1980s: The Creed

1983...the same year that the Cosby Show first appeared on TV sets across America. This was the year I was born. Ladies and Gentlemen, I (and I too) am a Child of the 80's...

Most of my life I've been wondering if I was losing my mind or if I was destined to become an unproductive, unsuccessful person; after all, it seemed that all my "superiors" had a problem with the thoughts and feelings that shaped me. Ideas like teamwork, a spirit of adventure, a wild imagination, a concern for all people, a belief that good triumphs, a love for simply existing... these are concepts that I've held to and lived by. Like it or not, they're in me and they make me. But now, after seeing many writings like this from people all across the internet--- people born in the same decade--- I'm now convinced that I am not an anomaly for holding to these "useless" sentiments.

I remember adults shunning the cartoons we would watch: the cartoons that led us to dream of conquering the universe, being heros, expanding to the outer limits of our very existence. And I never understood what adults feared so much; they seemed to want to protect us from some great, unconquerable obstacle that would stop us from realizing our potential. Now that I'm older, I understand it... it's them. The ones who said we can't were the only obstacles that ever stood between us and doing it, whatever that "it" may be. It's so strange: they want to see us to do new things and achieve greater heights, but they want us to only follow their methods, inevitably to repeat their same mistakes and assume their same apathetic, fruitless perspectives.

I admit, it's harsh and a bit of a stretch to say what I just said--- a little. But, see, I have this fear of becoming like them. I don't ever want to be the reason that my child doesn't realize his full potential. I don't ever want to set boundaries that will inhibit his or her true purpose just because it's unfamiliar territory to me. As big as his or her dreams are, that's how big a support I want to be. And, though the proof isn't here yet, I believe that we 80's children are the biggest dreamers and therefore the most potent generation of the late century. It would be a shame if it were all for nothing...

Now let's take a quick trip, arright?...

Remember watching shows and comics like Transformers, GI Joe, X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ladies, if you were into My Little Pony, Jem, Rainbow Brite, Care Bears), Captain Planet, The Smurfs, The Shirt Tales, The Get Along Gang... VOLTRON? Remember how you and your homies would hang together that tight? Sometimes we would even give each other nicknames based on the characters, lol (Colossus was always my favorite from the X-Men;-P). But while I expect any "adult" to disagree out of protocol, I think there was more to those shows and the like than just fantasy entertainment. These shows taught us the value of "letting our powers combine"; that everyone had something unique to contribute to the society and that we could go places by uplifting each other and contributing. Even the non-cartoons like Star Trek: The Next Generation challenged us to "boldy go where no man has gone before". What happened to those mentalities?

I could go on forever about this, but I gotta better idea. Just go to Google.com, type in "80s Child" or "Child of the Eighties", and see for yourself. You'll find article after article of people sharing these sentiments. We're not as crazy as some of our predecessors would like us to think we are. Right now I'm 22 and in the process of taking the throne from the last generation. I think it's time for us to prove to them how limited their existence has been. I still believe we have yet to see our full potential. And I have no intention of settling for a mediocre existence. I'm a strong individual, as I'm sure many of you out there are, but I challenge us to remember that spirit of team that we were taught and utilize it; even if you have to work distantly with others who don't share your perspective like X-Men, X-Factor, Excalibur and X-Force (ahhhaaa... ya'll don't hear me right now... ya'll aren't real X-men fans, lol.)

Be you, be brave, be creative, and beyond...
-Jig, 1983

(Playlist:
Voltron Theme Song)