What ever happened to inoccent America? I mean the America from the 70s,80, and the 90s. The America that wasn't so filled with graphic violence, sex, and language. The America that was safe for both kids and their parents. What ever happened?

The '90s were innocent?  ;D

I think the stuff now is just more obvious now then it was in like the '70s or '80s so it does seem less innocent. Then you got all the music glorifying drug use from the '60s, wasn't innocent then either, just more in the form of a more hidden less obvious meaning.

Yeah, the 90s was inoccent. The 90s was all about stuff like Jarassic Park, Power Ranger, and Pokemon. Not like the crap on T.V. today. The music was fun inoccent stuff like Barbie Girl and Smell Like Teen Spirit. The 90s was an awesome time. Disney was at it's highest with "The Lion King" and "Aladdin". It's wasn't like things are today.

Yeah, the 90s was inoccent. The 90s was all about stuff like Jarassic Park, Power Ranger, and Pokemon. Not like the crap on T.V. today. The music was fun inoccent stuff like Barbie Girl and Smell Like Teen Spirit. The 90s was an awesome time. Disney was at it's highest with "The Lion King" and "Aladdin". It's wasn't like things are today.


There was plenty of dirty music in the '90s (generally in the rap section), of course it had far more of a point then most of 2007's stuff.

I think GameDude makes a valid point, and I've actually thought about this myself quite a bit too.

Of course every time period has its bad things. In fact, you could argue that daily life was worse in the first half of the 20th Century, with openly racist attitudes or less equality towards women, etc. Society in general was less "open-minded" in the pre-1964 time. Anything bad today is a cake walk compared to that.

If we're talking about entertainment, though, I do think there was more to choose from in the '80s and '90s in terms of wholesome, lesson-teaching shows like Full House, Disney movies, or pop songs that appealed to almost anyone. I remember lots of older people listened to Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Journey, Hall and Oates, The Police and even Bon Jovi during the '80s. I have also noticed there seems to be less of a market now for family-friendly entertainment.

It ought to be noted though, that there's always a divison with "safe" mainstream appealing pop culture, and edgier stuff. Both always existed as far back as the 1950s. Gangsta rap, more violent video games, shock rock and tabloid talk shows were common targets in the '90s by teachers, parents and older adults in terms of things they felt uncomfortable with their kids being exposed to. Before that it was heavy metal and hanging out at the mall in the '80s that people like Tipper Gore were concerned about. But the point is, back then it wasn't like that was ALL that existed. It was only one section of pop culture. There's times it really does feel that way now. The variety kind of petered out in about 2002.


Just for a personal reference point, I was peripherally aware of negative things in the world like the Gulf War in the early '90s. Yet based on the pop culture I knew as well as interactions I had with people, I had a much cleaner "picture" of the world than I do now (or even a few years later). What was bad I didn't know as much in detail, and what was good was more what I was exposed to. Although it could've just been from growing up in a more suburban family setting, everyone's experiences are different. I thought the worst thing was teachers and parents worried we were playing too many video games. ;)

Let me explain one example I'm talking about in more detail. Back then, there were several people we got to know who later became kinda family friends, and often babysat me or hung out with us. These were, like guys who worked at the supermarket, and one in particular was this dude from Chuck E. Cheese. Never once did it cross my mind, Oh I wonder if they're just doing this to look good, it honestly was how I thought most people were. So finding out not everyone was like this magical picture I had was a bit disappointing, I really had to adapt myself to that thought. While I don't think pop culture "makes" anyone think a certain way, I do think it influences its image somewhat. Nowadays, if some 19 or 20-year old guy wanted to look after a stranger's kids, people would instantly jump to (somewhat rightful, from being concerned) conclusions of, "What? Doesn't he have something better to do at his age. He must be a weird or a pervert", whereas in the '80s and '90s it would've been more openly accepted. I'm sure the negative stories in the news don't help the public's image either.

This also works in other smaller ways, like I used to assume if a guy asked a girl on a date, that he just wanted to be friends with her, not that he was merely looking to sleep with her. I admit, finding out realities like that did shatter this more peaceful image I had of the world in my first 10 or 12 years.

Don't get me wrong, I too watch voilent movies like "300" and stuff, but just sitting down and watching a show where I don't have to leave feeling guilty for looking at it, like "The Cosby Show" makes me happy.

1980's...innocent?

Ever heard of W.A.S.P.? 

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/1/17/Blackielawless.jpg

;D ;D ;D

There was plenty of dirty music in the '90s (generally in the rap section), of course it had far more of a point then most of 2007's stuff.
I agree.

