Free Essay

1950s Essay

In:

Submitted By toddpaul72
Words 1070
Pages 5
Todd Smith
Professor Terry Ruud
English 1201
April 24, 2014
The 1950s: Good or Bad? There are those who think of the 1950s as an era to be remembered, and there are others who think of it as an era to be forgotten. There are people who remember the 50s fondly, as an era we should emulate. Then there are others who think the era should not be forgotten [if only to remember the inequalities and injustices better left in the past]. Opinions will differ depending on who one asks and their backgrounds.
Let me begin by sharing an e-mail my mother received from her cousin just last night. I don't believe in coincidence; I believe this was divine intervention. This was truly God being God, knowing I needed all the help I could get with this essay:
One evening, a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events. The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the recent shootings at schools, the computer age and just things in general. The grandmother replied, "Well, let me think a minute; I was born before penicillin, frozen foods, xerox machines, contact lenses, and the pill. There were no credit cards, laser beams or ballpoint pens. Your grandfather and I got married before living together. Every family had a father and mother. It was a time before gay-rights, computer-dating, and group therapy. Time-sharing meant spending time with your family in the evenings and weekends, not purchasing condominiums. You could buy a new Ford coupe for $600, but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was $.11 a gallon. In my day "coke" was a cold drink, "pot" was something your mother cooked in, "aids" were helpers in the Principal’s office and "software" wasn't a word. We were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed husband to have a baby. (Sleeper)
Those that have fond memories of the 1950s remember a time when there was economic stability. The father went to work, and when the children came home from school their mother was at home waiting for them. The father’s wages were enough to put a downpayment on a house and live comfortably. Also, when sitting down at the dinner table together, the whole family would discuss how everybody’s day went. I believe television played a big role in shaping the 1950s. Shows like Ozzie and Harriet and Leave it to Beaver gave parents and children alike a family model to aspire to. Although I doubt any family had that type of fairytale life.
I am a little envious of the people who grew up in the 50’s because of the way they make it sound so utopian. One good thing about that era was that you did not have to worry about leaving the front door unlocked. Another benefit was that people actually took the time to get to know their neighbors, and the neighbors watched each other’s children as if they were their own. More importantly, they did not have to deal with all the different kinds of drugs that are so rampant in the communities across our nation today. I wasted many years of my life battling with my addictions. If I had been born in that era maybe I would not have been introduced to drugs at such a young age.
On the flipside of that same token, it was not all hunky-dory for everyone. Some fathers still abused their wives and children. Women and children were looked upon as their husband’s property and were not taken seriously, so nobody said or did anything about it. Incest was something doctors and authorities made children believe was a figment of their imagination. Since divorce was looked down on in the 50’s because of religious and societal pressures, it was difficult for women and children to escape the abuse. Yes, the job market was good and there was affordable housing, but for who? The white Anglo-Saxon male had good jobs and housing, but surely not the Jewish or Black person and many other groups that were discriminated against. Racism was the norm, not the exception. I doubt I would have even been allowed in the English class that I am currently in, if it were the 50’s. The “Little Rock Nine” did not even take place until 1957, and that was met with a lot of opposition and outrage. I am not even sure if my mother and I would still be alive if I had been born in the 50’s, her being a white woman and giving birth to a black child. It was a sad state of affairs in the 50’s, from a non-white Anglo-Saxon’s point of view.
I would like to recant my earlier statement. I am no longer envious of the people who grew up in the 50’s. For life as they so fondly remember it would not be the same for me, as a black male. Also, I could never imagine living without the instantaneousness of this day and age. Just about everything I would ever like to know or have is at my fingertips with the click of a mouse button.
One would like to believe that our society as a whole has progressed compared to that era, but one must wonder - especially after the defamatory and discriminating remarks made about the Coke commercial aired on T.V. during this year’s Super Bowl. The complaint was that the commercial was in several different languages, instead of English only, suggesting that the Coca Cola Company was unpatriotic toward America. These accusations caused quite a fiasco in the media. It seems that racial hatred and bigotry is still all too common. It is just done behind closed doors now because it is not as socially accepted as before. Unfortunately it is still alive and well in our society. Martin Luther King, Jr. reasons that “We must accept disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” (King) In agreement, I believe that we as a nation, have made leaps and bounds in this area and I hope that we continue to get better with every passing era.

