When thinking of the 80’s as a narrative, we can easily see both sides. On one hand we have the triumph and redemption of the many issues that came to the fore front during this decade from the aids crisis to sexual crimes against women and children. Yet, we cannot over look the other narrative of reaction and selfishness that we see in the love of drama and love of greed, from all things that involved the mall to the drama of Wall Street. I think we can easily say that no one narrative call full tell the story of the 80’s in its entirety, but the real story is a mixture of both stories that shows what the decade of excess is all about.
Taking this course has really opened my eyes to what the decade was really like, I was born in the 80’s …show more content…
Civil activism was such a big part of the 60’s and 70’s, that part of older generation stopped in the 80’s.Yet, I think that the new generation of people changed the way they worked for others. During this time we see the aids epidemic here in America, the numbers were staggering, the loss extreme, I think again we see both sides of the narrative here again. The selfishness from those that refused to help and banished those who were diagnosed and the triumph for those that worked hard for medicine for those that were sick, as well as, those that lived through it. “That new president was also elected in part by conservative Christians, some of whose leaders publicly declared AIDS to be God’s attempt to punish sin. All of this, added to widespread fear, dislike, hostility and ignorance directed toward gay people, led to a disastrous silence in the face of the disease”(Introduction, Unit 2, Lesson 3). Although the selfishness we saw within the conservatives and in politics held a bias against the LGBT community and the disease itself, I think the real story is in the triumph and legacy that came soon after. “The sense of community and new families that the crisis brought together can never be broken, the selflessness that those lesbian ladies showed to take their own time to help out the boys shows the hope we didn’t have even in ourselves. Finally, when the right set of drugs to help slow down and cure the process came along the sense of hop and family was there again” (We Were Here Video). We saw the same sort of story unfold with women’s rights and women going to work in the 80’s as well. The story of triumph as women “came out of the kitchen” and went to work providing for their families and pushing back stereotypes. Also we see the selfishness and reaction to that issue as well, men trying to keep women form working, not getting paid an equal pay, something that we still see today
Taking this course has really opened my eyes to what the decade was really like, I was born in the 80’s …show more content…
Civil activism was such a big part of the 60’s and 70’s, that part of older generation stopped in the 80’s.Yet, I think that the new generation of people changed the way they worked for others. During this time we see the aids epidemic here in America, the numbers were staggering, the loss extreme, I think again we see both sides of the narrative here again. The selfishness from those that refused to help and banished those who were diagnosed and the triumph for those that worked hard for medicine for those that were sick, as well as, those that lived through it. “That new president was also elected in part by conservative Christians, some of whose leaders publicly declared AIDS to be God’s attempt to punish sin. All of this, added to widespread fear, dislike, hostility and ignorance directed toward gay people, led to a disastrous silence in the face of the disease”(Introduction, Unit 2, Lesson 3). Although the selfishness we saw within the conservatives and in politics held a bias against the LGBT community and the disease itself, I think the real story is in the triumph and legacy that came soon after. “The sense of community and new families that the crisis brought together can never be broken, the selflessness that those lesbian ladies showed to take their own time to help out the boys shows the hope we didn’t have even in ourselves. Finally, when the right set of drugs to help slow down and cure the process came along the sense of hop and family was there again” (We Were Here Video). We saw the same sort of story unfold with women’s rights and women going to work in the 80’s as well. The story of triumph as women “came out of the kitchen” and went to work providing for their families and pushing back stereotypes. Also we see the selfishness and reaction to that issue as well, men trying to keep women form working, not getting paid an equal pay, something that we still see today