Some great news for a change!

[KevinM1]

I'm no expert, since it was before my time, but I can't help but wonder if it was due to the Carter/Reagan transition here. A lot of people older than me keep harping about how America 'lost its way' and how the people 'were no longer proud to be Americans' during Carter's presidency. Reagan changed that, at least, among conservatives, and it seems like his reign is considered the new Golden Age. It's why almost all of the Tea Party types refer back to him in a reverent way. He's taken on an almost religious persona with them.

And since evangelicals have consistently become more powerful in the conservative bloc, they were able to withstand the anti-establishment movement of the sixties. Of course, the demographics are quickly shifting away from them, and they're becoming more shrill as they lose cultural ground, which only hastens their descent IMO.

There could also be a geographical element in play, too. The south has always been firmly entrenched.

Of course, I could (and probably am) be pull shit from my ass and hoping it makes sense. hrug:

But remember watergate.....

America, in general, was in a bit of a generational malaise IIRC (again, this was before my time... I was born in 1980). There was the anti-establishment movement, which brought about some change, but it never really shook society to its core. A lot of the problems that people rallied against still existed. Shit, they still exist (see: our mainstream news media barely mentioning the Colorado NAACP office that was bombed yesterday).

And it wasn't just Vietnam. IIRC, there was a gas shortage and some issues with drought, too. In addition to the Cold War in general and the hostage crisis that has come to punctuate Carter's presidency. And, like you say, Watergate.

Reagan, being the actor he was, played up two things - the tax payer as boss ("I payed for that microphone"), and nostalgia. He made people fondly remember the post-war, pre-Vietnam era, where things were 'great'. People remember it being like "Leave it to Beaver," and conveniently forget the rampant and violent racism and misogyny of the time. And that pastoral yearning fits religion like a glove. "Things were better, simpler when we believed in and acted like x."

And that lasted for about a generation (8 years of Reagan, 4 of Bush the First). Clinton was never really intentionally a transformative figure, culturally speaking. His infidelity gave ample ammunition for the Family Values crowd. Same with Hilary being more than a pretty face/arm candy. Some of the cultural inertia shifted, but that was due more to things like Ellen and The Real World (which was actually a great show in the early 90s), and hip hop/rap subculture gaining popularity in previously unheard of areas. Plus, shifting demographics in terms of minority populations.

Again, I could be missing the mark, but that's what I'm seeing. The political right in this country is desperate to go back to Saint Reagan's time. And since the religious right is in control there, it seems like it fits together.

For myself, the only thing I really miss of the 1980's was how NASA still seemed somewhat relevant.