General Discussion

malthaussen

(18,564 posts)

42. "Finished" is too big a word

Mon Jul 23, 2012, 08:54 PM

Jul 2012

I knew we were in for some bad times. I hoped at the time that the damage would be contained, and that the people would realize how ridiculous the RW "Moral Majority" platform really was once they saw it in action.

It's easy to blame Reagan and company, but my thoughts on that period are that if Uncle Ron hadn't existed, it would have been necessary to invent him. You may think me fanciful, but I remember when the Herpes "epidemic" began, and suddenly it was like the whole culture of the US had decided to don sackcloth and ashes, that Herpes was the retribution of a just god for the abuses and indulgences of the 70's. AIDS came along shortly thereafter and stepped on Herpes's lead, and then we got Reagan for our sins... literally.

And it doesn't go away. How many times do you hear or see people who lived through the late 60's/early 70's as young adults acting ashamed and penitent about those times? Usually it comes out in funny-ha-ha jokes about decor or clothes, but under all that, it seems to me, is a real sense of self-loathing. Does it come from inside, and was it there all along? Or do people "remember" the 70's that way now because they've been told so often that that is how they should feel? Flip a coin.

-- Mal

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

159 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Did anyone else realize this country was finished on January 20, 1981? [View all] NNN0LHI Jul 2012 OP

What you said.... times 1000! nt Bigmack Jul 2012 #1

real sad oldhippydude Jul 2012 #2

Yes, pretty much. tosh Jul 2012 #3

I remember being at a party and a bunch of liberal activists said Reagan would be a one-term libinnyandia Jul 2012 #4

If Hinkley hadn't shot him pscot Jul 2012 #89

they should have made Hinckley a national hero datasuspect Jul 2012 #116

Raygun had "re-elect numbers" when Hinkley shot him? hughee99 Jul 2012 #128

I didn't realize how bad it would be but Carolina Jul 2012 #5

I'm with you, Lindsay Jul 2012 #19

Yep. Wrote a journal entry on that last year . . . . HughBeaumont Jul 2012 #74

a succint and elegant reflection of my own thoughts. bbgrunt Jul 2012 #103

May I suggest you start a thread with this? nt raccoon Jul 2012 #118

Here's the thing about me . . . . HughBeaumont Jul 2012 #154

That's a good collection of right-wing BS platitudes you have there. nt raccoon Jul 2012 #155

I did not cbrer Jul 2012 #6

Same here. ananda Jul 2012 #7

I remember thinking that Carter had been screwed by the MIC to Reagan's benefit. NYC_SKP Jul 2012 #8

Remember how the evening news carried the hostage story? KansDem Jul 2012 #111

ABC's Nightline and Ted Koppel turned it into a Cottage Industry NNN0LHI Jul 2012 #119

I remember expressly feeling that it was all engineered to embarrass Carter. NYC_SKP Jul 2012 #123

If you read the book, The Persian Puzzle the Iranians admit it was harun Jul 2012 #134

yes, I knew we were starting the downhill slide. northoftheborder Jul 2012 #9

The day that H.L. Mencken foretold. Tierra_y_Libertad Jul 2012 #10

and that came to fruition ldf Jul 2012 #157

I felt the mood of the country changing then, it was in the air, one could RKP5637 Jul 2012 #11

I heartily agree Art_from_Ark Jul 2012 #26

I realized it election day 1980 flamingdem Jul 2012 #12

I remember it was raining here in Cleveland... WCGreen Jul 2012 #46

I was in NYC flamingdem Jul 2012 #53

And so goes the fate of this country.... WCGreen Jul 2012 #62

Same here: Election Day, 11/4/1980. ecitraro Jul 2012 #72

Welcome to du even if it's about doom flamingdem Jul 2012 #76

I remember comparing it to the fall of Rome FiveGoodMen Jul 2012 #140

I realized it the previous summer cthulu2016 Jul 2012 #13

yes the propaganda was deep in middle America by then! lunasun Jul 2012 #91

Yes, but I thought it would take about 20 years longer to reach this point. n/t Egalitarian Thug Jul 2012 #14

Interesting that you should posit this PCIntern Jul 2012 #15

Funny you should say this... jaysunb Jul 2012 #16

Ronnie Raygun.... I foolishly thought he was the worst prez ever, then Bubba sold us downriver with peacebird Jul 2012 #17

Yes. I drank heavily that way. Was a grad student...even then knew disaster was upon us. NRaleighLiberal Jul 2012 #18

