Rosy retrospection is a cognitive bias that all humans share. It alters our perception of the past by making us feel that it was better than it actually was. While there’s nothing wrong with looking back at the past fondly, it also leads people to think that the future will be worse, leading to a bias known as declinism.
We see these biases play out in the real world when politicians call for America to return to a perfect past that never happened. Or when older people criticize the younger generation for being lazy, entitled and weak.
Chris Biggs, one-half of Ottawa, Canada’s Biggs & Barr show on Chez 106.1 is doing his part to remind people that the ‘80s weren’t that great in a series of viral TikTok posts. The comedian recently put out four videos about “things from an ’80s childhood that were awful.”
The videos are refreshing because most of the time younger generations have to hear Gen Xers go on and on about how the ‘80s were so great. But somebody is finally telling the truth about some aspects of their ‘80s upbringing that were downright disturbing.
In the first video, Barr reminds everyone that Miss Piggy was a super unpleasant character that dominated children’s entertainment in the ‘80s. He also takes on the game Simon which he calls a “demon disc” that causes “soul-crushing anxiety and rage.” The video ends with his take on the pogo ball that’s best known for removing all the flesh on the inside of your ankles.
@thechrisbiggs Things from an 80’s childhood that were awful. #80s #genx #90s #millennial #classic #abcxyz #lol #funny #smile #comedy #viralvideo #xyz #relatable #omg #okthen #fyp #trend #trending #trend#greenscreen
In the second video, he highlights the game Perfection which felt like diffusing a bomb. He also attacks ‘80s fashion by blasting one of the era’s biggest fads, the neon ski jacket. “If you ever wanted to know what it was like to wear the power of a thousand suns, this was it,” Biggs jokes. He finishes with his take on Jim Henson’s “The Dark Crystal” a children’s film about decapitating beetle monsters, a witch who pulls her eyeball out of her head and giant ostrich zombies.
@thechrisbiggs More things from an 80’s childhood that were awful. #80s #90s #genx #millennial #childhood #classic #abc #lol #funny #smile #comedy #viralvideo #xyz #relatable #omg #okthen #fyp #trend #trending #trend
Video number 3 takes a swipe at Operation, a game Biggs says feels like operating on your favorite “drunkle.” He also takes aim at Hypercolor shirts, the clothing that changes color when you apply heat. These shirts were fun until you noticed everyone had hot armpits. He ends with “The Neverending Story” a film with two scenes that had “no business being in a children’s movie.”
@thechrisbiggs Even more things from an 80’s childhood that were awful. #80s #90s #genx #millennial #classic #retro #abc #lol #funny #smile #comedy #viralvideo #xyz #relatable #omg #okthen #fyp #trend #trending #trend
His fourth video opens with one of the most uncomfortable and downright dangerous toys that were ubiquitous in the ‘80s, Fisher Price plastic roller skates. He also notes that water beds made you sweat through “your Transformer PJs in under two seconds flat because who knew that two inches of thick plastic wasn’t very breathable.” The final thing Biggs says was “awful” in the ‘80s was the arcade, which smelled like a “cigarette-smoke-filled dungeon.”
@thechrisbiggs Part 4 of more things from an 80’s childhood that were awful. #80s #90s #genx #millennial #classic #retro #oldschool #abc #lol #funny #smile #comedy #viralvideo #xyz #relatable #omg #okthen #fyp #trend #trending #trend