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In-Depth
february, 17, 2012
february 17, 2012
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‘Talkin’ Bout My Generation’: Comparing ‘80s, ‘70s to now Glancing back at historical events Julianne Micoleta Managing Editor During the past 40 years, the world has found itself to be a victim of unsurmountable change. From politics to pop-culture, the world continues to change at an unprecented pace. 1970s The 1970s can be classified as the decade that brought America glam and later punk rock and classic films like “The Godfather” and “Chinatown.” They were the years of Watergate, energy crises and stagflation. 1970 was the year of the Kent State shootings in which students that were protesting against the American invasion of Cambodia were shot down by members of the Ohio National Guard. It sparked a significant national response and the event further affected the public opinion over the role of the U.S. in Vietnam. “They used to show footage of the [Vietnam] war on the nightly news,” substitute teacher Patricia Mayer said. “So you would see all these young soldiers fighting and it was horrible. They would show it every night, and it wasn’t like how it is now with the wars going on in the middle east because now you only see video when someone dies; it wasn’t on every day.” At the time, the impact of the Watergate Scandal was insurmountable, particularly on American politics. This was the June 1972 discovery of a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. that led to the arrest of five men and to the downfall of the Nixon Administration. “It was on always on T.V.,” James DeMeulenaere, parent of junior Katie DeMeulenaere, said. “Every last bit was on. Maureen Dean was there every single day and it destroyed trust in the government.”
The 1973 oil crisis that lasted from October 1973 to March 1974 was the result of the United State’s support of Israel. Oil went from $1.50 a barrel to $11.56 a barrel over the course of a few months. Most of the shortages in the U.S., however, were caused by the gas companies who used this as an excuse to raise prices. “There were long lines for gas because people thought that the prices would keep getting higher,” Sherry DeMeulenaere said. “People from Detroit went to Canada for gas.” 1980s The 1980s were a time of discovery, innovation, tragedy and creativity. It saw the end of the Cold War and the start of MTV, a rise in unemployment and the fall of the Berlin Wall. They were the years of neon colors, Cabbage Patch Kids craze and new Coca Cola. More than 50 nations, including the U.S., boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. The next year, Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan both survived assassination attempts and Sandra Day O’Connor made history by becoming the first woman to serve on Supreme Court. The U.S. bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, comprised the joint U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps air-strikes against Libya on April 1986. A couple weeks later was the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in which an explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, which spread over much of Western ESSR and Europe. The ‘80s also gave birth to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a non-profit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy. “During the ‘80s a lot of Illinois kids would drive up to Wisconsin because the drinking age is 18 over there,” Mayer said. “I remember students coming in on Monday mornings and telling me ‘Oh, hey Mrs. Mayer, I got wasted over the
weekend,’ I lost several students that year to drunk driving.” The turn of the decade came also came with the end of the decades-long Cold War with the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany during September of that year. “It was like a domino effect after the wall fell,” Mayer said. “After, there were countries like Czechoslovakia and other communist countries that were getting rid of their dictators. It’s much like what’s going on in Iraq and Egypt right now.” 2000s The ‘00s were the years that the Twin Towers fell, terror alerts and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It was the digital age of social media and the era of Steve Jobs and Apple, reality TV and Harry Potter. On Sept. 11, 2001, four airplanes in the U.S. was hijacked by Muslim extremists and crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the other was flown into the Pentagon Building in Washington D.C., and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Penn. This led the U.S. to engage in the “War on Terror,” on Oct. 7, 2001. “I was only seven when 9/11 happened so it didn’t really have much of an impact on me” junior Katie DeMeulanaere said. “But now that I’m older, I’m starting to see the impact of the attack, even now after 11 years.” The second largest recorded earthquake in history occurred on Dec. 26, 2005, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed nearly 230,000 people and displaced more than one million. In a nation still bearing the scars of its Jim Crow past, the people of the United States made a huge move toward true racial equality in 2008 by electing Barack Obama, the nation’s first black president. “I think we [Americans] have come a long way ,” junior Michelle Zerafin said. “There’s all these changes and I just hope we just continue to move into the right direction.”