I (somewhat) remember the party... WestMichRad Jul 2012 #143

howdy, friend! NRaleighLiberal Jul 2012 #145

Concur. immoderate Jul 2012 #20

It took me a while my family is very conservative leaning... Kalidurga Jul 2012 #21

I kept watching the news with my jaw dropped Warpy Jul 2012 #22

Yep, he was an actor, with a "smooth talking corporate pitchman's voice." n/t RKP5637 Jul 2012 #32

YES Skittles Jul 2012 #23

Wisdom teeth out that day! Freddie Jul 2012 #77

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT Skittles Jul 2012 #82

I was 10 years old stopwastingmymoney Jul 2012 #95

Hang in there Don: the Gipper's deification indepat Jul 2012 #24

I read that as "defecation" HubertHeaver Jul 2012 #61

I go back to election day when Reagan won MrScorpio Jul 2012 #25

I remember waking up on November ? 1984 mattvermont Jul 2012 #27

I am kinda slow. I didnt realize it until the SCOTUS gave the presidency to Bushy rhett o rick Jul 2012 #28

Oh, yeah. Blue_In_AK Jul 2012 #29

I did PlanetBev Jul 2012 #30

I agree 1980 was probably my favorite year. ArnoldLayne Jul 2012 #68

Yes! I saw the Judy's at Raul's in Austin. salib Jul 2012 #141

Yes...It was the beginning of the oligarchcy The empressof all Jul 2012 #31

My night of horror was election day 1980 nichomachus Jul 2012 #33

i had the same reaction, watched the returns with friends & couldn't believe reagan won. still HiPointDem Jul 2012 #58

Living near Rightwing asshole inlaws at the time Tsiyu Jul 2012 #34

I have often tried to pinpoint mattvermont Jul 2012 #35

Yes. I was in college and could not understand why none of my friend were as concerned as I was. I pam4water Jul 2012 #36

Nothing is over until we decide it is! pintobean Jul 2012 #37

My thought was, "This guy's an empty suit -- how could the country elect him?" Auggie Jul 2012 #38

I knew it on election day. femmocrat Jul 2012 #39

He could have been Politicalboi Jul 2012 #59

SO true. Musicians helped ease the insanity somewhat... FailureToCommunicate Jul 2012 #40

This country was finished in 1968 everthing after just added to the misery. craigmatic Jul 2012 #41

"Finished" is too big a word malthaussen Jul 2012 #42

The middle class took it's first steps downward when numbnuts Reagan fired the TC's demosincebirth Jul 2012 #43

I knew it would be bad hifiguy Jul 2012 #44

I remember wondering how so many liberals got fooled into electing that man. graywarrior Jul 2012 #45

I knew it on a Tuesday in the previous November Blecht Jul 2012 #47

Yes - I was so depressed KT2000 Jul 2012 #48

I remember that same revelation. MuseRider Jul 2012 #78

Yes - "try to be better" KT2000 Jul 2012 #104

My Dad told me he would disown me if I voted for Reagan. He told me Reagan wrecked our state kimbutgar Jul 2012 #49

I was too young but I grew up in Georgia when Carter was my governor. When I hear Democrats Liberal_Stalwart71 Jul 2012 #50

No, I was 11. MrSlayer Jul 2012 #51

I was 6 1/2 months old at the time. Initech Jul 2012 #85

at that time laruemtt Jul 2012 #52

Began to suspect it on 4 May 1970 and was pretty sure by 8 September 1974 struggle4progress Jul 2012 #54

My dad knew, I didn't. Greybnk48 Jul 2012 #55

I was 26 at the time and remember telling my kids the same thing NNN0LHI Jul 2012 #56

Absolutely. bowens43 Jul 2012 #57

It was a Dark, Dark Day! mckara Jul 2012 #60

Me Umpteenth. /nt localroger Jul 2012 #63

Yeah. Mr Nay and I did. We tried to emigrate to Australia. Didn't make it, got stuck here, and Nay Jul 2012 #64

Yeah, you're right. We're finished. randome Jul 2012 #65

Yup SteveG Jul 2012 #66

I did and I have said it a million times gopiscrap Jul 2012 #67

Oh yes. MuseRider Jul 2012 #69

And then, with great fanfare, he took the solar panels off the roof of the White House NBachers Jul 2012 #70

A lot of people thought it would be a Hollywood Era for Washington. Spitfire of ATJ Jul 2012 #71

Yes, sadly TuxedoKat Jul 2012 #73

I was only 17.. We are Devo Jul 2012 #75

see if you can find a book called "ronald reagan: political chameleon" unblock Jul 2012 #79

