[olliej]

You're seeing an idealized fantasy version of the 80s. What a lot of people remember of the 80s was childhood so they lacked awareness of the things that would cause adults stress, and so that's the view shows set in the 80s reflect.

For many people the 80s were not good - the CIA was introducing crack to finance itself (and arguably targeting destabilizing black america), AIDS was killing thousands while significant portions of the world were celebrating the "gay plague" or GRID (Gay Related Immune Disorder), Police still routinely targeted LGBT clubs, being fired for being gay or trans was legal, etc