: 1987 - 1989
Culture Reflection: 1987 - 1989
1987 showed the arrival of the late 1980s. It would be the transitioning point between President Udall and his successor President Askew. And that transitioning point was marked wth a growing amount of changes. The Askew Administration would be elected in along with the Congress under the new rules established in 1987; the Fair District Representation Act effectively outlawed gerrymandering and reorganized districted based on population without political interference while the Fair Reapportion Act would result in the formalization of the so-called "Wynoming Rule", which would see the House of Representatives grow considerably. And these changes would likely become more profound in the early 1990s when the new census would be taken. Meanwhile, the 1988 election and the debacle over the Republican primary that resulted in John B. Anderson leaving the Republican Party and running as an independent, even outperforming their candidate. It exposed the divisions in the party and portrayed a political party unwilling to get with the times or unable to fully manage itself. Even while most of the frustration aimed at the party due to the Nixon & Reagan administrations have seemingly died down, the incident here brought with it a sense of disappointment and a strange feeling of where things would go. After all, was this really what American conservatism was? Or was it merely just an outdated form, much like how the conservatives of previous eras would be out of place in modernity. They would not be the only ones feeling this though. The Warsaw Pact would start dissolving over the next short years in quite a surprise, leaving the Soviet Union vulnerable and having to face change. China, who has been reforming and climbing out of tis economic troubles, faces similar issues, with both of them having reformers face off with hardliners with the implication of the latter groups being accused of being power hungry. A bold new era was approaching, showing the 1990s would start off with a bang.
General Trends
The late 1980s being a period of change would be defined on all sectors, including the cultural front. Following from the heels of the accusations toward Bill Cosby, more and more high profile individuals in Hollywood as well as the business world and that of politics were being exposed for their past crimes toward women and the rising demand for justice and accountability. From real estate mogul Donald Trump to cinema presence Harvey Weinstein, many powerful and prominent figures would have their seedy pasts examined, their sins revealed and the gavel fall on them. This was not the only trend happening however. The focus on media would also point the light to young actors and actresses, especially the concerns over child abuse or exploitation within Hollywood over in the very late 1980s and continuing on into the 1990s. About the only saving grace was that the Unions were quick to respond and to help protect the vulnerable, helping to make the process easier. To many, it served as quite an eyeopener over how the landscape was and while there was those who owned up to their failures and did their best to amend and atone, others denied it and doubled down on it. The opening of the rot in Hollywood and the struggle in chipping away at the messed up system would have long term rammifications over on with future productions. Though while live action films were hit hard, animation got by under the radar or was at least more efficient in cleaning up their messes there. Often with rules that would have people attend counseling and likely more if health concerns were noted. A notable example of this would be Mike J Kricfalusi, a senior director for the popular animated series Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures who would strongly recommended for some professional diagnosis and revealing that he suffered from bipolar disorder among other issues. This was part of a greater trend of a focus toward mental health, something that would begin trickling down by the end of the decade.
Speaking of crime, the late 1980s showed a rather fascinating pattern with it, namely in the ways of dealing with it. Some of the first studies coming in associated with the National Bureau of Healthcare studying over the effects of addiction along with the HIV/AIDS epidemic was what led to the relatively decrimianization of drug possession over back in mid 1980s. The results were gradually being shown as less young people, especially minority, were getting involved in violent activity. This seem to prove that the more reformative approach was working and would be combined with programs on helping the young, either through finding hobbies or volunteering. One place of note was in hospitals, with some doing a bit of a "scare em straight" on drugs while others more to inspire the need for a healthy life or even pursuing medicine. In fact, thanks to the full establishment regarding vocational schools and their promotions, more young people were encouraged to go to them. While racial tensions remained, they had deceased noticeably since the start of the decade thanks to the various combination of factors such as a better approach to drug offenses, deescalation further put in for police, and much of the efforts by Secretary of State Carter as well as Askew himself back as Vice President, namely through organizing matters on state level and local level. While there was plenty of systemic work to be done, the trust and reputation set in by Udall and especially Askew held prominent sway over on the population to start confronting the local problems and making in roads, a process now taken over by Vice President Chisholm.