Me too. I sat down and wrote a letter to President Carter, apologizing for the American people. Zen Democrat Jul 2012 #80

Yep, me too. potone Jul 2012 #81

for me it was 1976-77 when the IAM elected william winpisinger madrchsod Jul 2012 #83

It was a very bad day for me too lunatica Jul 2012 #84

No, SnohoDem Jul 2012 #86

Yes, I remember feeling that way, and we were right. yardwork Jul 2012 #87

Worse ThoughtCriminal Jul 2012 #88

I rooted for Reagan for the R nomination beacause I thought he would lose 60%-40%. trackfan Jul 2012 #90

Nope, I didn't really feel that way til Poppa Bush was elected. raouldukelives Jul 2012 #92

Shortly after that, N... MrMickeysMom Jul 2012 #93

Darrell Issa wants to rename coastal water zones after Reagan young_at_heart Jul 2012 #94

Yeah AndyTiedye Jul 2012 #96

How about December 8, 1980... dogknob Jul 2012 #97

And to make it even worse, frogmarch Jul 2012 #98

Actually August 5, 1981 was the death knell (when Reagan coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #99

That's what a lot of people never realized -- breaking the unions was the loudsue Jul 2012 #129

Grammar\usage Nazi here: 'coup de grace' (meaning the final coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #130

I, for one, appreciate grammar\usage nazis on DU. I've learned a great loudsue Jul 2012 #156

It made me physically ill. Strangely enough, it was worse than the Duyba theft for me. freshwest Jul 2012 #100

January 21, 1969 leathm Jul 2012 #101

Not by a longshot jberryhill Jul 2012 #106

Correct. Nixon's demons were personal to Nixon. hifiguy Jul 2012 #133

The Checkers Speech is really breathtaking in some respects jberryhill Jul 2012 #135

Strike, but thanks for playing leathm Jul 2012 #153

that election was the first time I was totally dumbfounded by bbgrunt Jul 2012 #102

The first time my union contract came up for renewal. doccraig67 Jul 2012 #105

The Raygun years began the jihad against Unions. progressoid Jul 2012 #120

No, I was 2. glowing Jul 2012 #107

Yes, I knew back then it was the beginning of the END! YOHABLO Jul 2012 #108

Mourning in America. leveymg Jul 2012 #109

Society seemed to have lost interest in listening to the better angels of its nature since then. Douglas Carpenter Jul 2012 #110

Not sure I went that far quaker bill Jul 2012 #112

Yeah pretty much. Warren Stupidity Jul 2012 #113

No, I didn't then. Recd. nt raccoon Jul 2012 #114

I was stunned by the election of 1980, I dam near cried 1-Old-Man Jul 2012 #115

I sure did and I'm sure many of us here did madokie Jul 2012 #117

I realized we were scrood eShirl Jul 2012 #121

Didn't know it for sure, but... 99Forever Jul 2012 #122

No. I didn't. bvar22 Jul 2012 #124

I was in 11th grade and remember being very saddened by the election deutsey Jul 2012 #125

OMG I do I do! and I was 9 yrs old... bettydavis Jul 2012 #126

The day they snuffed JFK nolabels Jul 2012 #127

The Lost World Hydra Jul 2012 #131

It was finished for 99% of us. 1% is doing quite well from then on. harun Jul 2012 #132

So glad to hear someone else say what I had thought at that time. glinda Jul 2012 #136

it was over when Herbert Hoover deaniac21 Jul 2012 #137

I think it started it was diagnosed as terminal on Jan 20, 1981... DearHeart Jul 2012 #138

Yep. It was unfathomable to me that Reagan got elected/selected/whatever. valerief Jul 2012 #139

My first election, and yes, I knew exactly what had happened to us. byronius Jul 2012 #142

My mom did duhneece Jul 2012 #144

Yep. lastlib Jul 2012 #146

I remember begging my parents to not vote for that fuckwad Reagan. Arugula Latte Jul 2012 #147

I remember the day well. Go Vols Jul 2012 #148

No, I have to admit it. caseymoz Jul 2012 #149

I was born in 1958 mick063 Jul 2012 #150

i didn't. barbtries Jul 2012 #151

Not finished, but injured DonCoquixote Jul 2012 #152

It wasn't really his election as POTUS in 1980, Brewinblue Jul 2012 #158

11/22/63 shut the coffin, 1968 nailed it shut. VOX Jul 2012 #159