The '80s Greatest

As the ’80s begin, change is in the air. America’s “Miracle on Ice” hockey team take Olympic gold after defeating the Soviet Union in the semifinals. Ronald Reagan becomes president but, eager for street cred, hijacks Bruce Springsteen’s song “Born in the USA,” much to the singer’s dismay. Reagan goes on to get the largest slice of the youth vote since the ’60s — a demographic perfectly represented in the Republican-loving Alex of “Family Ties.”

The ’80s, when doing what you love can turn your passion into profit. With the help of new technology, Jane Fonda’s exercise videos take the world by storm and change the way women work out. Teenager Tony Hawk brings a rebel sport into the mainstream and Ben and Jerry give ice cream a makeover and capitalism a conscience — changing for good the way we live, play and eat.

In the ’80s, family values undergo a huge makeover, as depicted in films and sitcoms. At the start of the decade some, including President Reagan, yearn to go back to traditional ’50s family values, as seen in the hit movie “Back to the Future.” But by the end of the decade, with confidence growing and the help of the cartoon family “The Simpsons,” American families can finally express themselves and get real.

It’s the 1980s and a generation of rebellious youngsters wages war on Reagan’s conservative America, determined to express itself by breaking all the rules. In the culture clash of the century that will come to define modern America, graffiti art is born, hip-hop music goes mainstream, and a nation of teen rockers refuses to be gagged by Washington’s own “Stepford wives.”

In the ’80s, networks like CNN help drive the stratospheric rise of cable. The 24-hour news channel’s coverage of John Lennon’s death at the start of the 80s and the rescue of baby Jessica McClure near the end cemented its place in viewers’ homes. Niche channels are spawned, including MTV, QVC and many televangelism networks. The downfall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Bakker becomes must-see TV.

In the early 1980s America emerges from a recession and goes straight into an era of conspicuous consumption. Widely available credit cards spark a spending frenzy and competing brands battle to make a sale. Sex, and controversy, enter the advertiser’s toolkit — but one iconic brand is almost brought to its knees when it takes rebranding too far.