Work Cited
Sleeper, Kay. “Re: How Old Is Grandma.” E-mail to Carroll, Rhonda. 29 Jan. 2014.
“King, Jr., Martin Luther.” BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc., 2014. 6 February 2014. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth297522.html.Web.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Mrvergr

...genre”. Unlike other genres that are based on subject matter, the youth genre is based on the ages of the films characters, and thus the thematic concerns of its sub-genres can be seen as more directly connected to specific notions of different youth behaviours and styles. Eggert, B. (2013). The Definitives: an ongoing series of indepth essays and appreications of the very best cinema. Available: http://www.deepfocusreview.com/reviews/rebelwithoutacause.asp. Last accessed 10th September 2015 Through the film, a division of young adults received a personality and individualism never before represented onscreen, establishing their place within their own unique cultural identity, language, and social rituals, as represented by Ray’s picture and in those which followed to use his film as a benchmark. Ray’s picture was the first to “get” 1950s adolescents with all their conflicts, oblivious parents, sexual confusion, social anxiety, and alienation Keith Grant, B. (2003). Youth In Film History. In: Film Genre Reader, Volume 3. Texas: Texas: University Of Texas Press. 499. However. Hollywood did not suddenly bank on hedonistic teen roles in the early 1950’s: their process of introducing the post-war teenager was careful if not apprehensive, as they gradually exaggerated the ephebiphobia -fear of teenagers- that was seeping into popular culture and politics. After a few notable “clean teen” performances in the 1940’s by Jeanne Crain in Margie (1946) and Elizabeth Taylor in Little Women...

Words: 633 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Community Activism

...construction techniques. * This process propelled after WWII along with the construction of a national highway system. * The Federal Housing Administration’ s insurance program, which made mortgages possible, leaned toward single family homes opposed to apartment complexes. * Beginning in the early 1950s and continuing into the 1970s, white Americans left the cities due to the migration of African Americans from the south and school desegregation efforts. * “Redlining” prevented minorities from moving into suburban areas by discriminatory public and private lending and insurance practices. * By the 1980s older cities had an increase in poverty, crime, and physical deterioration. * A prime example of this is the Dudley Street neighborhood. This area started out filled with wealthy Bostonians’ country estates. It was a thriving working class immigrant community. * During the 1950s suburbanization hit the neighborhood, shifting the population from predominantly white to mostly African American. * Businesses vanished: the number of private enterprises on Dudley Street fell from 129 in 1950 to 26 in 1980: on Blue Hill Avenue the dropped from 210 in 1950 to 47 in 1980. * The 1,300 vacant lots in the 1.5 acre community became dumping grounds for trash from all over the city. * Efforts to clean up the community were ignored by elected officials. The Case (Layzer 2012, 87) * The Dudley Street Neighborhood initiative, formed in the mid-1980s...

Words: 449 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

1950's

...About The 1950s In Stephanie Coontz essay "What We Really Miss About the 1950's" she makes an interesting analysis of what we think we miss about past decades. In the essay Stephanie Coontz talks about the history and progress of family and discuses in depth the movement of the family from the 1920s to the 1970s. She begins her argument by stating some reasons why the, “nostalgia for the 1950s” exists. Coontz uses the logos appeal towards her audience with statistics, facts and numbers to explain why the 1950s was such a great decade. She uses great evidence to compare the 1950s to past declares to persuade you that the 1950s is what we really miss. Stephanie Coontz’s essay “What We Really Miss About the 1950s”, she uses the persuasive appeal logos throughout her essay. By using the logos appeal in Cootnz’s essay it strengthens the argument about the 1950’s. Coontz uses facts about how in the 1930s the stock market crashed and the great depression. She compares the 1930’s to the 1950’s by providing more data that murder rates were higher in 1933 than the 1950s. Coontz also explains by using statistics that ninety percent of all households in the United States were families, in comparison with the seventy one percent by the 1990’s. She continues to provide facts and data to show the audience that the 1950s was better than any other decade. Stephanie Coontz talks about how in a poll done by the Knight-Ridder news agency in 1996, 38 percent of voters chose the 1950's as the...

