[Chi-townChief]

As they say, "liberal thinking" is an oxymoron.

[Army Air Corps]

"The late '70s was about mellowing out, getting laid and watching "MASH" and good movies. The early '80s was about buying stocks, lovingly conditioning the leather seats of your bitchin' Honda Prelude, and wearing argyle sweater vests. That's not even a fair fight."

I thought that the 1970s was about living like hippies but with less vigor. That and crappy domestic, economic, trade, defense, energy, and foreign policy from 1976 to 1980.

I do not recall seeing scores of Honda Preludes (especially among the Yuppies - many of whom happened to be cousins of mine). I do recall heavy metal, hair bands, cool movies about whacking commies, TV shows with cool cars and leggy women, sitcoms that did less preaching and more entertaining, a sense of confidence in one's self and the nation, and a growing economy as well as Reds on the run.

[smith288]

Fox put out "That 80's show" and it failed miserably... Not that it has anything to do with this article...just sayin

[weegee]

There was lots of cocaine use and abuse in the hedonistic 1970s. There was more greed in the 1990s than in the 1980s.

Liberal talking points signifying nothing.

[MoochPooch]

While I was out of touch culturally with the 80s, and therefore my view is slanted, I would say the 70s definitely had better movies and music. Hollywood was highly creative; there was a sophistication yet at the same time an artistic integrity and moral voice.

However . . . in all other respects I absolutely hated the 70s. Besides their being a bleak period in my personal life, I felt the rage and frustration all around me. Everyone was bored and depressed. The 80s seemed like the light at the end of the tunnel, politically and economically. (Personally, things got better, too.)

The 80s, though, (& 90s) seemed far more decadent, with a glamour and very hard edge. The culture grew increasingly sterile; I watched a decline in the movies & music starting around 1982. I truly think that now Hollywood is dying.

[weegee]

The late '70s was about mellowing out, getting laid and watching "MASH" and good movies. The early '80s was about buying stocks, lovingly conditioning the leather seats of your bitchin' Honda Prelude, and wearing argyle sweater vests. That's not even a fair fight.

The late 1970s was about "hit" films like:
Kramer vs. Kramer
Norma Rae
Starting Over
The China Syndrome
Chapter Two
The Rose
Coming Home
Same Time, Next Year
An Unmarried Woman
Interiors
Heaven Can Wait
Foul Play
California Suite

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The early 1980s was about the death of Disco, the release of hostages, and the end of M*A*S*H.

It was also about the end of gas lines and the end of stagflation.

[weegee]

The show jumped the shark when they stopped doing anything except talking about their relationships. They should be in around 1981 if the continuity meant anything.

[Petronski]

...red-baiting moneyism...

Petronski's rule #3: those who use the term "redbaiting" are almost always socialists, if not worse.

[savedbygrace]

But what about the formative years of the late '60s and early '70s? Was the author in grade school then, or what?

[operation clinton cleanup]

If "That '70s Show" is more quickly passing into the great hereafter of creativity, it deserves credit for having provided more humor than most sitcoms, and for being cast well. Some of the actors are making strides elsewhere.

Didn't they say the same thing when Friends ended... the only future the Friends cast has had has been in People magazine and the tabloids.

[Jess Kitting]

One thing I never understood about that program is why they always made reference to Gerald Ford as "the President" (in a derogative way, of course), but the "popular" music they played (from 1977, 1978) wasn't even around when Ford was in office.

[R. Scott]

While I do enjoy the show, like most period sitcoms they concentrate on the fun and ignore the rest, ala Happy Days. In the early 70’s pot seemed to be everywhere – but the quality compared to today’s weed was pretty low. “Fun” was the in thing.
One of the things I always remember from the early 70’s (Johnson’s legacy?) was the galloping inflation. I never knew how much a loaf of bread was going to cost me. The price of everything (except illegal drugs) was rising out of control. The late 70’s weren’t much better. Military budgets cut so heavily we didn’t have fuel for training – and forget about firearms training – bullets were too expensive. New car prices going through the roof, gasoline “shortage” and the cost of a gallon of gas actually went over a buck.
Oh well, I do prefer to remember the good parts.

[Jim Noble]

The late '70s was about mellowing out, getting laid and watching "MASH" and good movies

Actually, that was the early seventies (and the movies, except for the Godfather, were not that good).

The late 70s were about disco, cocaine, paranoia, and the end of the world as we know it - but then came Reagan.

[VegasCowboy]

This guy used to write for the Las Vegas Review Journal as a music critic. He was downright hateful when he reviewed a country concert. His contempt went way beyond a dislike of the music.

Elfman is a very hateful dude. I don't miss him in my local rag one bit.

[TradicalRC]

I liked the music better in the seventies.