Today, while listening to a Mitch Murder song, I went down a rabbit hole. In this song, there’s a soundbite, and I recognized Tom Brokaw’s voice. Jumping over to YouTube, I quickly found it:
As a child of the 80s and 90s, this stuff fascinates me. Now as an adult, being able to go back in time, it’s so interesting to see things from deep in my past through new eyes. This video was no exception.
It’s a special that NBC ran at the end of the decade where they tried to condense all of the major stories of those ten years. It’s a video full of violence, bodies, politics, war, culture, technology, and more.
One of the things that struck me was that…not much has changed in our world. The special hit home that man’s inhumanity to man hasn’t changed.
Another thing that struck me was the level of journalism. I believe there’s still a bit of an agenda in this special, but compared to what passes as today’s “journalism”, it’s fairly honest and objective.
I found myself moved several times throughout the special, particularly during the segment about the fall of the Soviet Union. The images of truly oppressed people rejoicing at the hope of freedom that was sweeping across the land.
I also found myself moved again by the boldness and true leadership of Reagan. I fondly remember his frequent addresses to the nation. Even as a young kid, I knew that he was trying to instill unity and peace in a mad world. It was always comforting to me as an impressionable young kid, like my grandfather was sitting me down and telling me that he was working hard to make things OK.
He certainly wasn’t perfect, and I’m sure some of you will be quick to point out his flaws. That’s fine and fair. They were there, and they’re highlighted in this special as well. Still, I found myself seriously longing for this type of leadership today, asking myself (and God") “where is this type of leader?”
Anyway, let me know your thoughts if you go through this way back machine. What stands out to YOU? How did this make you feel? Think?
I was very young for the 80s- the Stranger Things kids would have been "the big kids" to me- so a great deal of it happened- in some cases literally- way above my head. I was mature enough to be aware of Reagan's presidency, and processed the subsequent fall of the Soviet Union in the 90s as a teen through the very vague lens of what the Cold War had been.
Long after the fact, I studied his presidency and his performance thereof quite a bit, and hung a lot more facts on the memories of a guy talking on TV. He is one of my most-respected and liked former Presidents.
I remembered my parents talking about Iran Contra, and I remember the pop culture that was able to filter down to a preteen kid: Star Wars, the video game revolution, the advent of home computers, the incredible pride and success in our space program (and with it, watching the Challenger disaster live in school).
It was unquestionably a tumultuous time for the world, but I don't remember a sense that it was a tumultuous time for the future of the US. There was no sense in the air, to me, that any sort of apocalypse loomed beyond war with the Soviets or that we were impossibly divided in any clearly visible way.
Anyway, those were my thoughts when I watched that. I see it now through adult eyes, and it all weighs very differently than it did.
Was in the military stationed in Germany when Reagan said, "Mr Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!". We were all cheering and some of us had tears in our eyes. I still get chills when I think about it to this very day. Yes, Reagan was a flawed human just like all of them are, but even if it was in rhetoric only, I never felt like he wanted to destroy America like most of the other so-called "leaders" we've had since.