Time Travel Made Stupid

I wonder if my 22-year-old mother would have imagined that the year 2007 would be exactly like 1982, except stupider. You see, 2007 is exactly like 1982. The fashion, the hair-dos (read: hair don'ts), popular bands, economy (though, mind you, interest rates were at 15% in order to stave off inflation after the recession of the 70s – now they're around 5% in order to stave off an economic collapse due to people buying houses they can afford at prices they cannot), are the same. And while in 1982 we had a president who was stupidly popular because he reminded young people of their granddads, and the middle aged of their fathers (that is, if their fathers were poor fiscal planners who sold arms to the Iranians); now we have a president who is stupid and unpopular, but reminds Americans of his father, who in turn reminds us of Grandad Ronnie "Walking Cabbage" Reagan.

There have been a few technological advances, though fuel economies haven't changed since Grandad put the brakes on Jimmy Carter's plan to lessen oil imports and make the US energy independent. And still no fucking flying cars. Computers are more powerful, and their size has changed in an inverse ratio to their power, capabilities, and varieties.

Social issues like racism, homelessness, starving American children, and the rate at which STIs and unwanted pregnancies affect teens and twnenty-somethings; have not changed all that dramatically. Crime rates changed in the 90s but have gone back up since 2001.

The Middle East is a holy catastrafuck. Palestine is on the verge of civil war, and Israel bombed the living shit out of southern Lebanon just a year ago. And let us not forget the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Americans are fat, irresponsible, drug addicts who routinely cause arena concerts of the Police to sell out; and are completely unaware of global events because the news has been cancelled in favor of stories about women celebrities who are famous only for being rich and slutty. Peter Jennings is dead, Tom Brokaw retired, and Dan Rather was drummed out of network news by political hacks. America's most popular news man is a 38-year-old Jewish comedian who also happens to be the toughest interviewer on cable.

And yet, as I listen to David Bowie's "Changes" on a device that is smaller than the coke stash of my 1982-equivalent, I can't help but acknowledged that some things have changed in the last 25 years. Some of those things have even been for the better.

Affectionately,

Rachel