I miss the '80's

*Before you read this, browse over to AOL Radio and turn on the 80's Channel for a full effect*

It's funny what triggers nostalgia. Tonight I was playing a demo for a Strategy game called World In Conflict. In it you take command of US forces defending US soil against a Soviet invasion and World War III. At the end of the demo the credits for the game plays and the first song, before going into original score territory, is Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".

See? Get it? The Soviets are attacking the USA...you know...to rule the world.

Anyway, it made me miss my childhood. It made me miss what, looking back in full nostalgia, was the greatest decade I've ever lived. And I've gone through three so far.

I guess it's the simplicity that I miss. It seems to me that things were simpler, a little better. Hopeful. I know a lot of people will say that as they think back on life. And even I can agree that the 40's and 50's seemed simple and happy. The 60's and 70's though...well I can't comment too much but there was a lot of strife and turmoil.

One could say that the 80's was the big party that the world (or Nation really) needed after the stress of the last two decades.

Reaganomics was in full steam.
Yuppies abounded.
The music was awesome. I don't think too many people can deny that.
The TV was simple, wholesome, and funny. Family Ties, Alice, Growing Pains, My Two Dads, Perfect Strangers, Webster...the list just goes on.
The movies were top notch. I mean really - this is the decade that brought us Airplane, Goonies, Ghostbusters, Star Trek II, III, and IV, Terminator and countless other classic, CLASSIC, movies that were just so entertaining, and yes...that includes Police Academy.

I was walking through Toys-R-Us the other day and I just wanted to weep for kids today. Mostly Boys. Not only were the shelves nearly empty, but what was there was just not barely worth it.
Hasbro brought back GI Joe: A Real American Hero for it's 25th anniversary, and I can't buy enough figures. But who are they meant for? I would say people my age. Same goes for Star Wars, and to some extent Transformers. Transformers are really the exception here. The Transformers on the shelves now are not the Transformers I grew up with.

Instead, the closest thing I see to our, and I dare say the worlds, Golden Years of Toys is this Ben 10 stuff. A toy line that is heavily supported by a cartoon. Or the other way around, it doesn't matter.

I was in the mall not too long ago and I took a walk though the Tilt Arcade to see what's what. It didn't take long.

I guess video games really did change more than we think. The PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox are the kids toys today. And it saddens me.

I almost wish I were a little older than I was through the decade. But I guess the best way for me to have experienced that great decade was as a child. Where the real world couldn't mar my memories of a better time, a simpler time.

I guess really anyone could say the same about their childhood. Those formative years between 5 or 6 to pre-teen. How things were better. How things were simpler.

But really...who could argue the music, movies, TV, cartoons and toys were better then than they are now?