I actually think we live in such politically correct times when it comes to pop culture,no one takes risks anymore,it's all about mainstream. So boring ::)

McFly,it never seizes to amaze me how much you have to say :o

What ever happened to inoccent America? I mean the America from the 70s,80, and the 90s. The America that wasn't so filled with graphic violence, sex, and language. The America that was safe for both kids and their parents. What ever happened?


I don't know that america was ever as conservative as TV made it out to be. I mean we had violence in 50s there have always been serial killers, riots, kidnappings, domestic violence,  drugs, sex and stuff but TV glossed over the realities of life. As society got more violent the make up of tV changed. In the 60s the civil rights movement was being telecast so the violence was just permeating our living rooms,  suddenly we are seeing the war on TV and war protests, and riots.  As media has changed so has the portrayl of society but the truth is its always been violent we are just more aware of it now than we were before. 

My friend, what you have to understand is that we didn't learn all of these things from TV, TV learned from us, so did Music and Theatre. The time you're talking about only exited on TV. Right, it's true, the Brady Bunch was a model family during the 70's.. and Hookers were getting their throats cut out in Times Square. Sure there were plenty of 'safe' role-models sporting a flock of seagulls on the radio, but if you went in to a record store, you could find out all about Madonna's rape fantasies.

My friend, what you have to understand is that we didn't learn all of these things from TV, TV learned from us, so did Music and Theatre. The time you're talking about only exited on TV. Right, it's true, the Brady Bunch was a model family during the 70's.. and Hookers were getting their throats cut out in Times Square. Sure there were plenty of 'safe' role-models sporting a flock of seagulls on the radio, but if you went in to a record store, you could find out all about Madonna's rape fantasies.


I just use tv as one example.  Televison, in my opinion, is perhaps the most prevalant pop culture reference there is. Music and film caught up with society much faster than television did but more people watch tv and use that as a societal mirror than any other form of pop culture.

I just use tv as one example.  Televison, in my opinion, is perhaps the most prevalant pop culture reference there is. Music and film caught up with society much faster than television did but more people watch tv and use that as a societal mirror than any other form of pop culture.


Oops, sorry, I wasn't actually replying to you, more to the starter of the thread, I agree with most of your points.  ;D

Oops, sorry, I wasn't actually replying to you, more to the starter of the thread, I agree with most of your points.  ;D


lol cool

There's some good points to be made on both sides.

A common argument against statements like this, is how things were always "bad" in terms of crime and negative things, but that it's just covered more in the media now. For the record, I do agree with this...I mean, there were shootouts in the Wild West, and the early 20th century had Al Capone-type gangsters. There was still open racism as late as the early-mid 1960s, etc. I even agree with the fact that there was always some form of controversial pop culture.

But....

The key difference with entertainment of the 1950s-late 1990s compared to now, is that there always seemed to be more alternatives than there is today. Yeah, there was stuff that freaked out people since Elvis, but it wasn't like you were stuck with only that. I know that the '80s and '90s had alot of "wholesome" music and TV shows that could appeal to older people, younger kids and people who were perhaps more conservative. That just doesn't exist now.

Even the once-innocent stuff kinda doesn't get the chance to seem as innocent now, because the general population perceives everything to be about sex (at least more than they seemed to before the '00s). I've read some immature comments about music videos and clips of certain shows on YouTube. One of many examples...people were commenting on the "relationship" in the "Opposites Attract" video. It's like geez it was just a fun song meant to be taken tongue-in-cheek. Back in 1990, it seemed like innocent stuff like that could exist easier without people automatically assuming every last thing was a sexual reference.

What ever happened to inoccent America? I mean the America from the 70s,80, and the 90s. The America that wasn't so filled with graphic violence, sex, and language. The America that was safe for both kids and their parents. What ever happened?



  shut your mouth jack thompson!

I'll add this final bit for now, but from personal memory, when people like teachers and older adults criticized stuff in the '80s and earlier '90s, it was more in a cursorary, almost teasing way as if to say they were out of touch a little bit. I had a couple teachers when I was about 9 or 10 that had the attitude of "Oh you silly kids with your video games", but it wasn't a flat out hatred of collective pop culture. Maybe a high schooler of 1991 would remember it differently, but I always remember there being at least some collective fandom of at least something that was popular. They probably liked it more casually, but it was accessible and PG-rated enough to almost anybody.

Controversy existed yes, but it was the exception, not the rule! That's the point I'm guessing that GameDude was making.