Words: 615 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Generation F

...social media, greed and getting into other nation’s business, instead of taking care of our own nation. I, as a voter, voted for the politicians who I trust that will honor to serve my nation, state, and city. They are like palm trees, first they grow straight when elected, then they start bending towards the other side, and their palms (hands) are always open, and last their nuts at when their on top. I know I am the oldest in my class, and during my days I was considered the Baby Boomers. People born in the 1950s and early 1960s are Baby Boomers, named because there were so many of us. As we started having children in the 1970s, this was a group who tore away from the traditions of the 50s and 60s, but later found out that they were the first generation to have less than their parents. The children of the Baby Boomers born primarily early 60s to late 70s are called Generation X. If you were born in the 80s you are Generation Y. In today’s society people born in the 1950s and 1960s are so different from those who were born in the 1980s who are the Generation Y, because of how they interact with others. During my days and till now it is more verbal, today’s its more non-verbal, however my generation still...

Words: 287 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Unit 30 Cambridge Technical

...just food. Waitrose sell a variety of exotic foods and home-grown British food. They also supply products that are from different companies to create a bigger variety of food for the public and cater to suit the public. History- Waitrose appeared on the high-street in1904. Wallace Wyddham Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor were the first owners of Waitrose; they created a successful business that sells a range of grocery products. The high standards and prices made the business grow into a well-known shop on the high-street. The shop was able to acquire more grocery shops in the area and continued to created more branches from Windsor to Gerard’s Cross. Waite continued to supply these area’s and traded more with profitable areas. In the 1950s, Waitrose changed their shop to be self-service and in the 1970s, there were 50 branches but were larger in size/grew in a faster rate. In 2004, Waitrose has expanded to have over 200 shops/branches. Function- Waitrose currently offers online shopping, food that is made to order food and do wedding cakes. They separate/organise products towards everyday life e.g. soaps are dedicated to pets. In their branches they have a fresh bakery and people can select what they want unless the product is out of stock. They also provide high standards of service and help the customer if they have any queries or need help when choosing a...

Words: 260 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Prosperity and Anxieties1950's

...Wadleigh Prof. Rex US History 27 February 2012 Prosperity and Anxieties1950's In the 1950's, the United States was in fact characterized by conformity and the prosperity of economic growth. But not all was well in the '50s, as there were also underlying anxieties that the citizens were faced with as a result of the Cold War. This can been seen through the massive amounts of consumption, how the society started to conform to what was seen as the idealistic life of the American citizen, and the fear the came through as a result of communism warnings. Though all looked well, there were many underlying conflicts that occured during this decade. The American dream was again starting to shine through. A nice car, the perfect house with a white-painted fence, and a good paying job were all a possibility when there was effort put into it. Commodities were on the rise and there were more things that the people wanted available. The television, new foods, and consumer products began to fill stores, and Americans were surly there to snatch them away and bring them into their households. The growth in urban areas became rapid with the development of suburbs, allowing for the quick and efficient construction of many homes for new families. American's were able to enjoy a much higher standard of living because of higher paying jobs that they could more easily get to with their new cars. "In the late 1950s, the poverty rate for all Americans was 22.4 percent."(npc.edu). Everything was "perfect...

Words: 1026 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Dumidi

...Thu Le ANTH 272-02 Short paper 1 N!AI N!ai the story of a !Kung woman produced by John Marshall and Sue Marshall-Cabezas. This documentary, N!ai, like a film, is more than a life story; it is the life and change of a people personified through the thread of one person’s beingness. N!ai was very young women from Namibia when John Marshall began filming the !Kung in the 1950s. through the film, I get an indication of her animation before and after the Whites came into Africa. Furthermore, through this film, I can see how her life ad changed due to such fortunes. The story follows N!ai, a women who grew up as part of the !Kung people in Africa. The director had complied the footage of for N!ai over the course of 27 years. The footage of N!ai as a young girl, including her wedding ceremonies was recorded in 1951. This first part of the film is N!ai's early years, living a peregrine hunting and gathering life among the Ju/wasi group of the people in North Eastern Namibia in the 1950s. She identified her cognition of the bush, her discontentment with her husband whom she married when she was eleven. Her relationship with her husband did not going well at first, and it even discontented to the extent of N!ai being terrified and hateful towards her husband. She was only eleven years old and too young to get any advised from others people around her. All she wanted is to have the freedom to choose her own husband and do whatever she is liking to do. Thus, she was cheating her...

