13 ’80s Trends That Would Be Publicly Shamed Today

Gen Xers often struggle with modern society, finding themselves in hot water for their actions regularly. Those in their mid-forties upwards see society changing at such a rapid pace it’s hard to keep up.

That said, there are some trends we Gen-Xers and older millennials born into this decade experienced that might be best left behind. Here are some ’80s trends that should probably remain in the time they belong.

Letting Kids Play Unsupervised

When I was as young as eight, upon returning from school, I would be off to the woods on the BMX to meet other kids doing the same. There were no cell phones to call home; my parents had no idea where I was, and life was good.

Sadly, in 2024, we know too much. Obviously, the chances of anything hurting one’s kids haven’t changed; it’s just that our understanding of the implications has. We have far too much access to bad news in modern times, and it affects how we parent.

Roller Rinks

For those roller rinks standing as defiant ’80s time capsules, chances are today’s clientele might not be from the upper rungs of society’s ladder. Yet, back in the ’80s, the roller rink was where most of the cool kids hung out. Youth platform SuperProf contributor Aiman says he remembers New York having several big roll rinks in that decade, which were always full on a Friday night.

Carving around a plywood floor with Van Halen blasting might have felt cool to an ’80s kid, though can anyone imagine Gen-Alphas doing this today?

Calling Someone on the Phone

It might sound foreign to today’s youngsters, but we would just randomly call people when bored — which was a lot. A non-presumptive “What are you doing?” was all it took to instigate a chat with a friend for a while. This action would anger sisters waiting for a call from their boyfriend or best buddy.

Even those of us born south of 1981 might struggle with this today. Our time is so taken up with life’s tasks that an unannounced call could interrupt our well-planned days. Pew Research Center published a report stating that most Americans won’t even answer an unfamiliar number anymore.

4. Ding-Dong Ditch

If you came of age in an ’80s small town, the chances are you rang people’s doorbells and then ran away. Of course, getting caught was common, though usually met with an innocent laugh and ruffle of said offender’s hair.

These days, I would not be recommending this game to kids. While they might not be publicly shamed, they could meet the wrong person. An example of this threat comes from a tragic story of a neighbor who shot three ding-dong-ditching teenagers dead in 2023.

Spanking Children

Parenting in the ’80s was on another plain to modern-day normal, and this sometimes included moderate public displays of violence. Of course, corporal punishment has since been outlawed at schools in many states.

Spanking one’s offspring is, curiously, still legal in the United States, though there is an unwritten social code that hitting children is wrong. Moreover, research shows how wrong it can be for kids. We can all get behind publicly shaming this one.

Showing Off

The ’80s wasn’t called the “Decade of Decadence” for nothing. This economic boom saw many young, upwardly mobile professionals (yuppies, for short) gain wealth, bringing with it some garish behavior.

Okay, this trend hasn’t died at all and often comes in the form of the “humble brag.” For instance, David Geffen posted tone-deaf social distancing updates from his lavish yacht in the Grenadines in 2020. I guess we can all say that public shaming comes with the territory now.

Prejudiced Language

A real sticking point for many and the source of multiple cancelations is people’s use of rhetoric — mixed with a falling level of context understanding. Flippant or controversial comments in the past would often be forgiven or forgotten with a public apology or no apology, respectively.

While older heads were raised to speak their mind, it really depends on what’s in that mind these days. In 2018, Midwest America’s favorite TV star, Roseanne Barr, discovered this the hard way after a distasteful joke about a black politician.

Corporate Greed

“Greed is good,” says Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko in Wall Street (1987), a sentiment shared across corporate America at the time. Unfortunately, corporate greed has never been stronger. One example of this is America’s inflated food prices, which some analysts put at 2.5 times the rate of inflation between 2020 and 2024.

At least today, consumers are far more connected, able to boycott or “buycott” (reverse boycotting) any company they wish. Sadly, the powerhouse conglomerates who own each company can absorb the losses.

Mass Consumerism

The ’80s was the tail end of the “Me Generation,” which refers to those born into good times putting themselves first before their community’s interests. One might argue mass consumerism falls into this category.

While Amazon, Ali Express, and Temu show us how popular such consumption still is, Generation Z is different. This group doesn’t have the same fiscal privilege as their forebears and is far more frugal. Fortune reports that Gen-Zers consider themselves staunchly anti-capitalist. They are more likely to buy a product based on influencers or online stars, anyway.

Traditional Domestic Gender Roles

Most of us grew up watching our moms do most of the cleaning and cooking while Dad mowed the lawns, washed the car, and fixed the house. Fast-forward to the modern ’20s and most guys realize this is no longer accepted.

Men have increased their domestic work share by almost 40%, according to some reports. These days, it would be prudent for any man to offer their significant other a hand.

Objectifying Women on Screen

There was a period where almost every R-rated movie had to have a graphic bedroom scene. On occasion, these movies might slip into a family movie night, prompting Dad to fast-forward to the next coitus-free frame. These scenes were awkwardly long, usually consisting of extreme close-up shots, low lighting, and some form of wind instrument soundtrack.

One clip in particular comes from the skateboarding zeitgeist flick and unintentional comedy Thrashin‘ (1986). In the years since, we see far fewer of these scenes and more quick cuts to the morning after, avoiding gratuitous screen copulation.

12. Fighting in Public

There are some curious corners of the United States where a “mutual combat” law is still in place in two states, Texas and Washington State. However, on the whole, public displays of violence are considered uncouth and unnecessary.

The trend in school fights has been falling for years, though maybe this isn’t a great thing, as a rise in school shootings has taken its place. Of course, it still happens in certain walks of American life, though seeing two dads step outside is not something we see much anymore. It’s probably good news — especially in concealed-carry states.

Leaving Kids in a Car

The number of times my mom left me sitting in a running car during the ’80s is sobering. It would never have occurred to her that anybody could have taken the car, or me — or both. In all fairness, nothing ever happened to us.

However, it can go too far. In 2012, a Massachusetts man was arrested after leaving his baby in a KMart parking lot during Black Friday. If that sounds bad enough, it was 1:30 a.m. in Massachusetts and November. Yeah, this one might deserve the occasional public shaming.