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There's a reason why the people in the picture are white... those 'good old days' were basically only good for certain people. And, really, only for the guy in the picture. The woman, wearing a skirt, gloves, and a girdle - if she was working, she was subjected to inequality and sexual harassment - only there wasn't a word for it back then. If she was married, she couldn't sign a contract by herself, had to ask her husband for the money to buy groceries, and, if he was an abuser, told that she wasn't doing a good job in pleasing him. I won't even talk about people of color during that time. No thanks, those days are long gone, and good riddance!
It wasn't really as easy as you make it sound. WWI, WWII, Korean War. My parents lost high school friends in those wars.
We only had one car (as did most people) so my dad shared a couple of days a week to commute to work so that my mother could use the car for shopping.
TV was black and whit only, and the screen was small. Transistor radios were new, but not of good quality sound. Stereophonic sound had just been introduced (the movie, "This is Cinerama" introduced it in the theater).
Of course, no personal computers. Kids played outside. I built model planes and yachts. Some kids were into model cars.
A lot of people didn't have a dishwasher.
To own a boat was a luxury that most people couldn't afford (We bought our first sailboat in 1961, a 20' Highlander).
Most teens didn't have a car of their own. Some had scooters.
Nope, I'm too young and would have been of the wrong background had my family immigrated here at that point. Thank God they didn't. The U.S. was a backward, immoral mess at that time, despite the picture some would like to paint today.
It wasn't really as easy as you make it sound. WWI, WWII, Korean War. My parents lost high school friends in those wars.
We only had one car (as did most people) so my dad shared a couple of days a week to commute to work so that my mother could use the car for shopping.
TV was black and whit only, and the screen was small. Transistor radios were new, but not of good quality sound. Stereophonic sound had just been introduced (the movie, "This is Cinerama" introduced it in the theater).
Of course, no personal computers. Kids played outside. I built model planes and yachts. Some kids were into model cars.
A lot of people didn't have a dishwasher.
To own a boat was a luxury that most people couldn't afford (We bought our first sailboat in 1961, a 20' Highlander).
Most teens didn't have a car of their own. Some had scooters.
Aside from the war, there is(was) nothing wrong with the above.
Good times.
It wasn't really as easy as you make it sound. WWI, WWII, Korean War. My parents lost high school friends in those wars.
We only had one car (as did most people) so my dad shared a couple of days a week to commute to work so that my mother could use the car for shopping.
TV was black and whit only, and the screen was small. Transistor radios were new, but not of good quality sound. Stereophonic sound had just been introduced (the movie, "This is Cinerama" introduced it in the theater).
Of course, no personal computers. Kids played outside. I built model planes and yachts. Some kids were into model cars.
A lot of people didn't have a dishwasher.
To own a boat was a luxury that most people couldn't afford (We bought our first sailboat in 1961, a 20' Highlander).
Most teens didn't have a car of their own. Some had scooters.
and don't forget you got beaten in school if you put did anything majorly wrong (and no one cared). My elementary school principle was a nasty old guy who had a huge wooden paddle hanging over his desk. Neighborhood parents thought nothing of disciplining other people's kids. Black kids from segregated neighborhoods were bused to my school 15 minutes late every day. Those kids always had lost looks on their faces.
Fun was going and standing in front of the street sweeper so I got sprayed with water, or waiting for the ice cream truck, or even pretending I was hurt so cars would stop to investigate. Clothes were still made in America, the South voted solidly Democratic and many things cost too much but paid for US instead of foreign jobs.
Of course Vietnam and the 60's upheavals was to change most of that.
An America where new inventions that increased our standard of living were hitting market rapidly?
Where there was enough room for everyone to have a house and yard within commuting distance of a good job?
Where your income was going every year while at the same time the cost of living was going down?
Where there were no school shootings?
Where 1 man working a 9-5 job could raise multiple kids and still have money left over for retirement?
I grew up in that environment!
It WAS GREAT. However:
the environment was DIRTY- trash on the road sides and smog over cities
cars were marginally reliable
air conditioning was a luxury
only the rich had color tvs
the vietnam war was beginning
very few could afford to fly- it was what rich people did
you had to DIG in libraries for information- no computers or internet
seatbelts were not mandated until 1964, so many cars did not have seatbelts
water quality sucked
clothes were relatively expensive compared to now- new clothing was special
retail shopping was limited- whatever was available in your local store was it
multiple copies of documents had to be mimeographed
music was on LPs or on the radio- that's it- very few had massive LP collections
kids could be beaten badly by parents- no problem
dining out was an uncommon luxury- even McDonalds
three tv stations, and they all turned off at midnight
soda pop was a luxury
as a golfer, the balls sucked- they would cut to reveal rubber bands and could be knocked out of round
t-shirts and casual clothing was not allowed in schools- "hard shoes" unless in PE or playgrounds
EVERYTHING smelled like cigarette smoke- everything
Last edited by hawkeye2009; 03-04-2016 at 07:29 AM..
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