Old school v. new school:
Increasing homework, more challenges Julianne Micoleta
Managing Editor Arguments about grades and schoolwork between students and their parents often end in the common declaration, “School’s different now than when you were in school.“ It is no misconception that many areas of academia have changed significantly since the 1970s and 1980s including: amount of schoolwork, curriculum and the increasing push for students to attend college. “The workload was less for me [compared to my kids],” Janeen Noto said, mother of Jackie and Joe Noto. “The classes were not as challenging, but it was still a lot of reading and math.” Several teenagers would agree that their workload at school is much more difficult than their parents. A typical weekday for a teen today consists of a
full day of school, followed by sports and extracurricular activities for a few hours and then hours of homework at the end of the day. “I definitely think school is a lot harder now,” junior Jackie Noto said. “On average I probably receive around two hours or more homework a night.” Although the workload was lighter during the 1980s, many parents think that it was a lot more difficult to do homework because they did not have the advantage of the Internet or the ability to get so much information at their fingertips. A major difference in schools today is the number of resources available to students now compared to school during the 1970s and 1980s. “Schools are doing a better job in serving every student and not just the top students,” Associate Principal of Instruction Glenn Simon said. Noto also agrees
that teenagers now are more accepting of all different types of students. “The biggest difference that I see in schools today, at EG specifically, is that it’s more positive to be a learner,” Janeen Noto said. “Kids are more supportive and it’s OK to be smart.” According to Simon, more schools, particularly in District 214, have added more resources for students in order to help them better succeed. This includes lowering the requirements for Advanced Placement (AP) classes and providing more resources for students who may need more help or individual attention. “Our district has doubled the number of kids taking AP classes, and the success rate has barely dropped,” Simon said. For students these days, there has been a push in taking AP classes in order to bulk up transcripts for college admissions.
“Yeah, I do feel pressure to take AP classes but even if there wasn’t, I would still take AP courses and go to college,” Jackie Noto said. Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, however, there were not that many pressures to go to college and while AP and honors classes were also rarely offered at schools. “There wasn’t pressure when I was in school to go to college,” Janeen Noto said. “Only kids on the North Side of town went to college.” With the passing of No Child Left Behind Act during the Bush Administration in 2001, one of the provisions require juniors nationwide to take a standardized test. With all these changes, many, like Simon, feel that education is on the right path. “Elk Grove has made huge improvements and has made great strides over the years,” Simon said.
‘80s staple clothing making comeback Stephania Girardi Foods Editor Leg warmers, scrunchies, leggings, preppie outfits and neon were the staple clothing pieces of the ‘80s. Watch any movie from they ‘80s such as “Back to the Future” or “The Breakfast Club;” their outfits consist of wacky neon colors with tight leggings, pants and baggy sweatshirts that hang off one shoulder. A common hairstyle was teased hair put in a side ponytail with, of course, a neon scrunchie to hold it together. Over their baggy sweaters, many women put tight stretchy belts to give them some shape. There was one style of makeup that absolutely every woman had to wear: blue eyeshadow. Believe it or not, they actually thought it looked good. For the boys, they wore jean or leather jackets, along with rock band shirts, or neon. They paired these tops with stonewashed jeans, leather pants, neon spandex or the famous parachute pants. “One thing worth remembering was,”girls used to brush and hairspray their hair [tease] and this big thing came out of their heads that made them look like roosters,” English teacher John Bottiglieri said. Both men and women accessorized to the max. Women wore big hoop earings, beaded necklaces, rubber bracelets and big bows in their hair, all in neon colors, of course.
Men rocked the hightops, brimmed hats and the MJ rhinestone glove. These fashions may seem ridiculous, but think about it...many of these ‘80s fads are coming back into style. Many girls at EGHS like to wear leg warmers over their leggings paired with a nice pair of UGGs. Sweatshirts with one shoulder have also become common. They can be found at stores such as Macy’s and Nordstroms as well as Hollister and Forever 21. Also, stretchy belts are back in style with full force. Girls wear pencil skirts and pair it with a top and a stretchy belt. “I did not know stretchy belts were from the ‘80s, but I wear them now with skirts or longer shirts,” senior Alyssa Conley said. For men, rock band shirts are making a comeback. Shirts like this are sold at stores like Hot Topic. ACDC, Rolling Stones and Led Zepplin are common shirts seen around the school. “Yes, I knew they wore rock band shirts in the ‘80s,” senior Jared Manwells said. “I like to wear bands like Asking Alexandria and Under Oath, as well as older bands like Pink Floyd.” While neon leotards and scrunchies may never come back into style, our trends are closer to the ‘80s then we think. “A lot of styles are coming back from the ‘80s and I cannot wait to see what comes into style next,” senior Tina Whalen said.
