03110cam a2200433 i 4500 122698 20230404125820.0 160719s2006 nyu r 001 0 eng d 9780195178661 0195178661 9780195341584 0195341589 eng 002 E 839 J52d 2006 973.92 Jenkins, Philip, 1952- Decade of nightmares : the end of the sixties and the making of eighties America / Philip Jenkins. New York : Oxford University Press, 2006 344 p. ; 24 cm. Includes index. Mainstreaming the sixties -- Going too far : Bicentennial America -- Against the grain -- The politics of children : 1977 -- Predators -- Captive America : 1980 -- Into the Reagan era -- Evil empires -- Dark victories -- The abuse epidemic -- Wars without end. Drawing on a wide array of sources--including tabloid journalism, popular fiction, movies, and television shows--Philip Jenkins argues that a remarkable confluence of panics, scares, and a few genuine threats created a climate of fear that led to the conservative reaction. He identifies 1975 to 1986 as the watershed years. During this time, he says, there was a sharp increase in perceived threats to our security at home and abroad. At home, America seemed to be threatened by monstrous criminals--serial killers, child abusers, Satanic cults, and predatory drug dealers, to name just a few. On the international scene, we were confronted by the Soviet Union and its evil empire, by OPEC with its stranglehold on global oil, by the Ayatollahs who made hostages of our diplomats in Iran. Increasingly, these dangers began to be described in terms of moral evil. Rejecting the radicalism of the '60s, which many saw as the source of the crisis, Americans adopted a more pessimistic interpretation of human behavior, which harked back to much older themes in American culture. This simpler but darker vision ultimately brought us Ronald Reagan and the ascendancy of the political Right, which more than two decades later shows no sign of loosening its grip. United States History 1969- United States History 1961-1969. United States Politics and government 1945-1989. United States Social conditions 1945- Social problems United States History 20th century. Culture conflict United States History 20th century. Conservatism United States History 20th century. Political culture United States History 20th century. Estados Unidos Historia 1969- Estados Unidos Historia 1961-1969. Estados Unidos Política y gobierno 1945-1989. Estados Unidos Condiciones sociales 1945- Cultura popular Estados Unidos. Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0516/2005020159.html lcc bk JaaM 5258 5258 0 0 lcc 0 0 RR BJB BJB RR 2023-04-04 1 0 002 E 839 J52d 2006 00000115588 2018-10-23 00:00:00 1 2018-10-23 bk