I’m at home today nursing some killer allergies and recuperating from the end of the school year. As such, I have spent the day browsing the web and watching bad television. I suppose it’s not all bad – I’ve watched the news (Casey Anthony dominates the headlines), Doctor Who, and skipped through some older sitcoms. One thing that struck me is how much people romanticize the past. Now, as a person clearly into history (historian, archaeologist, and necromantic linguistic), I certainly get that, but what always chaps my hide or, as my good friend Michelle likes to say, makes my teeth itch, is the notion that the past was somehow “better” that the world was “more innocent” or that things were “simpler.” The reality is that the past is the past for a good reason – if things were so super awesome in the the long-long ago, then we would still be doing those things. One decade that truly seems to embody this element is the 1950s – especially, 1950s America. We seem to think of this as a magical time when people lived morally and hard-work and dedication were respected and admired. The streets were paved with gum-drops and rainbows showered skittles into our esoteric buckets. Pfaaah. The 50s weren’t so great, and here are some good reasons why:
Polio - whenever I hear of parents refusing to vaccinate their children (my Mother now included – thank God not until I was well past vaccination age), this horrid disease comes to mind. Polio, now virtually eradicated, once was rampant – paralyzing and killing children. There was no treatment or cure. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Salk vaccine was developed enough to provide immunity to 99% of recipients. Today, most children and adults have never been touched by the disease and fail to remember that it was once a killer of children.
Jim Crow Laws - before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, racism and segregation were very tangible and culturally ingrained practices. This was a world of “Whites Only” drinking fountains and “Colored Only” cafés. While Brown vs. the Board of Education was handed down in 1954, most desegregation did not happen until the 1960s – amid violence.
The Korean War - Do you know what the Korean War was about? If you do, you’re in the minority – although more than 50,000 Americans were killed or MIA.
McCarthyism – “Have you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?” In the 1950s, the Red Fear had a solid grip on America and, under the leadership of Senator Joseph McCarthy, the US Government set out to eradicate the “subversive forces of Communism hiding in our nation.” Those target by Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee of Un-American Activities were largely political enemies, civil rights activitists, academics, artists, suspected homosexuals, and yes, even a few actual Communists (although in this country, we have always valued political freedom).
J. Edgar Hoover - in spite of an impressive women’s shoe collection, Hoover was a truly frightening man. If you lived during the 1950s, then Hoover probably had a file on you. A true meglomaniac and paranoid “protector” of America and its secrets, Hoover single-handedly trageted a number of American “subversists” including Martin Luther King, Jr.
1950s Television – In spite of commentaries to the contrary, television and film has not deteriorated in the last sixty years. Have you actually sat down and watched television from the 1950s? First of all, every single character is white and middle class – hardly representative of America at the time. As much as I love Lucille Ball as a feminist figure, every freaking episode of I Love Lucy was the same! The Honeymooners I credit with the creation of the “fat guy skinny wife” phenomon that pervades sitcoms even today. There were about three sitcom clichés of the day: jealousy, comedic misunderstanding, and defying gender roles (women working in an office?! The horror!)
1950s Music – Until the very end of the decade, the music of the 1950s was terrible. Remember that this was the time of Jim Crowe Laws and most proper Americans (aka – white men) did not like the idea of their children listening to “Black Music” – Rock n’ Roll and Jazz was considered outsider and without the existence of Napster and MySpace, even the most dedicated of hipsters couldn’t keep abreast. Trust me, music has improved (take that Mom & Dad).
Domestic Violence - It wasn’t until the 1970s that domestic violence became criminally prosecutable. While there are a few cases of extreme domestic violence going to court (usually involving murder), beating on your wife and children was considered discipline and law enforcement generally didn’t respond. In some states (notably California), it was actually illegal to prosecute men for spousal abuse as it was considered a form of sexual discrimination.
Sorry Working Women – In spite of the common fantasy perpetuated in media and some political figures, many women worked outside the home in the 1950s. Nearly every woman in a working class family found work outside the home – usually in some type of domestic role (maid, nanny, etc). Middle Class women generally stayed at home and ‘housewife depression’ was common-place (often referred to as the “feminine mystique”). If you decided that you wanted to work outside the home, less pay was common place and acceptable – as was passing you up for promotion or other benefits.
