Living through a period of time and looking back at it are two very different things. History is often told by unreliable narrators, even when those who experienced it are still alive. This is especially true when things become glamorized for Hollywood or the mainstream media. Most of the time, entertainment is going to triumph over information.
Some may argue that the 80s were the first decade of the 20th century to set the scene for whatever mess we find ourselves in today. As a result, it's a popular decade for TV and movies to draw inspiration from.
However, they aren't always the most accurate, as has been proven by a recent AskReddit thread. Requesting that those who were adults in the 80s talked about all the things about that time that have been left behind in pop culture, there were a variety of answers. We certainly live differently now.
Header image by Daniel Schludi