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Great.
While you're sweeping all those lynchings/institutionalised racism/sitting at the back of the bus stuff under the carpet, you might want to consider that statement about the 1950's being some sort of Frank Kafka-esque utopia.
It's BS.
And other than racism, can you honestly think of anything that is better today?
Your data is not in context.
What was the population then?
What was $1 from the 50s in relation to the dollar today.
Wrong. The debt back then didn't exceed the U.S. GDP as it does today. Do you honestly think it'll ever be paid back?
The debt in June 1950 was $257 billion. It was $290 billion in December 1959. That's a 12.8% increase. Let's compare that to the decade of the 80s. In December 1980, the debt was $930 billion. By the time September 1990 rolled around, it was $3.2 trillion. A staggering 244% increase.
In terms of population, the population of the United States today is approximately 308 million. In 1959, it was 178 million. The per capita debt now is about $39,000. In 1959 it was approximately $1,650.
Last edited by Patton360; 10-17-2009 at 12:44 PM..
As for those 'happy homemakers' -- if they never attempted to exceed the length of their tether, how would they know they were on a leash??
Women seeking a life outside of their homes had very few choices in the 50s. No thanks, I'll take present day any time...
I can only speak for my family. The women weren't slaves. They benefitted from work by having a nice home. Why should they be out in the lions arena working for "the man" when they didn't have to ? They had church, and PTA, and other social outlets. I never heard my mother, aunts, or grandmothers complaining about having to cook, or clean house.
My grand dad and father didn't come home yelling about how "unfair" it was that the women got to stay home. If the house needed painting, and the roof needed fixing, we all pitched in, and it got done. We didn't pay other people to do what we could ourselves. My grandmother had a government job for years. She loved it. Her family was grown, and she worked just to get a little more cash for helping the family.
As for those 'happy homemakers' -- if they never attempted to exceed the length of their tether, how would they know they were on a leash??
Women seeking a life outside of their homes had very few choices in the 50s. No thanks, I'll take present day any time...
At a job I used to work at, sometimes we worked 12-hours days. A lot of the employees were women. I sometimes wondered if during one of those 12-hour days, those women wished they were at home, running a house, instead of working and standing up for 12 hours, and only taking a break at the designated times.
My mom worked until she decided to start a family. This was in the mid-'50s. She would definitely qualify as a "happy homemaker." Had the radio on as she did housework. She knew most of the neighbors so one would babysit for her when she drove to the market. And she would babysit neighbor's kids. Drove a new 1956 Plymouth Belvedere so transportation was no problem. One night per week, she and some of the neighborhood women would go out and see a movie. The husbands stayed home and watched the children.
So, children being raised by their mothers, mothers at home running a house, the husbands working... sounds like good, stable society to me! I'll take the '50s anyday!!!
So, children being raised by their mothers, mothers at home running a house, the husbands working... sounds like good, stable society to me! I'll take the '50s anyday!!!
I'd prefer something in the middle. Many women felt stuck in the homemaker role, which led to the whole womens liberation movement. Now it's expected that women work and those of us who do stay home and raise the kids and run the house are an oddity, and often looked down upon by both men and women.
At a job I used to work at, sometimes we worked 12-hours days. A lot of the employees were women. I sometimes wondered if during one of those 12-hour days, those women wished they were at home, running a house, instead of working and standing up for 12 hours, and only taking a break at the designated times.
My mom worked until she decided to start a family. This was in the mid-'50s. She would definitely qualify as a "happy homemaker." Had the radio on as she did housework. She knew most of the neighbors so one would babysit for her when she drove to the market. And she would babysit neighbor's kids. Drove a new 1956 Plymouth Belvedere so transportation was no problem. One night per week, she and some of the neighborhood women would go out and see a movie. The husbands stayed home and watched the children.
So, children being raised by their mothers, mothers at home running a house, the husbands working... sounds like good, stable society to me! I'll take the '50s anyday!!!
Good points. I don't know why certain feminist groups or so-called liberated women look down on the job of homemaker. As far as I'm concerned, a homemaker has the most important job in the world. She's responsible for providing a stable home environment and a solid foundation for her children. She's responsible for managing the affairs of the entire household. To me, that seems like the very basis of society. There's nothing in the world like a good wife and mother.
Blacks and other minorities were highly discriminated. The prosperity of the 1950s led to the ideals that feed into the current environmental disaster. Higher rates of teen pregancies.
For what it's worth, if you were middle class and White...the 1950s were great. However, in the long run, the culture of consumption and the ideals of the right that permeated in the 1950s can longer be held as the gold standard of how to foster America to move forward.
We do need fundemental changes, some of which may be borrowed from the past (better pensions, cheap tuition), some of which are more progressive (green technologies, public medicine). Yet, we do need to abandon the culture of consumption we have, which essentially was from the 1950s.
Good points. I don't know why certain feminist groups or so-called liberated women look down on the job of homemaker. As far as I'm concerned, a homemaker has the most important job in the world. She's responsible for providing a stable home environment and a solid foundation for her children. She's responsible for managing the affairs of the entire household. To me, that seems like the very basis of society. There's nothing in the world like a good wife and mother.
Because it's the role I choose, I agree. But it's not for everyone. We can't force people into certain roles because we think it would be better for society. Unhappy homemakers aren't the soution to ANYONE'S problems.
Blacks and other minorities were highly discriminated. The prosperity of the 1950s led to the ideals that feed into the current environmental disaster. Higher rates of teen pregancies.
For what it's worth, if you were middle class and White...the 1950s were great. However, in the long run, the culture of consumption and the ideals of the right that permeated in the 1950s can longer be held as the gold standard of how to foster America to move forward.
We do need fundemental changes, some of which may be borrowed from the past (better pensions, cheap tuition), some of which are more progressive (green technologies, public medicine). Yet, we do need to abandon the culture of consumption we have, which essentially was from the 1950s.
You know everyone talks about this "culture of consumption". Stop buying stuff.
I would wager that many, if not most, of those that complain about consumption have multiple cars, multiple TVs, the latest in cell phone technology, multiple upgraded computers (not for work), many of the latest kitchen gadgets, the latest entertainment electronics, etc.
In the 50s most families had 1 TV, 1 phone (we had 2, one was a business phone), 1 car (we had 2, again for business, we also had 3 tractors, though), 1 bathroom (possibly just a tub, no shower). The square footage of the typical residence has doubled in the last 50 years while average family size has decreased.
I'd prefer something in the middle. Many women felt stuck in the homemaker role, which led to the whole womens liberation movement. Now it's expected that women work and those of us who do stay home and raise the kids and run the house are an oddity, and often looked down upon by both men and women.
Glad you brought this up.
While I can certainly understand that women would desire to engage in the workforce as equals to men as they are surely capable, but what I have never understood is why the role of a homemaker/home manger has been viewed as a second class task. The importance of one parent managing the affairs of a home, the continuing education of the children and general child rearing seem to me as being as important as being the bread winner.
The rates of child/teen suicides, violence among teens, poor health, lack of social continuity should come as no surprise in an age where the typical family has no dedicated home manager.
Beyond this aspect, another thing occurred when women entered the workforce in mass, the labor pool in American nearly doubled and subsequently wages dropped accordingly. Before when a stay at home mother took on a part time job it was for extra cash, now it seems more a matter of survival for many. I don't blame women for this and in fact, I personally think women were duped and conned into the idea that they could do it all and wear every hat. They can, but is this what they really want and has their lives been enriched because of it? (generally speaking)
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