Has anyone seen this before 1989
I love this subject, it fronts intrigue that something odd or interesting happened in 1989, something important perhaps... so crucial that one feels compelled to reach out to people selectively. The Thing that happened then is not described. Presumably among people who know what this means no explanation is necessary.
As a kid of ~12 in the late 70s on the island of St. Thomas I'd sneak onto cruise ships with my friend. We'd dress touristy with sunglasses and spot couples (always same race as us!) who were carrying shopping bags and liquor cartons, and approach them, offering to carry their bags to their staterooms for a quarter. We'd go with them in lock-step up the gangplank, sometimes in front, sometimes behind, making touristy conversation and nudging each other like brothers. The passengers would show their stateroom key to board, assuming having local 'porters' was an accepted custom. Meanwhile I'd try and match the gait and body language of the man. Since we were the only local kids attempting to do this we could usually pull it off. After we delivered the bags and accepted our tips (never less than a dollar!) we'd have the run of the ship until she sailed that evening. The person stationed at the gangplank was usually a different person then, and some locals were regular dinner guests so there was no challenge when leaving the ship.
One evening, on the 'Carla C' I think, we chanced upon an empty movie theater just as a film was starting. The film was 'Bug' and since we were used to rambunctious crowded theaters with popcorn fights and concrete or wooden seats, it was exceedingly creepy to view this film on padded seats in that small, ornate room with velvet drapery. I imagined that we were crossing over into the next world and were being shown how the world had ended. As the credits rolled we dashed out to discover we had missed first and second bells and they had to extend the plank for us, we were really close to spending an embarrassing night at sea on our way to Puerto Rico trying to find a way to contact our parents...
This happened before 1989.