In Stephanie Coontz essay "What We Really Miss About the 1950's" she makes an interesting analysis of what we think we miss about bygone eras.
In a poll done by the Knight-Ridder news agency 1996 38 percent of respondents chose the 1950's as the best decade for children to grow up, and why not? The 1950's was an era of economic growth and prosperity families left and right were living the American Dream a house with a white picket fence, family dinners, everything in the style of "Leave it to Beaver." But then what's on the surface is not always as it appears. While exploring this yearning for the past Coontz brings to light the problems with trying to emulate such a lifestyle presents, by trying to reach this level of social perfection they are trying to get over any family dysfunction they have. They see it and want it to become a reality because it gives them comfort, but in the end setting such an unattainable standard can lead more to disillusionment.
Something that I found very interesting was the role of women in this era. During the 1940's these women had worked in factories and kept their families together while the men were off to war, but once their husbands came back everything changed. The men came home to women who had changed in their absence and rather than accept that and try to build off of it they tried to as Coontz put it "reassert their domestic authority." I found it sad that these strong and independent women who had held things together had been "Rosie the Riveter," were reduced to the role of housewife rather than the equal partners the should have been.
On a final thought I just want to ask why do people so favor the 1950's? It was a time of great economic progress, a time where less emphasis was put on the need for school because one could become a success without it, however these things did not come without a cost. The level of discrimination and ignorance needed to bring about these gains was to great too great. If progress means putting others down and reaching for the clearly unattainable then in the end the ends do not justify the means.
In a poll done by the Knight-Ridder news agency 1996 38 percent of respondents chose the 1950's as the best decade for children to grow up, and why not? The 1950's was an era of economic growth and prosperity families left and right were living the American Dream a house with a white picket fence, family dinners, everything in the style of "Leave it to Beaver." But then what's on the surface is not always as it appears. While exploring this yearning for the past Coontz brings to light the problems with trying to emulate such a lifestyle presents, by trying to reach this level of social perfection they are trying to get over any family dysfunction they have. They see it and want it to become a reality because it gives them comfort, but in the end setting such an unattainable standard can lead more to disillusionment.
Something that I found very interesting was the role of women in this era. During the 1940's these women had worked in factories and kept their families together while the men were off to war, but once their husbands came back everything changed. The men came home to women who had changed in their absence and rather than accept that and try to build off of it they tried to as Coontz put it "reassert their domestic authority." I found it sad that these strong and independent women who had held things together had been "Rosie the Riveter," were reduced to the role of housewife rather than the equal partners the should have been.
On a final thought I just want to ask why do people so favor the 1950's? It was a time of great economic progress, a time where less emphasis was put on the need for school because one could become a success without it, however these things did not come without a cost. The level of discrimination and ignorance needed to bring about these gains was to great too great. If progress means putting others down and reaching for the clearly unattainable then in the end the ends do not justify the means.
hey Scott, I also thought that it was interesting how women worked quite a bit before the 1950's because of the war and lack of men around. what was more interesting, I thought, was that after the war ended almost all women quit thier jobs and stayed at home to raise kids and be a home maker. It blows my mind just how much the war had an effect on not only america and its citizens, but the world as a whole.
ReplyDeletegubby
ReplyDelete