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“I fear no man, no beast or evil, brother.”
–Hulk Hogan
Due to the culture of the 1960s and 1970s the music from that era is often regarded as having resulted in being some of the best that has ever been created. There were several reasons for this relating to the fact that it involved significant social and political upheaval due to some key events at the time involving the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and a change in other traditional norms.
For good or bad, and whether or not it was organic or manufactured, this time period was significant in that the culture was changing the landscape of society. This culture shift resulted in a key element of creativity that sprouted up and could be seen and heard embedded deep within the fashion, music, and art during that time period.
I wanted to use the 1960s and the 1970s to comment on this as you can observe this unique culture through many movies, songs, newspapers, and magazine covers from the time. From fashion all the way to music the 1960s and 1970s was a culture to behold even though I was born towards the later part of this time period in 1976.
Now even though the 1960s and the 1970s were profound I can also attest to the fact that the 1980s were also a very unique time period as well. Being that I’m a part of Generation X (GenX for short) I was able to have the privilege of growing up as a kid of the 1980s.
So why was this significant?
After the Vietnam War had wound down bringing the 1970s to a close the 1980s came into focus ushering in its own problems, as well as, its own successes along with its own significant culture of influence.
As a kid of the 1980s I can remember the talks of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. I can remember how there was a shift in attitude within the country where it seemed to come roaring out of a more depressed state following the 1970s under the leadership of Jimmy Carter to being energized and reinvigorated under the leadership of President Reagan.
Even as a kid I can remember noticing the reinvigorating energy that was displayed throughout the culture of the 1980s. I witnessed and lived this firsthand with being able to see a patriotic love and fervor throughout the country that was evident everywhere I turned from the music, to the movies, to the sports, and even in one other place that, culturally speaking, kinda flew under the radar.
It was that last under the radar phenomenon that I just mentioned that, in my view, laid the foundation for being a very big reason as to why we can be grateful that Donald Trump is currently the sitting President of the United States.
So what was this unexpected force of nature that I was referring to where I witnessed this Patriotic love and fervor, and what does it have to do with Donald Trump winning the Presidency?
This unexpected phenomenon I’m referring to appeared on my own TV screen, along with millions of other TV screens of young GenX boys, on Saturday mornings growing up in the 1980s. The reason this is so significant is because many of the communist left were completely blindsided and caught off guard by this same force of nature during the Republican National Convention prior to this past election in November.
Just in case you happen to be confused at what force of nature I’m referring to, I'm going to clarify that for you right now.
Enter Hulkamania
Growing up as a GenXer I can tell you firsthand that there was nobody that brought more electricity to the living rooms of GenX boys growing up than Hulk Hogan.
That’s right, that 6’7” towering powerhouse would entertain GenX boys through the television airways to a level that I know resulted in some rambunctious behavior from me that would drive my mother to yell at me from the next room on many Saturday mornings. She would warn me on multiple occasions to not destroy the furniture and to refrain from doing any leg drops on my kid brother on the living room floor. For full disclosure, I might have allowed my kid brother to jump off of the couch, a time or two, in order to land a flying elbow on me as well, but I digress.
There was no denying that Hogan was quite the entertainer because once he would enter the arena to Rick Derringer’s killer song Real American he would blow the lid off the place by extracting a roar from the crowd that could probably register on a nearby Richter scale. After his grand entrance he would grab the microphone from the legendary announcer Mean Gene to further energize his Hulkamaniacs in order to wage an all out war against his next opponent.
Hogan would often talk about how he had derived the energy from his Hulkamaniacs in order to successfully use his 24 inch pythons (his own moniker for his muscular arms) to lift the powerful Andre The Giant overhead to bodyslam him to the mat. This feat would ultimately secure his spot as being the face of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Hulk Hogan always brought the energy and the message to his devoted fans, especially to young boys that all looked up to him not only for being a strong towering figure, but because he was a representative of strength when it came to doing what was right in the world. Hogan represented exactly what Derringer’s song states: Fight for the rights of every man, Fight for what’s right, Fight for your life.
The message from Hulk Hogan’s own lips to his young fans was simple: Train hard, say your prayers, and take your vitamins.
Hulk Hogan wasn’t only an American cultural icon, but he was a voice in the wilderness that would inspire millions to aspire to greater things in life. He captured the imaginations of millions of young boys on those epic Saturday mornings in the 1980s. He did this by driving nearly all of Generation X young boys in a direction of understanding that heroes are real and that those heroes really are meant to do good things when the moment calls for them to do so.
