“People under 30 most likely don’t even know that the United States was not always like it is today. That we were once a strong, moral people with safe cities & towns. Low disease rates, excellent public education, and a happy & content population. Look at those movies & TV shows the 1950s....that was the greatest nation in the history of the world. Look at us today.”
Don’t be overly nostalgic. There has always been awful problems, though they change over time, and today seems like paradise compared to many of these.
In context, the late 1940’s and 1950s were marked by the collapse of the existing social order, which was typified by racial segregation in most of the US, sectarian religious clique control of most towns, college educated housewives going mad with boredom, tremendous xenophobic paranoia and a deep seated fear of nuclear war, and worsening air and water pollution.
Despite its technological advantages, the US came very close to losing the Korean War, and likely pulled off a stalemate only because of an epidemic of pulmonary hemorrhagic hantavirus that decimated the Chinese army.
As far as morality went, it was so twisted and corrupt that the establishment of the Kinsey Institute in 1947, on the campus of Indiana University, in the heart of the Bible belt, was greeted with glee in much of the country, as a slap in the face of the existing order. Socially it was seen as a cultural “Scopes trial” between authoritarian prudes and sexual liberty, if not license.
It did not happen spontaneously, but only as a reaction to intense sexual and social repression; most of which the returning veterans refused to tolerate.
Their goals were not lewd, they wanted to marry, have a good job, have and raise children, buy a home, and “live happily ever after”. And they did not tolerate annoying and intrusive people interfering with that for whatever reasons.
(I’d like to add as a note, that the low disease rate of the time can to a great extent can be credited to an intense US government propaganda effort during and after the war, to teach the public hygiene; and the development of antibiotics.)
Finally, an awful lot of the illusion that it was good times in America can be traced to censorship on the part of the news media. Many problems they wouldn’t report; many criticisms they wouldn’t make; and free speech pretty much only applied to *some* political speech.
Because of socialist Eugene V. Debs winning millions of votes, even mentioning third political parties was carefully scrutinized to insure that it did not offend the powers that be.
In context, the late 1940’s and 1950s were marked by the collapse of the existing social order, which was typified by racial segregation in most of the US, sectarian religious clique control of most towns, college educated housewives going mad with boredom, tremendous xenophobic paranoia and a deep seated fear of nuclear war, and worsening air and water pollution.
I would say it was far, far from a collapse. I think it much more of a gradual overturning of some problems. Racial segregation was only a big problem for a minority of people, after all. Government imposed racial segregation has been overcome. We have replaced it rampant black racism, self segregation, affirmative action, minoritiy preferences in voting, and playing the "race card" so that we ended up with a truly bad, if not malicious president. As for "college educated housewives going mad with boredom, there may have been a very few. Being a mother and raising children was considered a very important job, instead of being mocked and denigrated. As for nuclear war and a deep seated fear, it was certainly warranted, though I would say that it was not widespread until the serious development of ICBM's in 1959 or later. What you call sexual repression, many would say was sexual chastity. Sexual "liberation" has brought mostly promiscuity, broken families, fatherless children, and dissatisfaction. The polls that I have seen show that married people have better sex lives. I would say that for the majority, the previous situation was better.
Despite its technological advantages, the US came very close to losing the Korean War, and likely pulled off a stalemate only because of an epidemic of pulmonary hemorrhagic hantavirus that decimated the Chinese army.
Sounds interesting, but perhaps you can quote a source? I have not heard that before. I did not think we even knew about the hantavirus before the 1980's. I do not recall reading of a hemorrhagic version.
As far as morality went, it was so twisted and corrupt that the establishment of the Kinsey Institute in 1947, on the campus of Indiana University, in the heart of the Bible belt, was greeted with glee in much of the country, as a slap in the face of the existing order. Socially it was seen as a cultural “Scopes trial” between authoritarian prudes and sexual liberty, if not license.
Not the way I saw it. I would say the pill and antibiotics, prevention of illegitimate birth and fear of sexually transmitted diseases were much more important than Kinsey. Some have said that Kinsey was a child molester. I do not know, but others have said that his "research" was less persuasive than anthropogenic global warming.
It did not happen spontaneously, but only as a reaction to intense sexual and social repression; most of which the returning veterans refused to tolerate.
I do not see the evidence for this. I do recall that returning vets insisted that the price controls and rationing of the war be done away with, and that vet tossed out some corrupt local governments. As for sexual repression?? Such as what? The homosexual "revolution" was well in the future. Probably not many vets in that. There was far less intrusion into family life than exists now. If you had told vets then that if they yelled at their wife, they could be thrown in jail and their right to own a gun revoked, they would have thought you were crazy.
Most returning vets were Christian, were perfectly willing to take care of their children, did not approve of homosexuality, wanted, as you say, to marry and have kids, as people had done in the United States for generations before.
Their goals were not lewd, they wanted to marry, have a good job, have and raise children, buy a home, and “live happily ever after”. And they did not tolerate annoying and intrusive people interfering with that for whatever reasons.
(I’d like to add as a note, that the low disease rate of the time can to a great extent can be credited to an intense US government propaganda effort during and after the war, to teach the public hygiene; and the development of antibiotics.)
Improvement in Hygiene started long before the war. Antibiotics where found before the war, which accelerated their use and development. Not sure what that adds to your thesis that the 1950s were not so great.
Finally, an awful lot of the illusion that it was good times in America can be traced to censorship on the part of the news media. Many problems they wouldn’t report; many criticisms they wouldn’t make; and free speech pretty much only applied to *some* political speech.
Sounds an awful lot like today. Except that the media does a great deal to put America in a bad light with a Republican administration. I see most of the MSM selfcensorship and selective news coverage started in the 40's or before. I think there were many more independent papers back then, but, of course, no Internet and political radio had been effectively silenced by the "fairness doctrine".
Because of socialist Eugene V. Debs winning millions of votes, even mentioning third political parties was carefully scrutinized to insure that it did not offend the powers that be.
Certainly enormous technological advances have made life easier for everyone in the United States, continuing a trend that started before the beginning of the country.
It is very hard to separate out the technological advances from everything else, perhaps impossible. Technologically we are better off. We no longer have significant pollution, but now we have an intrusive EPA with hardly any constitutional restraints. The technological advances also brought about the fear of nuclear war in the 1960's.
Outside of technological advances, we have seen enormous growth in intrusive nanny government from the lowest level to the highest. Much of the education system has been subverted to progressive propaganda centers.
I believe we can have the technological advances and much more freedom from the nanny state.
Looking back at this, other than the state of sexual affairs, I do not see too much disagreement. It is hard to measure how satisfied people are with their lives.