Mr. Microphone Messages

The ’70s were a curious time that left a mark on everyone who lived through them. People who were around at that time inevitably sported bad ’70s hair, wore bad ’70s outfits, and know that somewhere out there multiple bad photos provide evidence of those embarrassing facts. Deep down, ’70s survivors carry a lingering fear that some day those photos might be unearthed and shared with their current co-workers and friends–and no one wants that.

But the ’70s impact runs even deeper than just photographic proof of the worst hairstyles and fashion in the last 100 years. Our personalities and psyches have been shaped and scarred by the messages that the ’70s inflicted on people during that strange time.

Consider, for example, the commercial for the Ronco “Mr. Microphone” product, which you can watch here. Once you get past the hair and clothing–which is admittedly difficult–think of how that commercial might have distorted the sensibilities of an innocent yet credulous viewer. Was it considered appropriate, even welcome, to bring a Mr. Microphone to a party and start handing it around to loudmouth partygoers? Would frazzled parents really want you to give a Mr. Microphone to an already loud roomful of raucous kids? Did “professional entertainers” really use Mr. Microphone during rehearsals? And, perhaps most importantly, how would a young woman–who is never seen on camera, incidentally–react if some guy with a bad haircut passed by in a slow-moving convertiblel and said, in a voice amplified by the car radio: “Hey, good lookin’! Be back to pick you up later!”? Was that the kind of smooth banter that was expected of a participant in the ’70s dating scene?

To this day, if you say “hey good lookin’! Be back to pick you up later!” to people of a certain age, you’re likely to get a rueful chuckle and a shake of the head. The messages we received then are still there, buried deep, and no one can really say with confidence whether or not they continue to exercise influence on our conduct and behavior. In view of that, is it any wonder that younger generations think we’re weird and might have difficulty understanding our perspective on life and work?