Now we have Britney and Christina. Back then, we had Debbie andTiffany.

Now we have Grand Theft Auto. Then, we had a dot lobbed back andforth between two paddles with Pong.

Who could forget the “80s? The age of the electric pencilsharpener, Hungry Hungry Hippos, the Iran-Contra hearings and thefall of the Berlin Wall. And while Iraqis and Iranians killed oneanother by the hundreds of thousands in the Persian Gulf, here athome we were enjoying the comforts of “Fraggle Rock”and “Pac Man.”

The “80s were a turning point. You could look in anydirection and see humanity racing towards the digital age.

“I Love the “80s Strikes Back” aired on VH1last week and was devoted entirely to all things 80’s (itwill air again at various times this week). The 10-part series is ayear-by-year homage to the styles, stars and stuff of the1980s.

At Sacramento State, students can remember the “80s as anage of materialism8212; a post-modernistic pastiche of materialpossessions. The average age of a Sacramento State student,according to the Sacramento State Web site, is 24 years old, somost students can relate to the “80s in some way, shape orform.

Younger students on campus attribute their memories of the”80s to popular culture like music, film and Saturday morningcartoons, though older students attribute their memory tohistorical, economical and political events of the 1980s.

The children of the 80’s are products of a materialistic,techno-centric, nuclear age-view era in history.

Psychology student Vincent Hurtado, 24, says the “80s forhim were summed up with pegged pants and acid-washed jeans. HigherEducation and Leadership major Moe Stephens, 23, says the80’s icon for him was Michael Jackson.

For older students, historical and political events contributeto their memories of the “80s.

“The “80s was a time of worldwide disarray,”said psychology major Edward Bloom, 37. He said it was also a timeof “crack cocaine, and a ridiculous war on drugs.”

Junior gerontology major June Sugar, 51, says she remembers”the government not doing a good job.”

For others, like graduate student Melody Plaxton, the “80smeans family and domesticity.

She called herself the “B.W.M.” (Butt Wiping Mama)of the 1980s, because she spent most of her time raising herchildren and changing lots of diapers.

“I remember not having much time for other things,”Plaxton said.

She does remember a drastic improvement in the economy duringthe “80s, following the crippling recession of the late”70s, she said.

Even so, other students like Kim Waters, 32, said the “80sstands for crimped hair, hot-pink make-up and skin tightacid-washed jeans with ripped out knees, Members Only jackets,English Bands, The Brat Pack and Atari. For her, this was also the”peak of the female diva: Madonna, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson andCyndi Lauper.” Waters said the “80s promoted girls tojust have fun, and boys to turn Japanese over them.

Commercialized teen films that are near and dear tostudents’ hearts dominated the “80s and continue to befodder for the cable TBS network right down to today. There is theclassic “Pretty in Pink”8212;or, to save a fewwords8212;basically any movie produced from 1980-1989 starringMolly Ringwald. Titles like “Weird Science” and”Fast Times at Ridgemont High” also dominated.

Then there is, of course, another awesome genre of the”80s- the action movie.

True, “Rambo: First Blood” was Ronald Reagan’sfavorite movie, but for some reason, “Red Dawn,”starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen and a young Jennifer Grey(before “Dirty Dancing”) hits home best with those whowere raised in fear of a Cuban-Russian invasion, those who ownedtoy guns that looked so real that cops were shooting kids in the”burbs.

The “80s weren’t just another decade. They took on alife of their own in memory.

Those privileged enough to have kept that time alive in theirhearts know the “80s are still here.

Look at today’s pop-icons with the Britney-Madonnaconnection and Michael Jackson’s influence on JustinTimberlake.

The drugs that didn’t kill David Bowie only made himstronger and he’s released a new CD.

Lots of bands from the “80s like U2 and Metallica arestill popular with young people; perhaps cutting their hair helpedthem transition to the “90s.

We are all children of the 80’s, and just as FlowerChildren have never let go of their time, so will we never let goof ours. And it doesn’t matter when you were born – anyonecan be a child of the “80s.

It’s not just a decade, it’s an attitude; it’sabout being loud and proud that you still have a collection ofTransformers, G.I. Joes, Care Bears, Pound Puppies or Cabbage PatchKids.

It is about boom-boxes or ghetto blasters (depending which coastyou”re from), Walkmans, high shorts, Kangaroos (the shoeswith the pockets), Adidas, Run DMC, vinyl, tape, and CD versions of”Thriller” and “Slippery When Wet.”

It’s about “Garbage Pail Kids.” It’sabout tacky clothes. It”s about the “hip hop, thehippie to the hippie to the hip hip hop, a you don’t stop therock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie to therhythm of the boogie, the beat.”