"Doolittle" – Pixies 1989
Photos from ‘84 and ‘74 Montag Past Elk Grove students cladded in ‘70s and ‘80s fashion.
"The Dark Side of the Moon" – Pink Floyd 1973
Elizabeth Banauch
Staff Reporter
Released in April 1989, "Doolittle" was the second studio album of the indie and surf rock band the Pixies. It was recently named a gold album in 1995 by the Recording Industry Association of America. The concepts of the band's music, from "Doolittle" and other albums, include aliens and surrealism. "Doolittle" was on charts, UK list, rolling stone, etc. Recognizable tracks include "Here Comes Your Man," "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Debaser."
"The Dark Side of the Moon" album changed the way people felt about rock and roll. It was released March 1, 1973. This was the eighth album released by the English rock band, and it was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London, the recording studio named after the Beatles' legendary album. This album concept is a blend of philosophy, time, greed, conflict, pain and insanity, said to be based off founding member Syd Barrett's mental state.
"The Dark Side of the Moon" remained on the Billboard's Top LPs and Tapes for 741 weeks, the longest amount of time that any one album has ever been on the charts. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time and part of the list of the 25 best-selling albums in the United States. The notable album cover artwork of the prism and rainbow can be seen replicated on Tshirts and serves as inspiration for other band's album artwork.
Tele-evolution: Television genres changed over time Tom Scearce Copy Editor Back in the late ‘70s to mid ‘80s, watching television was a family ritual. Everyone would gather together in the living room and watch one show. Nowadays, most teenagers have their own daily television schedule with TVs in their bedrooms. About 60 percent of teenagers spend on average 20 hours per week in front of a television and a third spend 40 hours per week watching television, according to Science Daily. More than 99 percent of family households have at least one television as compared to 96 percent in the ‘70s. Genres such as game shows, reality and family/comedy Photo by Bob Turner shows have evolved. Donkey basketball, an Elk Grove tradition during the Back then, game shows were more trivia and logic 1980s, provide fun and excitement for senior Jodi Fagerson. based. Hit shows such as “Match Game,” “The $100,000 Pyramid” and “Card Sharks” dominated the channel’s time slots.
“’Match Game’ was my favorite show because it was interesting to see what funny word the panelists would fill in the blank with,” said Julie Hofer, mother of junior Jaime Hofer. However, the game shows of today are more physically demanding with “The Amazing Race,” “Survivor” and “Big Brother” as some of the most popular game shows. “’Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader’ is my favorite because it helps me with what I’m learning, and I love learning little tidbits of trivia,” Jaime Hofer said. As far as reality television goes, back then reality was pretty barren. The news was as real as it got. “I really didn’t watch any reality,” Julie Hofer said. “I watched the news, but that was really it.” Today, a plethora of reality TV has popped up. Many of these shows, such as “Teen Mom,” “Jersey Shore” and “The Bachelor/The Bachelorette,” focus on the drama and hardships in people’s lives. “’The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette’ are my favor-
ites because of all of the drama in that show,” Jaime Hofer said. At the end of the day or week, everyone needs to relax. What better way than to laugh your stress away through television? Sitcoms have always been around and are perfect for a family. Shows like “The Cosby Show,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Brady Bunch” and “Three’s Company” were family favorites back in the day. Comedies today are still family oriented with more humor. “Two and a Half Men,” “Family Guy” and “How I Met Your Mother” are just some of today’s popular comedies. “My favorite is ‘Family Guy’ because it’s hilarious,” junior Kyle Davis said. “It’s interesting to see what cut away gags there are going to be.” While television genres continue to evolve, there will always be someone there to watch them.