The Evolution of Mean
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suggesting his wife was an alcoholic, and bumper stickers followed saying,
“Vote For Muskie Or He’ll Cry.”32 Muskie dropped out of the presidential
nomination race. Walter Mondale, a gentle pastor’s son, was unequipped to deal
with the vitriol hurled at him. Yet the bulk of media humor in the 1980 election
suggests a carnival tone.
The 2008 Presidential Campaign
To paraphrase Woolf, around 1984, human character changed. Much of the
change in how news and culture were transmitted was technological, as cable
television stations dedicated to special audiences such as news and rock videos
sprang up. Other developments were demographic, as more youth-oriented
entertainers such as David Letterman began to eclipse the older generation. By
the mid-80s, satirical treatments of Reagan had turned nasty. The ‘Star Wars’
initiative in his second term was met with hooting derision by pundits. He was
satirized