A Lie Of The Mind: A Play in Three Acts

A Lie of the Mind is set in the 1980s, a period characterized American President Ronald Reagan’s conservative politics. The period was defined by “Reaganomics,” a policy of widespread economic deregulation that Reagan intended to strengthen the economy and promote individual enterprise. Reagan cut taxes and government spending, reducing the federal government’s social responsibilities and prioritizing the military. 

Reagan’s policies resulted from a tumultuous 20th century. After the Depression and World War II, the United States saw an economic boom that led to the first era of consumer culture. The period fostered a conservative middle-class culture that prioritized a patriarchal family structure, traditional Christian values, and free market enterprise. Opportunities were mainly restricted to white American men, who dominated the professions and public service. After the 1950s, America experienced a cultural revolution. The 1960s and 70s rejected this rigid social structure, which upheld racial segregation and suppressed women’s rights. The civil rights movement and women’s movement raised public awareness of these issues while young people protested the Vietnam War and the lack of opportunities they faced in the workforce. America’s Cold War with the Soviet Union created a heightened sense of public fear: The threat of imminent nuclear war and communist infiltration strongly divided society, creating a political and cultural generation gap. 

Reagan’s presidential win in 1980 marked a return to conservative politics and patriarchal culture. Locked in an arms race with the Soviet Union, Reagan strongly opposed the spread of communism, calling the Soviet Union an “evil empire” (“The Reagan Presidency,” Ronald Reagan Library). A global defender of democracy and capitalism, Reagan wanted the US to exemplify the benefits of a strong military, traditional family values, and free market enterprise. However, as in decades past, only a small segment of society reaped social and economic benefits. The 1980s saw an influx of illegal substances to the US, and substance use disorder became more widespread than in previous decades. Many Americans experienced a crisis of identity and dissolving family structures as a result of political promises gone unfulfilled. A Lie of the Mind dramatizes this moment in history, when dwelling on idealized visions of the past is more comfortable than confronting the harsh realities of modern America.