Another contributing factor to that was the economy. With people having more money to spend, they were able to keep the flow of funds going. While the old habits of frugality remained over from the past, new technologies were quite an appeal to a lot of people. At the same time, it was seen as an investment as the future would be driven more and more by computer technology as well as renewable energy. So people would begin going into purchasing computers or video game consoles though it would also be seen as the growth of people traveling across the United States and the world. Other times people would often donate it to those less fortunate, a sentimentality born from reflecting on how it's been a decade since the economic troubles of the late 1970s, how far they have come and a need to do more. The technology sector was beginning to grow more and more over time and many states were starting to take notice. States like West Virginia and Michigan, who were seeing their traditional industries start grinding down to a halt because of the environmental impacts along with automization would see their populations push for change and the state governments planning different ideas to lure some of the business to set up headquarters there or promote homegrown talent to try and do so. Overall, it would be notable to see how the Askew Administration would handle the upcoming affairs of the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s.
Films
Films continued to become a prominent notice over for the Americans, with many classics coming out at the time. Good Morning Vietnam, Termination, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Die Hard, Weekend at Bernie's, Back to the Future II and many more films that would become hallmarks for adults growing up and ready to show their kids. Termination and Die Hard would prove the action film craze was not over though Die Hard would change things around by having an everyman hero to be focused on. It helped increased the tension and relability of the character. Other films would become successes, from comedies such as Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure to mroe dramatic films like Driving Miss Daisy. Overall, it would prove to be some good years over for film. However, it would also serve as a complicated contrast as many of the events in the background regarding the accusations and trials of various actors or other bigshots who committed illicit behavior. Unsurprisingly, many saw this as a positive change and a much-needed cleaning up over with the industry. A consequence though is it would also lead to various holes and gaps that would be needed to be filled with new talent, talent that now have some reservations over now getting involved in the industry in the first place after everything was said and done. Who Framed Roger Rabbit would be remembered as quite a memorable masterpiece to where some of the top folk, including Henson, would push for either a sequel or a prequel. Beyond that, more general films would be enjoyed of average quality though this time period would be notable for being the first half of the "queersploitation" era seen in film and especially in television.
Though speaking of animation, The Little Mermaid would become the starting point of the so-called "Disney Renaissance" that would continue over in the 1990s with a greater focus over on writing, with more fleshed out protagonists and more memorable antagonists. However, this would not be the only major break for animated films. The major success of My Neighbor Totoro would show the western world the beauty of Japanese animation and people would become hungry for more, as seen with the success of the release of the dubbing of Castle in the Sky. Their own flights of fantasy, unique character design and the strong heart of the female protagonists captured many imagination and hooked children on Japanese animation while even parents were amazed by it. However, the big release was over for the young adults... the teenagers... and those who wished to see what Japanese animation could really do... AKIRA. A masterfully crafted and animated cyberpunk film, it would be released in the US by Touchstone Pictures as a rated R film, with careful consideration being done with the dubbing. After Totoro, the idea of a rated R Japanese animated film intrigued alot of teenagers, young adults and animation buffs who were blown away by the work. More and more visionaries and radicals in the industry were quite surprised at it. While not everyone's cup of tea, it did show what animated films could really do and in a way, challenged those in the US to step up their game. Advertising was a bit of a difficult task, but some clever marketing and word of mouth helped there, creating a tidy profit, but more importantly, returning the idea of animation as serious cinematic endeavors into the mainsteam once more.
Television
Television would see more prominence, especially with the growing popularity of domestic family sitcoms such as Full House and Family Matters becoming treasured experiences for many people and their actors gaining a good deal of popularity, especially more notable ones such as Huxtables’ House with Glynn Turman as the tough yet fair and warm family patriarch of the family. Perhaps the big bombshell was none other than My Two Dads. With the implementation of SATMIN civil rights along with the support of the public, it gave more and more faith in the industry to start focusing and discussing the topic. One bold choice in particular would be none other than the show My Two Dads. The show focused on a young woman with her two fathers, revealed that they met when pursuing the same woman, her mother. However, it's unknown who the biological father was and so both serve as her fathers, with the point of the two fathers in being multi. While this was viewed by some as a bit of a cop out, the show did make some genuine effort into it despite the troubles regarding actors and keeping things relatively toned down (well, no more toned down than the average sitcom anyway). It was viewed as quite a prominent move though the topic regarding sexuality and the like was never talked much on the show itself. Unsurprisingly, while there was still some flack of it from certain individuals, it was drowned out by the support and the fact that it was a relatively decent show,. Beyond that, other shows that would gain a large following would air at the time such as Mystery Science Theater 3000, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Dougie Howser M.D and one of the most famous, Seinfeld. Overall, television was becoming more prominent and often a place to test out the waters before going to film... or becoming a haven from film.
