<p>In the 1950s we had a strong social security/public welfare system, plenty of well pay jobs, low unemployment, strong families and suburbs, cars with enough soul to go to heaven along with the wonderful people who lived then, music which had meaning and depth along with injections of love, an optimistic attitude, neighbors who knew one another, a positive upbeat stock market, normalcy, prices which didn’t gouge our wallets, cities safe enough to let children out to play, no sex, violence, or profanity in the media, and so many other things that I haven’t even begun to touch upon. However after 1964 people had to go ruin our order with demands for more profanity, sexuality, and violence. The corporate media began to lose its soul, and slowly civilization began to decline ever steadily. By the time the 21st century hit the world was in a free fall, yes we have more technology, but does that really matter? We’ve lost practically all that we had in our golden age, and I’m afraid to see what these ingrate kids born in the last 7 or so years of the 20th century and born into the 21st century will do to the world since they have no recollection of how the world is supposed to be.</p>
<p>Lets recap: Whats wrong with going back to the 1950s? Postwar optimism? More jobs than you can shake a stick at? Strong healthcare system and welfare? Music that promotes love and not violence or sex? Well behaved and good moraled children? No major US wars? Strong economy? Beautiful cars? Great wages? No illegal immigration? The strong nuclear family with little traumatizing divorces? I’m sorry, except for segregation (which still exists obviously) I see no problems with “going back to the 1950s”. streets safe enough for children to play it? Beautiful parks? Stretching beautiful suburbs? Great movies? Great television? New ideas? Innovation?</p>
<p>Polio, no Tvs, no microwaves, supposedly lousy cars, tires, beatings, and drunk driving are common rebuttals and here are my responses to them:
We still have polio in labs ready to be superengineered and released on the public, microwave ovens just make bland food AND were available during the later 50s, TV was available since the late 1940s I have a 1964 Impala and, since it has the same technology as a 1950s car more or less and it has lasted over 500000 miles with MAINTENANCE. Not too special. Tires are more important than jobs? And you can still do that now you just have to be more clever about it, and beating kids actually teaches them a lesson vs. limp wristed modern techniques(I would ignore any “time out”) and people still drive drunk.</p>
<p>I think all of what you said is totally displaced by the inner machinations of the traditional nuclear family, unprecedentedly high crime rates in major American cities, the raging abuse and ignorance of civil rights for a significant part of the American population, police brutality, the constant threat of being annihilated by nuclear missiles, and the general death and discomfort brought about worldwide by Soviet communism. Plus, consider that an American president was assassinated for the first time in more thab half a century. The 50s-60s we’re not nearly as golden as you make them seem.</p>
<p>And we still have those things except the soviet union part and the assassination part (why did it have to be Kennedy and not Obama?) the thing is we lack all the advantages the 1950s had</p>
<p>Severe institutional discrimination and oppression for the majority of American society (women and minorities). All these things “we” had were things middle/upper-class white men had.</p>
<p>Not that I’d expect you to care about that, given that you just expressed desire for Obama to be assassinated.</p>
<p>(Also, I rather like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Eddie Vedder, and others.)</p>
<p>You may want to check some of your “facts” about the 50s and early 60s. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>In the US we did not have strong social/public welfare programs … in fact poverty levels were at extreme levels at that time. LBJ implemented the New Deal in the mid-60s which helped drive down the poverty levels in the US. As many want to shrink “the welfare state” now we have evidence of the pros and cons of such policy.</p></li>
<li><p>Discrimination against african americans, women, old people, etc was tolerated and legal</p></li>
<li><p>Much birth control was illegal (as was abortion)</p></li>
<li><p>Women were not allowed to attend most of the top colleges in the country</p></li>
<li><p>Women’s professional options were quite limited and they were openly discriminated in the workplace</p></li>
<li><p>Etc</p></li>
</ul>
<p>You could argue that the 50’s/60’s were the peak of American civilization, although I think you could also make a good argument for the late eighties and nineties as well (collapse of Soviet Union, digital age begins, etc.).</p>
<p>It may be the American civilization is taking some hits in recent years with our overseas conflicts and excessive debt. The jury is still out if its a temporary downturn or the start of the end. But civilization in general is still on the upswing in my opinion. We are pretty much still in the Pax Americana and scientific and economic development is continuing around the world. Hang in there!</p>
<p>Actually we have more people in poverty now as a percentage than we did in the 1950s, it’s a higher percentage.
The thing about discrimination is women now have the ability to oppress men in the workforce. If a woman on the job doesn’t like you all she has to do is declare discrimination or sexual harassment and you’re fired and screwed if you want another job. Same goes
For people who are minorities, declare discrimination and the other persons life is over.
