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As befits the onset of the century's finale, a mixture of earnestness and irony -- a kind of American yin and yang -- characterized the year. The Northwest hamlet of Twin Peaks became the moody, ironic capital of the American landscape. Madonna, the queen of camp, literally and cheekily wrapped herself in the Stars and Stripes in a larky get-out-the-vote video. Even George Bush got into the irony act when he told America that since he is President, he no longer has to eat his broccoli.
Family values were smirkily skewered on the small screen, as Father No Longer Knew Best. Dysfunctional families were the rule, and the home was no longer a haven in a heartless world. In a Thursday-night video showdown, it was irony (The Simpsons) vs. earnestness (The Cosby Show), and irony took a bite out of earnestness.
But earnestness was much in evidence in 1990, with the return of the spirit of do-goodism. The environment became the last best cause, the ultimate guilt- free issue. In 1990 it seemed that everything had to be either biodegradable or cholesterol free. The return, once again, of '60s fashions on Seventh Avenue and '60s rhetoric on college campuses betokened a revival of activism.
Sincerity and the classic notion of dulces et utiles (to instruct while delighting) were evident in unlikely places. For five nights, Americans were riveted to a spare, elegiac documentary about the Civil War. Its popularity denoted a certain retrospective spirit. Rap hip-hopped from violent rhetoric ) into its own didactic mode, rhythmically urging kids to study, pray and love themselves.
Wherever there is sincerity, though, hypocrisy generally tags along. For a warmup, a brief list of the Year's Best Euphemisms for Recession:
1. Economic lull
2. Meaningful downturn
3. Gradual decline
Lip-synching is another form of hypocrisy, and the revelations about the pop group Milli Vanilli seemed to be merely part of a trend. Lip-synching, in fact, is a new American art form. Herewith, the Leading Lip Synchers of 1990:
1. Marion Barry. He lip-synched his condemnations of drugs.
2. George Bush. He admitted that he had lip-synched "no new taxes."
3. S&L officers. They lip-synched their claims to solvency.
4. Ronald Reagan. He lip-synched his autobiography.
Truth often begins as a form of blasphemy: the revelation of deception is a kind of honesty. The year witnessed a variety of examples of candor and a sense of coming to terms with reality. The wishful notion that we were embarking on a kinder, gentler year went out the window with the invasion of Kuwait. Facing facts was evident in everything from the distribution of condoms in public schools to the release of Nelson Mandela, to the movement for congressional-term limits, to William Bennett saying he wanted to leave politics to make money, to Marla Maples (allegedly) saying Best Sex I Ever Had.
In that spirit of candor, the Four Best Things About 1990 Being Over:
1. We will no longer have to guess whether the Trumps will divorce. (They did.)
2. We will no longer have to wonder who killed Laura Palmer. (Her father did.)
3. We will no longer have to read about Millie, the White House dog. (The book can't be on the best-seller lists much longer.)