Animation in television meanwhile would see a massive shift here. Disney would throw down the gauntlet by upping the game with Ducktales followed by Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers, showing off quite a large leap forward for animation in television, relying on syndication rights along with quality to make back the money along with the hopes of popularity for merchandise. Other companies would look at this and begin planning for the future as a result. However, the other big bombshell came in the form of The Simpsons, a satire on American boomer culture and of sitcoms, courteys of MetroFox Media. Raw, a bit crass and provactive for the time, it left quite an impact on the brightbangers who watched it and got plenty of laughs of the misadventures of the Simpsons family.
Music
The late 1980s would still much of the rise of pop music. Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame while Micheal Jackson's Bad becomes quite a massive hit despite the increasing seclusion of the King of Pop, leading to some concerns on health. However, while pop music was alive and well, a new genre of music was gradually taking the American youth by storm and likely to become the next big thing. That of hip-hop, such as seen with the works of the Beastie Boys as well as the works over of James Brown. While still in its early stages, hip hop is looking to follow in the footsteps of that of jazz, that of the upbeat and popular among the youth yet here, now laced with a rough edge and often with blunt messaging. While somewhat political, it's also been noted that the spectrum is mixed, which some note is likely due to the popularity of Mo Udall and Reubin Askew. However, anti-authoritarian messaging remains, especially at dealing with terrible bosses while also some aspects of anti-corporate messaging has begin also as part of it.
Other
Video games continue to find themselves being popular among many people. The release of the Nintendo Game Pal made people able to play on the go, with the Game Pal version of Tetris quickly becoming the most popular. Meanwhile, the NES would further show its capabilities with the release of various new games, with the big one being none other than Super Mario Bros 3, which took on the qualities of the origina and improved it. Other consoles came out to play such as the Sega Genesis or the Mega Drive console would follow up from the Sega Master System and new titles such as Mega Man garnering more and more attention. At the same time, Nintendo's growing savviness with selling to those outside of Japan would pay off with some good decisions and the release of the fascinating modern RPG known as Mother, which would become something of a sleeper hit. Overall, as the technology was growing and developing, more and more American companies were forced to try and figure out how to enter the market since it is looking to not be a fad. Speaking of gaming, tabletop gaming would continue to grow with the release of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, though with the news on whether Gygax would remain on TSR or what he would do.
The Brass Age of Comic Books pressed onward. While DC Comics were starting out and laying the new foundations over for their modern setting, Marvel meanwhile was going through a rough transition before finally doing the same over with their work, coming with their acquisation by Paramount and Voyager Communications. However, moreover, would begin the so-called British Invasion, noted for many British writers coming in and lending their talent over to these branches. The success was kicked off by Alan Moore's Watchman, a surprisingly somewhat dark story of a superhero murder mystery set in the equivalent of the Golden Age of Comics. While loosely based on the characters of Charlton Comics, it also borrowed elements from varying Golden Age archetypes, most being normal people, barring Dr. Manhatten, who possesses superpowers, being inspired by Charleston's Captain Atom and DC's own Captain Comet. As such, many British writers would be invited to tell various stories and provide suggestions for what is to come here, with some using it to indulge in some of the American optimism thanks to the decade. DC Comics beyond their normal works, would see their new imprint in Vertigo capture many a imagination, especially with the beginning of Neil Gaiman's Sandman line. Moore himself would follow it up in establishing a new origin for the Joker in The Killing Joke as a somewhat tragic and twisted character, doomed by his own madness. Overall, many were excited for the new things that would be coming up.
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