I don’t quite understand the whole
Mystique of the 90s. Most people who lived through most/all of them
Like me generally like them
But I think that’s only because of childhood memories it’s all rose colored lenses. (I was born in the waning months of the USSR)</p>
<p>Older people? They were respected and loved far more than today. Where do you think the phrase “respect your elders” came from? I think you just got a list of things still discriminated against, sometimes subtley, and added them on there</p>
<p>In my opinion, the 50’s and the early 60’s indeed was a golden time. Looking back, I think the assasination of Kennedy in 1963 was the end of that era. </p>
<p>However, as stated above, it was not so golden if you were an African American.</p>
<p>And if you were an intelligent women, there is a strong likelihood you were underemployed and were not reaching your full potential.</p>
<p>To be sure, liberalism in America accomplished much in the way of civil rights and women’s rights. But it also created the entitlement mentality and the victimhood mentality that is so prevalent in America today.</p>
<p>In any case, it is really a moot point. We can’t put the toothpaste back into the tube.</p>
<p>To a certain extent, the election of Ronald Reagan in many ways represented the yearning of a significant portion of the American population to return to a simpler, bygone era, as represented in the American cinema. And he was my favorite President in my lifetime. However, we need to deal with the world as it is today. In the year 1776, probably 90% of Americans lived on farms. Today, it is probably more like 2%. The world moves on.</p>
<p>There will always be a constant tug of war between the left and the right. But as my father once told me, a plane needs both a left wing, and a right wing, to fly straight.</p>
Thus showing that your “knowledge” of the 1950s is likely derived primarily from Fox News pundits talking about “restoring America.”</p>
<p>
Yes, women and minorities, who are still making significantly less than white men, in significantly lower positions, are now oppressing men. The lengths one has to go to to prove workplace discrimination can certainly be boiled down to “A woman said it, it must be true.”</p>
<p>
Conservatives say this a lot, but there’s never any proof to show that there is a prevailing attitude of entitlement. They just say it, their crowds cheer, and that’s it. What leads you to believe it is true?</p>
<p>I’d give the ■■■■■ an 8, just for sheer length and lack of grammar errors and such.</p>
<p>In response to OP, I would say this: Pose this question to a black friend who was alive in the South in the 1950’s. Golden era my ass. Joseph McCarthy (who was, actually, not as bad as he’s made out to be today, if only because his name is third to Jim Crow and Hitler in the intolerance department, tied with Fred Phelps) would like a word with you, and the Cold War is standing behind him.</p>
<p>“And we still have those things except the soviet union part and the assassination part (why did it have to be Kennedy and not Obama?)”</p>
<p>I knew you were a ■■■■■. By the way, has anyone ever read Kennedy’s admission essay to Harvard? It’s comically bad. </p>
<p>By the way, nearly everything you say is subjective, and was viewed as either bad (“Stretching beautiful suburbs?” were called cookie-cutter abominations) or in the same way we view them today (just because a movie’s in black and white doesn’t make it good, and not every modern film is Transformers 2).</p>
<p>Sounds like the USSR to me. “There is no sex in the Soviet Union!”</p>
<p>Media was smarter about putting things out there back then. Everything was around, but not as graphic as today. Look at 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” or 1967’s “Throughly Modern Millie”, which openly talks about women being sold into white slavery. It’s odd that you’re so nostalgic for something you never experienced.</p>
<p>Have you seen a Rap Music Video? Hell, have you seen any new music video? There’s more profanity in those than a WW2 battle.
And don’t even get me started and how blatantly sexual those lady gaga videos. At least movies like Breakfast at tiffany’s had meaning. All Gaga does is hump people and make beats people can dance to.</p>
<p>Despite the excellent music and culture of the era, any period where wars are still fought is nowhere near the “peak of civilization.” Especially with the Cold War and the beginning of the Arms Race, that era was almost the beginning of the end. Until we can all stop killing each other, civilization hasn’t peaked.</p>
<p>I didn’t know Fred Thompson had a College Confidential account! You still haven’t given an objective reason why any of this has to be wrong. It certainly may be in your imagination, but in mine, there’s nothing wrong with most of modern culture. We live in an age of education and innovation, and I happen to think that’s a good thing. Plus, while I love classical music (mostly of the Romantic and early modern eras, though I can really dig some John Adams, Max Richter, and Penderecki) and a lot of older rock and jazz, today’s dubstep and musical theatre are wicked awesome. This, though, is an OPINION, just like yours!</p>
<p>Isn’t it clear why its so wrong? Do you really think seeing violent and sexual things promoted and embraced by the media is healthy for children? Might as well let people like Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Goldberg, and John Wayne Gacy be teachers.</p>
<p>Plus there’s more wars now and those wars are bankrupting us far faster than NAM ever did.</p>