2005.08.17 Stuck in the 80's
I'm not the biggest fan of the 80's. I think, in general, it was a decade of misguided crap. The music left much to be desired. There were obnoxious beats, the attempt at an introduction of electronic equipment into music (which eventually led us to much better music), a fashion sense that is worst than most participants of TLC's What Not to Wear. We've all seen, or know, somebody who is stuck in the 80's.
It may not be that they're there completely. They don't have to dress like Tina Turner, and have the music complex, and drive an old school car. Most people just have one of those things. I happen to work with a person who is stuck in the 80's. You wouldn't ever know it by looking at them, but they are indeed.
In the past year or so, the movie Napoleon Dynamite came out. It caught on as a cult hit, and has some quotable quotes, and enjoyable scenes and characters. Among these characters would be Uncle Rico, who continues to float back in memory to '82. This person with whom I work, is reliving the 80's, and the apparent good experiences they had, through Uncle Rico. I have difficulty in expressing to this person that Uncle Rico is intended to be a loser, and not the role-model that they take him to be. Frequently they say things like "Back in '82" and trail off into some memory of X, Y, or Z. At least this person doesn't dress like Uncle Rico, or make stupid videos of themselves throwing footballs in the direction of imaginary wide receivers.
How are you supposed to go about bringing somebody into the new millennium, or advancing decades beyond their current mentality? Here might be some suggestions:
- Slap them silly
- Have them watch history shows about the 15 years since then
- Point out the downfall of everything from the 80's
- A strict regimented study of a calendar
- Removal of all Abba or Journey albums
- Slap them silly
Tag(s): soap_box