Be Kind, Rewind. Or Face Eternal Judgment - The 80's #9
Friday night in the 80's was a military operation. It required speed, stealth, an unwavering commitment to personal and family values, and a membership card. The battlefield was Blockbusters... ...where hope went to die. And die brilliantly under fluorescent lighting and inside empty video cassette shells. An entertainment starved schlub couldn't simply rent a movie on demand in the legwarmer years. There was no such beast as streaming . But there was this entity known as scarcity . Maybe better known as supply and demand. It was definitely a mood maker. All foul. If the copy of the movie you wanted was gone, it was gone. The poor teens working their after school jobs behind the counter tried to do their managers proud by saying the movie was "temporarily unavailable." Lies! And we knew it!! The tape you wanted was taken by some other schlub's family. Because they were quicker, stealthier, or more aggressive in their task handling. Or they knew people; had conne...