No Civil Rights – The Civil Rights Act was not passed until 1964. We think that the job market is tough now, think of what it was like when you could be screened for skin color and gender.
No Trousers for the Ladies – Except in certain acceptable situations (i.e. horseback riding), women wore skirts and dresses – all the time.
No Air Conditioning – It’s May in Texas and it’s been over 90 degrees every day for weeks. Not to mention ridiculously muggy. Yeah, sure, AC takes a lot of energy but if you’ve ever spent a July in Dallas, you literally thank God for the invention of the condensing unit. People die in heat waves. AC not only provides comfort but physical well-being.
No Federal Highways - The Federal Highway Act was signed in 1956 and thus began the 20 year construction of the national highway system. Today, we take highways for granted – you can pretty much get from point A to point B in a straight and reasonable line. Not so in the 1950s. Not only did your car (if you owned one) get pitiful gas-mileage, but interstate travel was a nightmare. Imagine driving from New York City to Los Angeles using primarily state and local roads. And this was before Google Maps!
No Private Telephone Lines - If you had a telephone in the 1950s (most Americans did not), you probably had what was called a party line, meaning you shared it with anywhere from 2-8 other households. Eaves-dropping on neighbors was so common place that it ended up in much of the popular culture of the time (a common plot line for sitcom clichés #1 & #2). Oh, and you couldn’t call over-seas (an estimated 25-40% of Americans were illiterate at this time, so no phone communication = no communication).
Only 48 States – Alaska and Hawaii weren’t admitted until 1959. 48 Stars made the flag look silly.
And again, I would like to reiterate the horrors of Polio. Seriously, get your children inoculated. This disease was devastating.
Now, I’m not saying that there wasn’t anything good about the 1950s. In fact, a lot of great literature was written at the time – J. D. Salinger, Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac… however, I am saying that this was not a ‘magical’ time – most times in our past were not. It is dangerous to idealize events, people, cultures, and time – appreciate the nows for what they are. I love that I have an iPhone, that I can look up information 24/7 without having to go to the library, that I have amazing access to entertainment media. There is a reason why the past is the past.
Jen, you did a lovely job of delineating exactly why the 1950s was a mar on American History. However, you neglected to mention that, regardless of what an evil man J. Edgar Hoover was, he looked absolutely marvelous in his bikini and pink flowered bathing cap. In all seriousness, he was a huge well known closet queen that viciously went after gay or perceived as gay people and had them investigated, as per his being tied up with McCarthy (pun intended).
See, this is where we disagree. I thought that he looked terrible in a bikini. The guy needed to learn about man-scaping. It looked like he was wearing a sweater under that top!
On a serious note, is there evidence that he was gay in addition to being a transvestite? I try to be cautious about combining the two. No doubt that his own shame and fear fueled his pathology.
Thank you!!
Yes, I shall get you several sources pointing to his closeted life. He and Roy Cohn should have been a couple.
Hoover’s “companion” was Clyde Tolson. Tolson inherited Hoover’s estate and received the flag that draped his coffin. I shall have more with citations.
I agree with what you have said, I use the same arguments on the reactionaries that want to take us back to a better time. Dirt floors, outhouses and handpumps were common in my neighborhood up into the 70s. Driving pig-eyed drunk was a common weekend entertainment-no the 21st is no picnic but it beats the mid- 20th.
19502 plumbing!! I should have totally included that. My mother didn’t get indoor plumbing until the 60s (when they built a new house). The ‘old house’ didn’t get it until the 70s or 80s.
Jennifer, Thank you for taking the time to write this. I’m so tired of my mom, who was beaten by my dad, sending me this “Land Of Sara Lee” crap. Last time she far-warded me an e-mail like that I mentioned a few of the same things. I hope you don’t mind if I write a poem about the bad old stuff using some of your insights. I know I should be grateful that my mom is still alive and at 82 knows how to forward an e-mail, when most people her age refuse to try, and I am.
