“They are dismantling the sleeping middle class. More and more people are becoming poor. We are their cattle. We are being bred for slavery.”
—Bearded Man, They Live
Picture this: it's November 1988, President Reagan is nearing the end of his second term, tensions in East Berlin are reaching a boiling point, and MTV stands as the pinnacle of cultural influence in a nation grappling with the AIDS crisis.1 Throughout the decade, the United States found itself entrenched in a Cold War standoff with Russia, while on the home front, Reagan was ushering in a new American ideology constituted by a focus on vigorous capitalism, consumerism, and relentless expansion in both professional and personal realms. The rise of yuppie culture alongside the emergence of the New Right fundamentally reshaped the American lifestyle, with individuals striving to climb the corporate ladder. Meanwhile, the middle class settled into a monotonous cycle of home, work, and back home again, with television serving as…
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