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The OP's version of the 1950s is like Disneyland's Main St.
Kinda, sorta, almost like the real thing, but not really very close.
To answer his question, I could only say the one I was born in. Everything that came next is all I know about the actual life I've led. Any other life I could conceive would have lots of fantasy in the conception.
The 50s were OK, but they were never as swell as the OP presented them. None of the decades, now over 70, I've lived through were ever that sweetly, simply, wonderful.
But even though real life isn't that sweet, I wouldn't trade my times for any others. Good or bad, they were all mine.
I always had something to do with making my times bad or good too.
Race, this country and history have always been deeply intertwined, almost exclusively in a very bad way.
A good time period should be measured not only for yourself, but for the rest of your countrymen (Especially, since many here mention patriotism is a redeeming quality). Doing so would be an elitist/corrupt way in measuring quality life that spans decades, regardless of personal nostalgia, imo.
It’s very difficult to divorce racial experience from the OP’s question. I am 100% certain that NO white male on these boards would ever come remotely close to wanting to live in their favorite time periods (esp. pre 1970’s) as a black male (with a straight face anyway). Why do you suppose that is?
Personally the 50’s. was everything perfect “NO’ but IMHO it was better time in American history
* you never had to lock the front door and could leave the front windows open.
* There was no swearing on TV, people in general were more respectful
* A father, by himself, could support a family - and still have money left over to go on vacations
* Neighbors knew each other.
* If you wanted to talk with someone, you generally had to meet them in person. (Phone calls were OK, but not the same.)
* Chewing gum was a nickle.
* Hostess Cupcakes were 13cents.
* You could walk around the neighborhood at age 6 after dark, no cell phone, no neighborhood watch, no nothin' - and my parents didn't worry, and you always came home safe and sound.
* World War III didn't happen.
* Baseball was actually interesting.
* You could play in the middle of the street and drivers would patiently wait for you to get out of the way...
* Very few people were in a rush.
* As a child you were allowed to be a door-to-door salesman, selling crafts that You made and was never harassed by anyone. Always you made it home safely.
* you could ride your bicycle without a helmet
* You never had to deal with political correctness, the nanny state, or new math, or any of the other "experiments" from governments and activists who "only want to help."
* Phone numbers had only 7 digits, the first two being letters.
* Everyone kept up their front yards.
* In general you could afford home if you wanted to own a home.
* Movies - almost always double-features - with a cartoon short - were 35cents.
* men were men and women were women none of this perverted lifestyle we have now.
So people ask what happened “Society Threw God out of the Picture”
When corn fed babes were all organic and disease free.
But kidding apart, 50 years down the road, and today’s kids will look back n say 2010’s and 2020’s was the best era with a long list items that today we take for granted.
Folks who were in their later stage of life in the 50’s, would probably thought 1910’s was the best era with their own long list.
Hang with the natives? I guess in your mind they were all holding hands and singing? You’d be lucky not to end up with an ax or arrowhead in your skull. If not that some disease would take you out.
As for me it might have been cool to have been born in the 40s so I would be long retired by now and give less of a crap that the world is going down hill.
1) It was incredibly common for Europeans to live in the woods with the Native-Americans.
2) The reason the natives were so prone to disease was because there weren't many diseases native to the Americas. The diseases that plagued Europe mostly came from Asia and Africa.
Europeans had immunity because they got sick early in life and either died or survived. Whereas none of the natives had ever been exposed to the diseases, and much like the current pandemic, older people were more likely to die. But if you went to live with the natives you would already have the immunity, so your primary cause of death would either be war/murder or drinking bad water.
3) Being born in ~1935 would probably be about ideal. Would have been too young to really remember the Great Depression. Wouldn't have been affected by WWII. Would have been a teenager or young adult in the 1950's. Would have been too old to be drafted to Vietnam. Would have had a union job with a nice retirement. And would be too old to really care that the country is going to ****.
Last edited by Redshadowz; 10-29-2021 at 03:27 AM..
So glad I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s when California was truly a California dreaming, riding my bike in my neighborhood, playing kickball in the streets, roller skating, hide in seek boys against the girls at dusk, riding bikes to the beach, orange groves, affordable, great weather, Reagan was governor, then brown but that time he did nothing but governed on Reagan’s policies, affordable cost of living, it was a perfect time to live in such a beautiful state.
I disagree with you on a number of issues, but I agree with you on most of the above. It sounds as though you grew up in coastal Orange County, where I later lived, but as an adult. Growing up in the SF Bay Area we went to the beach fairly often, but I didn't live close enough to ride my bike there. One thing I disagree with you on is saying that during his first go round Brown did nothing but govern on Reagan's policies. Contrary to that, he signed the Rodda Act, which gave teachers the right to bargain collectively which, IMO, was a mistake.
Personally the 50’s. was everything perfect “NO’ but IMHO it was better time in American history
* you never had to lock the front door and could leave the front windows open.
* There was no swearing on TV, people in general were more respectful
* A father, by himself, could support a family - and still have money left over to go on vacations
* Neighbors knew each other.
* If you wanted to talk with someone, you generally had to meet them in person. (Phone calls were OK, but not the same.)
* Chewing gum was a nickle.
* Hostess Cupcakes were 13cents.
* You could walk around the neighborhood at age 6 after dark, no cell phone, no neighborhood watch, no nothin' - and my parents didn't worry, and you always came home safe and sound.
* World War III didn't happen.
* Baseball was actually interesting.
* You could play in the middle of the street and drivers would patiently wait for you to get out of the way...
* Very few people were in a rush.
* As a child you were allowed to be a door-to-door salesman, selling crafts that You made and was never harassed by anyone. Always you made it home safely.
* you could ride your bicycle without a helmet
* You never had to deal with political correctness, the nanny state, or new math, or any of the other "experiments" from governments and activists who "only want to help."
* Phone numbers had only 7 digits, the first two being letters.
* Everyone kept up their front yards.
* In general you could afford home if you wanted to own a home.
* Movies - almost always double-features - with a cartoon short - were 35cents. * men were men and women were women none of this perverted lifestyle we have now.
So people ask what happened “Society Threw God out of the Picture”
1. The U.S. is not a theocracy.
2. People who you likely classify as perverts didn't just sprout up and start existing in the 60s.
So glad I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s when California was truly a California dreaming, riding my bike in my neighborhood, playing kickball in the streets, roller skating, hide in seek boys against the girls at dusk, riding bikes to the beach, orange groves, affordable, great weather, Reagan was governor, then brown but that time he did nothing but governed on Reagan’s policies, affordable cost of living, it was a perfect time to live in such a beautiful state.
Me to. Too bad that some of the posters in here are only focusing on race and racism during that time and not the good things about it like your described. One poster even said that today we are living in the safest times? Huh? Hundreds of thousand of foreigners invading our border and they feel safe? Among those foreigners are criminals and those from known terrorist countries and the rest are coming here to rape our country economically. Yeah, real safe....NOT!
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