1980s+Social+Culture

T he social culture of the 1980s was much different from that of the 1960s and 1970s. It seemed as though the U.S. public had enough of the turbulent times of the previous decades. Fun and quirky were mixed in with serious and profound. HIV/AIDS has touched virtually all walks of life. Much has been done, but there is much more to do!  toc

=AIDS In The U.S. = (click on photo for more history on the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s) [] Dr. Conant and Dr. Volberding discussing Kaposi's Sarcoma circa 1981. Kaposi's Sarcoma, a previously rare form of relatively benign cancer that tended to occur in older people, had begun to occur in a more aggressive form amongst young gay men in New York by 1981. This was when general awareness of AIDS first began. 

=U.S. Government Could Have Done More =

media type="youtube" key="BPstw7qohYc" height="344" width="425" 1. 1981-2 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report first rare cases of pneumoniain young gay men. The CDC later names the disease AIDS (Acquired Immune DeficiencySyndrome). 2. Early 1980’s – Gay activist groups such as the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, NationalAssociation of People with AIDS, Project Inform, American Foundation for AIDS Researchlobby the government, pushing for more research money and access to more drugs morequickly. 3. 1982-3 – U.S. government reacts to the AIDS crisis with formal tracking of all AIDS cases,Congressional hearings, and U.S. public health service prevention recommendations. 4. 1980’s – Scientific community identifies the virus Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in1984, develops a test in 1985, and even the first anti-retroviral drug, AZT, in 1987. 5. 1985 – The Pentagon announces that it will begin testing all new military recruits for HIVinfection and will reject those who are positive. 6. 1986 – President Reagan mentions AIDS in a letter to Congress making AIDS a priority. 7. 1986 – C. Everett Koop (U.S. Surgeon General) issues Surgeon General’s Report on AIDS;and in 1988 issues an 8-page pamphlet on HIV/AIDS prevention. (a) National Academy of Science issues a report critical of the U.S. response to "national health crisis;" calls for a $2 billion investment. 8. 1986 – President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda establishes a vigorous sex education programupon taking power. 9. 1987 – FDA strengthens regulation of condom manufacturing and provides guidance onlabeling of condoms for the prevention of AIDS. (a) U.S. adds HIV as a “dangerous contagious disease” to its immigration exclusion list and issues mandatory testing of all immigrant applicants. (b). Congress approves $30 million in emergency funding to states for AZT and adopts the Helms Amendment banning funds for any AIDS education materials that “promote or encourage, directly or indirectly, homosexual activities.” (c) President Reagan establishes the Presidential Commission on HIV (the Watkins Commission) which recommended anti-bias laws for HIV positive people, ondemand treatment for drug addicts, and accelerated AIDS research. 10. 1988 – The U.S. Health Omnibus Programs Extension (HOPE) Act of 1988 authorizes theuse of federal funds for AIDS prevention, education, and testing. 11. 1989 – Congress creates the National Commission on AIDS. (NOW, n.d.)
 * U. S. Government Timeline in The 1980s:**

=Worth Noting From The 80s =  (The People History, 2009) (Wikipedia, n.d.)
 * MTV and The Weather Channel both launched
 * Bob Marley died.
 * Various forms of rock were introduced and became popular.
 * Live Aid concert.
 * Blockbuster movies included: ET, Rocky, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Scarface, Top Gun, Ferris Bueller, and Tootsie.
 * Hit TV shows included: Dallas, Miami Vice, The Simpsons, Roseanne, Cheers, The Cosby Show, and Family Ties.
 * Olympic boycotts by both U.S. and Russia in 1980 and 1984 respectively.
 * Michael Jordon.
 * Perms, mullet, and high-hair hairstyles
 * Women wore leggings and shoulder pads.
 * IBM introduced the first PC.
 * Cellular phones were starting to be purchased by consumers.
 * Post-It notes hit the market.
 * Space shuttle Challenger exploded in flight.
 * Russian nuclear power plant in Chernobyl melted down.
 * Exxon //Valdez// runs aground and created disastrous oil spill.