- Jun 19, 2014
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- 31,967
Founding Member
When was Peak America?
I used to believe things got better and better for us. Sure, we'd hit a little bump in the road here and there, but things were always getting better.
I don't believe that anymore.
Things are worse today than when I was in high school and college and not just because I'm older. They're just worse.
When was Peak America?
Imma say '82 to '99.
By '82, we had Reagan in the White House replacing the era of stagflation and malaise (Jimmy Carter) with pride and patriotism and American values. The hostages were home. The longest economic boom in our history was getting started. The Gators were good.
We were the good guys and the whole world knew it. The Soviets were the bad guys. This made the Olympics fun and movies better (Top Gun, Rocky 4, Red Dawn). Speaking of which, our military was focused on beating the Soviets, not on sex change operations and DEI. Our senior leadership were platoon and company commanders in Vietnam--they were warriors, not politicians in uniform. We had the Eagle, the Fighting Falcon, and the Tomcat (later the Hornet). We were a generation ahead in night vision and we were the only nation on Earth with a stealth capability. We had iron-willed allies like Margaret Thatcher. We had a Pope who loved God and hated commies. We had basic cable, some of us had MTV, and we probably knew somebody who had HBO. There were no "devices" and no social media (but the Walkman was great). The music was fun. We wore parachute pants or a white jacket like Miami Vice. Sugar Hill Gang invented rap and we listened to Run DMC and the Beastie Boys. We used mousse in our big hair and listened to New Wave. We got Dan Marino, the Super Bowl Shuffle, and the Lakers versus the Celtics. We were free to roam on our bikes until the street lights came on. We were free-range kids and there were no helicopter parents. When we were too young to go to clubs, we scammed on chicks at the mall or at the beach. China was weak and maybe not our ally, but at least closer to us than they were to the Soviets.
The only downside? The daily fear that WWIII could start at any moment and destroy civilization as we knew it.
Then we got HW Bush and the fall of the Iron Curtain. We were euphoric. Most thought they'd never see the day. Germany reunited, the fall of the Soviet Union, we won without firing a shot (sorta). We didn't have to worry about Armageddon. We dazzled the world in the Gulf War. Russia was an afterthought. We weren't just the leader of the free world, we were the leader of the whole world. Everybody on the planet wanted levis, coke, and rock n roll. John Hughes was the voice of our generation. After a sh!tty run due to probation, a man named Spurrier came back to Gainesville and started collecting SEC Championships and scoring records. The Braves were good. Race relations were better. Bill Cosby was America's Dad. Every housewife loved Oprah. Rodney King happened, but that was an aberration, not the norm.
Then we got Bill Clinton who (with Newt Gingrich looming over his shoulder) told us "the era of big government was over". We reaped the benefit of the "peace dividend" and the invention of the internet. We wanted to Be Like Mike, and we watched a kid named Tiger golf. Seinfeld revolutionized TV. We had the Simpsons and movies that mirrored our angst. We didn't know it, but we were passed the top of the peak. Things were still awesome, but ever so slightly, the trajectory had changed. We were confused by the reaction to the OJ verdict, but it was just a blip on the radar. The fun 80s music got grittier. The rap of our youth turned into gangsta rap with NWA and Public Enemy, but we listened to Dre and Snoop, and then Busta and Luda. It was still fun. The hair bands gave way to Grunge and we loved Pear Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, STP, Bush, etc. In 1994, we went to our first Final Four. In 1996, we reached the mountaintop and chanted "We're Number One" long enough and loud enough for all the loyal Gator fans in heaven to hear us.
All this time, cars and houses were affordable. Good jobs were plentiful. College (UF anyway) was affordable.
For me, that era was Peak America.
Am I wrong? Was it the 50s? Is my 17 year too long? What do you think?
Alex.
I used to believe things got better and better for us. Sure, we'd hit a little bump in the road here and there, but things were always getting better.
I don't believe that anymore.
Things are worse today than when I was in high school and college and not just because I'm older. They're just worse.
When was Peak America?
Imma say '82 to '99.
By '82, we had Reagan in the White House replacing the era of stagflation and malaise (Jimmy Carter) with pride and patriotism and American values. The hostages were home. The longest economic boom in our history was getting started. The Gators were good.
We were the good guys and the whole world knew it. The Soviets were the bad guys. This made the Olympics fun and movies better (Top Gun, Rocky 4, Red Dawn). Speaking of which, our military was focused on beating the Soviets, not on sex change operations and DEI. Our senior leadership were platoon and company commanders in Vietnam--they were warriors, not politicians in uniform. We had the Eagle, the Fighting Falcon, and the Tomcat (later the Hornet). We were a generation ahead in night vision and we were the only nation on Earth with a stealth capability. We had iron-willed allies like Margaret Thatcher. We had a Pope who loved God and hated commies. We had basic cable, some of us had MTV, and we probably knew somebody who had HBO. There were no "devices" and no social media (but the Walkman was great). The music was fun. We wore parachute pants or a white jacket like Miami Vice. Sugar Hill Gang invented rap and we listened to Run DMC and the Beastie Boys. We used mousse in our big hair and listened to New Wave. We got Dan Marino, the Super Bowl Shuffle, and the Lakers versus the Celtics. We were free to roam on our bikes until the street lights came on. We were free-range kids and there were no helicopter parents. When we were too young to go to clubs, we scammed on chicks at the mall or at the beach. China was weak and maybe not our ally, but at least closer to us than they were to the Soviets.
The only downside? The daily fear that WWIII could start at any moment and destroy civilization as we knew it.
Then we got HW Bush and the fall of the Iron Curtain. We were euphoric. Most thought they'd never see the day. Germany reunited, the fall of the Soviet Union, we won without firing a shot (sorta). We didn't have to worry about Armageddon. We dazzled the world in the Gulf War. Russia was an afterthought. We weren't just the leader of the free world, we were the leader of the whole world. Everybody on the planet wanted levis, coke, and rock n roll. John Hughes was the voice of our generation. After a sh!tty run due to probation, a man named Spurrier came back to Gainesville and started collecting SEC Championships and scoring records. The Braves were good. Race relations were better. Bill Cosby was America's Dad. Every housewife loved Oprah. Rodney King happened, but that was an aberration, not the norm.
Then we got Bill Clinton who (with Newt Gingrich looming over his shoulder) told us "the era of big government was over". We reaped the benefit of the "peace dividend" and the invention of the internet. We wanted to Be Like Mike, and we watched a kid named Tiger golf. Seinfeld revolutionized TV. We had the Simpsons and movies that mirrored our angst. We didn't know it, but we were passed the top of the peak. Things were still awesome, but ever so slightly, the trajectory had changed. We were confused by the reaction to the OJ verdict, but it was just a blip on the radar. The fun 80s music got grittier. The rap of our youth turned into gangsta rap with NWA and Public Enemy, but we listened to Dre and Snoop, and then Busta and Luda. It was still fun. The hair bands gave way to Grunge and we loved Pear Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, STP, Bush, etc. In 1994, we went to our first Final Four. In 1996, we reached the mountaintop and chanted "We're Number One" long enough and loud enough for all the loyal Gator fans in heaven to hear us.
All this time, cars and houses were affordable. Good jobs were plentiful. College (UF anyway) was affordable.
For me, that era was Peak America.
Am I wrong? Was it the 50s? Is my 17 year too long? What do you think?
Alex.