You are more than welcome to any of this info! Please post your poem when you finish it, I would love to read it. I don’t think that the day now is perfect and of course some things in the past were great, but idealizing a time period or a culture is always dangerous. I got a forward from an aunt and uncle that prompted me to write this – I originally hit the ‘reply-all’ button and simply pointed out all of the anachronisms in the ‘back in my day’ chain letter.
I have just received the last (now blocking) of I’m guessing 30 email odes to the 50s from some of my retired friends and colleagues. I’m 63. I spent my 4th thru 12th years in that decade. It was OK but over-rated.
Let’s face it … the only real attraction was that life SEEMED to be simpler back then. And let’s also be honest about the fact that society then was not multi cultural which most people preferred then and a lot even now. This despite the fact that our roots are from other countries and cultures. Amazing how people forget or even deny that simple fact. You want a single culture? Then check out China, Japan, and the Middle East. How many of us move there?
I hated the Honeymooners. It just reminded me of the struggles my folks had back then. Gleason
was smart. He developed storylines and a depressing studio set that made people back then feel like they were not as poor or struggling as Ralph and Alice were. But it was “Ugh” !
Memories are faulty. Union Hardware roller skates were crap. But you could yank them apart and make scooters with them if you had a few wood milk cartons around. Give me smoother and faster roller blades anyday. Money was tight. Homes were small and apartments were depressing. Autos looked baroque and some were pretty neat but all built deliberately to last four years (kind of like PCs today).
Ike may have been one of the last of our quietly visionary presidents who actually got some stuff done. Hoover was probably well named and a creep. WW II and Korean vets were largely ignored in many cases and this persisted through the 70s.
I enjoyed the 60s more but those were scary challenging times … better music … lousy politics .. lousy war … civil rights delayed and then gone mad. Faulty memories there too. 95% of us were drug free and 5% got all the headlines. I like my toys today. I’ve done well (good work ethic lessons in our family) but not a real rich guy. The past IS the past. I like today and what tomorrow might offer. The 70s had stagflation and try saving for a home back then!
Interesting though, the same weird “living in the past” thing also applies to a lot of folks of all decades when it come to school. I really don’t remember any teachers or professors save lovely Miss McNamara in the 1st grade, my first crush. Why would I romance about drunken frat parties every single time at a barbeque or party? Some folks just can’t let go and get on with the future.
I have a wonderful daughter in law who is second generation Vietnamese and a real go-getter. Two great (so far) grandkids and two sons who’ve managed their way along to solid citizen status. So, all in all, I like today very much despite our thieving politicians on both sides of the aisle (no change there either). My only disappointment is that Popular Mechanics back in 1957 promised we’d all have mini helicopters in our driveway. OK, so where are they??!! Hyundai are you listening? : )
Bill from central NJ (which is not slums and old factories … lots of farms and horses on the way to AC and shore points) … nice website by the way!
Having been raised with your mother, things were VERY rough back then. We finially got plumbing before I started school in 1959 then we built a new house in 1963. Your mother always thought she had it very bad because she lived on a farm. We both had the one thing a lot of our friends did not have. LOVE. We went all the way through school together and had one of the best friendships ever. The fifties were a blur since they were the first 6 years of our lives and the sixties were very different for me anyway. The seventies were the best for me.
Love Norma
Really great article with very interesting information. You might want to follow up to this topic!?! 2011
I’m completely agreeing- except that I Love Lucy was some pretty good writing for a two camera, G rated, no crossing the 180 era sitcom. And Elvis and Chuck Berry were 50’s (later 50’s, granted). 40′s-50′s had some pretty impressive blues too. Also, MPG doesn’t matter as much when gas prices were so relatively low.
None of that makes up for Jim Crow and walking into the back of restaurants, of course. The repression, marginalization of the 50′s is mostly sad and disappointing. I’d say music and T.V. was starting to make strides though.
I would like to thank for the energy you have put in writing this blog.
I’m looking to see othersite post from you in the future. please also excuse my poor english as it’s not
my first language.