Words: 1042 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

What Was The Golden Era Of The 50's

...A. What made the 50s a golden era for children and teenagers were because there was stale separation rate, a low number of women in the workforce, a high birth rate, increase family income, and the development of child-centered suburbs. Regardless, as the years continue ahead the splendid time of secured pre-adulthood and youngster of the 1950s created what Mintz calls the "youthqauke "of the 1960s. Divorces rates began to double and women started to reappear in the workforce, especially the individuals who were housewives in the 1950s. The worry about "prepared" childhood introduced a period of endeavors at more prominent institutional control, especially in school. The call for expanded testing and institutionalization of the school educational...

Words: 361 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

The 1950s

...Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954. Compared with the first recording by another band and the various cover versions afterwards, Haley recording is considered as to be the best-known and most successful rendition of the song. When first released in the spring of 1954, it gained only limited sales. However, the song was popularized by its use in the social commentary film “Blackboard Jungle” in 1955 and became an anthem for the rebellious Fifties youth. Haley's recording of "Rock Around the Clock" is generally labeled to be the song that, more than any other, brought rock and roll into mainstream culture around the world.  Popular music of the 1950s When the 1950s are mentioned, the first type of music to come to most people's minds is rock 'n roll. But music in the fifties was more than just rock 'n roll.  The early 1950s era Pop music focusd on the song’s story and emotional delivery and was essentially a continuation of the crooner sound of the previous decade. Crooner sound refers to the sentimental songs, especially the love songs of the 1930s and 1940s It was not until the middle of the decade, Rock and roll entered the mainstream and became a major force in American record sales. And with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records, popular artists such as Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, and Chuck Berry became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll.  The era of 50s rock-and-roll ended with the deaths of the three...

Words: 644 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Mccarthyism In The Crucible

...The 1950s was the time of the century. The kids and even the adults were always having fun. Laughs were heard for ages, across the city. Meetups in casual ‘50s attire, drove up in All-American “autos”. The ‘50s was raging in culture with slang, music, cars, houses, and the Red Scare. It’s because of the Red Scare that many of the popular novels written in the time were generalized by their respective authors. One of these plays, of course, The Crucible, by the author Arthur Miller, greatly capitulates to the fear of communism in specific. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693, was an act of McCarthyism in similar to the Red Scare of the 1950s, which would make the event an excellent candidate for Miller’s play, representing the ‘Name Blame Game’...

Words: 778 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Compare and Contrast

...CRN: 21556 English 1101 March 6, 2016 Women Then and Now “Lucy I’m home,” the famous saying from the famous 1950s sitcom, “I Love Lucy” fully distinguished a vast difference between women in sitcoms then and now. Women in the 1950s held on to the traditional, stereotypical housewife title, one who only tended to their husband children and household duties. Women in contemporary sitcoms, however, did not hold on to those traditional values that were viewed in the 1950s. For example Being Mary Jane is about a hard working single black women going through everyday life, without those traditional values. Status, parenting, and conservativeness are the foremost leading differences from women in the 1950s and women in contemporary sitcoms. Status is the position somebody holds in society. Women in the 1950s held a lower more respectable status than women in today’s sitcoms. For example, Lucy was very respectful of her husband, and his wishes. Women then did not typically talk back, became physical, or dressed inappropriately. Women in today’s sitcoms, however, were the exact opposites. In today’s sitcoms, women were drug addicts, exotic dancers or workaholics. Women also tend to be very emotionally abusive to their families. For example, a powerful African-American woman on Mary Jane in chastised her sister about having two kids and having another. Women in the 1950s sitcom were typically stay-at- home moms who did not work. Their parenting skills differed from women in today’s...

