A couple of items around reminded me of the Eighties, the years of the Cold War. First off, Alan M. remembers the actual thoughts most Europeans had about the Red Threat and the chances of an all-out nuclear war. The world was literally painted red and blue and the governments of Thatcher and Reagan didn’t make those feelings of fear get away. I was one of the last of my generation to be called for active duty just because of this Cold War. Luckily, my time of active service didn’t last long.
Secondly, an interesting thought experiment (Barefoot), where Dave Pollard puts us in different shoes. Which reminded me of the (TV?) movie ‘The Day After’, which was shown frequently during my ‘high school’ years.
Yes, the Cold War was frequently in the back of our heads when we went to school. I vividly remember the demonstrations against the Pershing missiles in The Netherlands. Those days, the roaring Eighties so to say, were confusing, sometimes depressing, but highlighted by the introduction of the Personal Homecomputer.