10 Lessons From 80s Movies For The Next Four Years

Before Trump became president-elect, I told everyone who'd listen that he was the embodiment of every 80s villain I'd ever watched in movies. I mean, it doesn't get much more 80's than a rich, greedy real estate tycoon with bad hair. It's as if Biff came to life and not only had his real estate empire but also won the presidency. With everyone I know depressed AF here are some of the lessons we can learn from my favorite 80's movies, and how we can use them to deal with the incoming Biff... I mean Trump presidency.

11. Embrace Our Differences

Okay so The Breakfast Club is one of the whitest movies ever (even though Emilio Estevez IS Latinx damn it.) But the themes of embracing those different from you and working together to achieve a goal still remain. The five teens go into Saturday detention with preconceived notions about one another only to realize they're not that much different. With so much hateful rhetoric pointed at people of color, Muslims, the LGBTQIA+ community & women, now would be a cool time for us to rally around those communities and realize a better life and not being blown up by Russia is a common goal we can all get behind.

10. Stand Up To The Bullies in Your Life

Throughout Back to The Future I, Biff makes it his mission to be the biggest bag of dicks in all of Hill Valley. From bullying George McFly to sexually harassing and assaulting Lorraine, he truly grabs everyone by the...well you know the rest. The course of George's future is changed when he deals one devastating punch to Biff's kisser while defending Lorraine. It can seem overwhelming to deal with everything going on, but there are things we can do in our every day life, people who we can talk to and stand up to. When we all use our voices to combat hate and bigotry, the small battles add up to make change.

9. Use Your Wit

Who can forget the banana in the tailpipe? Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop is one of the funniest, cleverest characters in any movie I've ever seen. He uses his street smarts, great detective skills and humor to take down corrupt business men in Beverly Hills. With so many obstacles lining up against us for the next four years, it will take some ingenuity to fight effectively.

8. Don't Forget To Live

Ferris Bueller wasn't going to let anyone, not even his overbearing pigeon-nosed principle, ruin the beautiful day outside. Despite being hunted throughout Chicago, he still takes in art, sees a baseball game, and lip-syncs his heart out in what I still consider the most unrealistically well-choreographed impromptu dance party of all time. It seems like everything we've been doing lately is related to politics or stressing about the future. While it's important to be vigilant and continue to fight, self-care and finding enjoyment in every day life are still important.

7. Face Reality

In Pretty in Pink, Andie's dad has a hard time letting go of his dead-beat wife. He pretends she's coming back and in turn, can't move on with his life or pick up the pieces and start anew. It might be tempting to shut yourself out for the next four years and for some living with mental health issues it might be the only way to survive. But for those of us who are able, it's important not to turn away from the realities we're facing. Not accepting our truth won't make it go away but it will prevent us from doing everything we can to fight injustices. It's always tough to accept that your life has changed, that reality has a new meaning, but facing it head on can be liberating as well.

6. Kick All The Ass

It's going to take a lot of strength for many of us to get through the next four years, we have to be tough and prepare for an uphill climb. We all have to take on John McClane's kick-all-the-asses take no prisoners attitude if we're going to survive.

5. Defeat the Nazis

Remember when I said embrace our differences? Yeah, not these guys. Racism has always been a part of this country, in fact it was built on it, but the reason so many are clamoring for the good old days is because many of us are speaking up unapologetically. If a college professor turned whip-wielding adventurer is not the perfect symbol for the resistance, I don't know what is. Indie overcame his fear of snakes/defeated giant boulders and melted the faces right off those Nazis. We have to continue that fight against racism, both online and in our daily interactions. There should be no room, no tolerance for hate. Leave no racist asshole left un-dragged.

4. Celebrate Books, Education & The Sciences

If it weren't for Doc's brilliance, Marty would've never been able to go Back to The Future and defeat the evil Biff and save his mom from that really bad boob job. Science literally saved the world and with all the denial of actual facts happening and threatening to make me light my face on fire, education and an emphasis on reading and the power of science is more important now than ever.

3. Learn From Your Elders

We all might not be lucky enough to have someone like Mr. Miyagi in our lives, but there are undoubtedly people who have lived through tough times and can offer us insight into how to cope. From calling politicians, to attending town hall meetings, older people know how to become part of their local communities and help spur change. While some older people insist on blaming everything under the sun on millennials (sick of that word!) there are those who are on our side, let's find them and learn from them. Mr. Miyagi lived through war and losing his first love but he used that pain and turned it into wisdom. The same wisdom that helped Daniel defeat those asshole Cobra Kais. Sweep the leg indeed.

2. Young People Can Make a Difference

In The Goonies, a group of kids try to find a treasure in order to save their neighborhood from a greedy rich guy trying to make a golf course (*AHEM*) Throughout the movie, Mikey is told repeatedly he's just a kid but that doesn't stop him from doing his part to save his family's home. With so many young people feeling disenfranchised, The Goonies provides the perfect blueprint for standing up to the people who think you're too young to make a difference. Plus, hot damn young Josh Brolin.

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