Words: 422 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

1950s vs Today

...today and Society in the 1950’s In the past sixty years are country has seen overwhelming change. Some change has been for the best, while much has been for the worse. We’ve seen amazing advancements in technology and made huge strides in the health field. Unfortunately we’ve also lost a lot of common sense and have a lack of morals and dignity. In the 1950’s family’s usually stayed together. Today a very big percentage of marriages end in divorce. In the fifties families ate dinner around the table together. Today people have such busy, hectic schedules that family meals are rare and often eaten in front of the TV. In the fifties jobs were easy to come by. Factories were everywhere and paid well enough to comfortably support a middle class family. Today good paying jobs are hard to find and most require a big, expensive degree and even then it’s not guarantee a job. In the 1950’s most mothers were able to and chose to stay home and raise their children. Today most mothers either do not want to or cannot afford to stay home, resulting in children spending most of their childhood in daycare while their mothers work. In the 1950’s children usually played outside, and it was safe enough for them to wander all over the neighborhood. Today kids spend most of their time watching TV and playing video games and can’t just roam around with their friends outside anymore. In the 1950s people often left their doors unlocked. Today that’s unthinkable. In the 1950s people felt more involved...

Words: 827 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

A 1950s Childhood

...I chose to look at a video of school rules and their importance in the 1950s, which I found on YouTube. Although uploaded to YouTube in 2008, the video was produced by Coronet Instructional Films in 1953. This video particularly intrigued me because I am interested in becoming a teacher and always want to see how school life and the classroom environment were significant in a time other than today. Also, with my research paper topic being childhood in the 1950s, this was particularly helpful in describing what school life was like. Much was happening during this time including The Montgomery Bus Boycotts, civil rights, WWII, desegregation of schools and the atomic bomb. It was intriguing to see how the video went about enforcing rules during the hardships of the time and making sure all students knew and understood just how significant rules can be. The video lays out the importance of rules, especially in a challenging setting like a school and strives to make it clear to students that rules are made for a reason and no one is exempt from them. I had positive feelings while watching the video and I felt good in knowing that authority figures like principals and teachers are helping to ensure students understand the rules and know why they are used. I appreciated that the video is easy to follow and detailed enough to express the point but not so much as to overdo it. Three clear aspects of the video stuck out to me: 1. To have all students read, watch, and ask questions...

Words: 900 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

1950s' Culture Dbq

...November 2014 1950’s DBQ The 1950s is considered to be the model decade of America. Families were close, children respected their elders, workers worked hard to provide for their families who grew up in nice neighborhoods, and the economy was booming. The forced conformity, neglect of the poor, and segregation are often overlooked when talking about the decade as they were during the time period. The 1950s were a prodigious time period for family life but not for the individual or societal ethics. The ’50s boasted the archetype for the model family. As document H exemplifies, suburban families, coined the nuclear family, resided in ideal neighborhoods for raising the family, were close-knit, and the family was open with each other. These families would discuss any problems in their lives while eating nightly family dinner or sitting around the boob tube. Society dictated the norm for proper family etiquette such as how to behave in order to maintain a perfect household. Document I, “The Good Wife’s Guide”, offers tips on how to be a good wife so that the family machine runs smoothly. This decade received much praise for the development of this era as shown in document L, “With the growth of suburban developments, many families found they needed two cars to transport all members of the family…” This quote shows how the growth of familial development stimulated the economy. The ’50s may have been a great time for families, however if you were not married, the 1950s were punitive...

Words: 790 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

1950s Decade Essay

...The 1950s Decade The 1950s was a time of extraordinary inventions and famous individuals. This decennium had historic people and events from all over the world, especially America. While some may argue that this decade was one less memorable than other time periods, these nine years are years that people should never dismiss from their minds. These years include our change of understanding the universe, new gadgets that are widely used all across the world, and a time with unforgettable faces. In my essay, I will be writing about interesting history, a kitchen device popularly used today, and a well-known actress. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has arguably become the world’s premier source for exploration that pushed...

Words: 793 - Pages: 4