1980s
Public Education, America and Religion
TweetShareShareAmerica’s schools are a mess. Teacher morale is low. Disrespect, truancy and discipline problems are rampant. Today’s kids are more profane, angry, hurting, confused, violent…and ignorant (especially of their history). But a failing education system was a problem our Founding Fathers knew was possible. In a rather inconvenient quote about American education. Dr. Benjamin Rush penned:…
Read MoreRoe v. Wade: A Landmark Decision or SCOTUS Gone Rogue?
TweetShareShare It could be the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision of our lifetime. Arguments are currently underway involving Mississippi laws that severely limit the practice of abortion. Both pro-choice and pro-life advocates believe it’s the case to reverse the famous 1973 Roe v. Wade. But what’s really at stake? Will abortion be…
Read MoreAmerica: The New Rome?
TweetShareShareIt’s been said that Rome wasn’t built in a day…and that’s true. But it also didn’t fall in a day. And the reasons it collapsed were impacted by certain political decisions, unavoidable events and socio-cultural shifts. In general, there were five factors that eroded Rome’s foundation over three centuries: 1. UNEXPECTED PLAGUES. Between 165 and…
Read MoreThe Tale of Two Kings: How Two Men Began and Ended the Modern Civil Rights Movement
TweetShareShare The modern civil rights movement began and ended with edicts by two different “Kings.” Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 launched it, while Rodney King’s “Can We All Get Along?” television message on May 1, 1992 ended it. It was three decades of “movement” that abolished segregated…
Read MoreGen X Goes To Jail
TweetShareShareGen X (born 1961-1981) is the most incarcerated generation in American history, as the Pew Research confirmed this past week. According to the Bureau of Justice, the number of Americans in prison currently has returned to the 1995 level, and continues to fall annually. The rate had been rising exponentially every year since 1980, when…
Read MoreBuckner and Bartman: How 1986 and 2006 Framed a Generation Named “X”
TweetShareShareGen X. Goonies. Nerds. Bad News Bears. Born in the 1960s and 1970s, these kids were also known as “slackers” and the Dumb Generation. They wore their baseball caps backward, listened to heavy metal, grunge and rap. They dropped out of school and church, played video games, got tattoos and earrings, and generally disgusted our…
Read MoreThe Introduction of the VCR
TweetShareShareTelevision was (and is) a transformative technology. It transformed how we processed information and received entertainment. It transformed how we interacted with our world. It transformed education, religion and government. And it introduced other transformative technologies, from the remote control to “smart” television. From rabbit ears to cable to satellite to streaming, television has reimagined…
Read MoreThe Cable News Network Reimagines the News
TweetShareShareThe emergence of cable television news reimagined how information was reported and consumed. With a 24/7/365 platform the Cable News Network (CNN) could report LIVE news visually, as it happened…with no commercial breaks if necessary. It was the brainchild of media mogul Ted Turner. Watch CNN in 1980… Unfortunately, cable news wasn’t good for radio.…
Read MoreThe Real Thing: Coke Advertising
TweetShareShareI’ll confess. I’m deeply biased when it comes to my favorite carbonated beverage. If it’s not a Coca-Cola, it’s not a cola. I don’t know if I was born with this affection (some might call it an affliction), but here I am 58 years later still sipping Coke…albeit in more sugar-free varieties. My favorite is…
Read MoreHeeeeeere’s The End, Johnny!
TweetShareShareThe Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was the drug of choice for late night insomniacs for three decades.The program was ranked #12 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. The undisputed King of Late Night talk show hosts, Johnny Carson (1925-2009) made his debut on October 1, 1962 at the NBC studio…
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