Pop Culture without the first Gulf War?

We've done threads about what pop culture would be like without 9/11 or Vietnam, but what about what significant changes would there be without the first Gulf War? To start with, the WWF wouldnt do the Sgt. Slaughter Iraqi sympathizer gimmick, instead sticking with the original plan of having him as an extremist still fighting the cold war against babyface Nikolai Volkoff. Also, Hot Shots Part Deux doesnt exist (the first movie was a parody of military films like Top Gun so that one would still exist though).
 
No JAG? Old people everywhere will not know what to do with themselves.

I'm under 40 and I loved Jag lol

I don't see a big hit on music with no gulf war being grunge , rap , new metal and new punk all were driving manly by issues that were local and not international until you hit the era of RATM but that was more stuff like anti WTO and G20 summits
 
Actually, looking at pop culture from 1990, I wonder if the cynicism of the 90s would have even come up. Take movies for example, in 1990 some of the biggest movies included relatively lighter stuff like Pretty Woman, Home Alone, Problem Child, the first TMNT movie (granted, darker than the cartoon or even the sequels, but still pretty light-hearted), etc. Same with TV, while you did have more cynical stuff like Roseanne, Simpsons, and Married with Childen, you also had Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I've heard it been said that Desert Storm was the REAL end of the 80s (much like 9/11 was the real end of the 90s), so without it happening, maybe pop culture would still somewhat resemble the 80s more, albiet updated to reflect changing views.
 
Massive Attack wouldn't have to promote their "Unfinished Sympathy" single with the shortened name "Massive". Without this obvious promotional confusion, the single becomes a Top 5 smash. :)
 
China Beach might squeak out another season or two. It was one of those critically acclaimed darlings with low ratings but a dedicated fanbase. Its anti-war sentiment went against the national grain during the Gulf War, which is partly why it was cancelled.
 
China Beach might squeak out another season or two. It was one of those critically acclaimed darlings with low ratings but a dedicated fanbase. Its anti-war sentiment went against the national grain during the Gulf War, which is partly why it was cancelled.

thats a upside. China Beach was good.
 
It will be interesting to see what direction the techno-thriller genre takes. Not a huge impact but with the end of the Cold War something else will fill the void in terms of topics.
 
Actually, looking at pop culture from 1990, I wonder if the cynicism of the 90s would have even come up. Take movies for example, in 1990 some of the biggest movies included relatively lighter stuff like Pretty Woman, Home Alone, Problem Child, the first TMNT movie (granted, darker than the cartoon or even the sequels, but still pretty light-hearted), etc. Same with TV, while you did have more cynical stuff like Roseanne, Simpsons, and Married with Childen, you also had Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I've heard it been said that Desert Storm was the REAL end of the 80s (much like 9/11 was the real end of the 90s), so without it happening, maybe pop culture would still somewhat resemble the 80s more, albiet updated to reflect changing views.

The cynicism of the 90s was a direct outcome of the recession of 1991, the sluggish economic environment from 1987-1991, and specific to pop culture, the over marketing of so much - hair metal, blockbuster movies, TV, hip hop etc. I dont see the Gulf War changing much here although the recession in 1991 would have been somewhat different. As it was, the recovery was pretty slow - jobless recovery as it was called - and the economy never really hit full swing until about 1994-1995.

The one thing the Gulf War did do was amp up the feel good about technology, pro-US feelings. You can get rid of Independence Day, Terminator 2 has a different flavor, MIB, and other related fare.
 
The cynicism of the 90s was a direct outcome of the recession of 1991, the sluggish economic environment from 1987-1991, and specific to pop culture, the over marketing of so much - hair metal, blockbuster movies, TV, hip hop etc. I dont see the Gulf War changing much here although the recession in 1991 would have been somewhat different. As it was, the recovery was pretty slow - jobless recovery as it was called - and the economy never really hit full swing until about 1994-1995.

The one thing the Gulf War did do was amp up the feel good about technology, pro-US feelings. You can get rid of Independence Day, Terminator 2 has a different flavor, MIB, and other related fare.

Another thing, I was an AFROTC cadet in college during Desert Storm and literally overnight being in the military became a hip and cool thing. Almost like a complete opposite of what is like during Vietnam. By that point regardless people in the military were more or less highly thought of but there was a huge change after Desert Storm.
 
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