1950s America: A Utopia?

[Lydenburg]

The 1950s had some things that were better, and it had some things that were worse.

Next.

This.

[Krasny-Volny]

It might have been, if it weren't for the zombies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY68Tx5LHdo

[Divair]

A utopia if you were a middle-class straight white Christian male.


Otherwise, HAHAHA no.

[Blekksprutia]

Gee whillikers, Paw, guess I has the 'polio!

~no~

[Grenartia]

Economic policies practiced in the 1950s were awful, the top 1% tax bracket was somewhere around 90% and the regulation was just awful. FDR's legacy on entitlement still hovered over America like a poisonous cloud as well.

Society-wise, I see the 1950s as an ideal time. Values like family, tradition and anti-communism were respected, and those are the values that we need now more than ever to combat the degeneracy of the 21st century society. If only there was a way to restore 1950s cultural values..

In my ideal society, the cultural values would be from the 50s and economic policies would be from the 80s.

TL;DR: bad opinions and shitty logic.

Your open embracement and defense of the worst aspects of capitalism, along with your embracement of casual racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. (which inherently all go along with "restoring 1950s values"),and especially because your "boohoo the world is changing for the better" rantings make you literally the BEST argument against those things. You wonder why the world is embracing the very things you hate? You need only look in a mirror.

[Hetalian Indie Rio de Janeiro]

TL;DR: bad opinions and shitty logic.

Your open embracement and defense of the worst aspects of capitalism, along with your embracement of casual racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. (which inherently all go along with "restoring 1950s values"),and especially because your "boohoo the world is changing for the better" rantings make you literally the BEST argument against those things. You wonder why the world is embracing the very things you hate? You need only look in a mirror.

That was a truly Dança do Créu na Velocidade 5 of an argument.

Gold right there, guys.

[Ashmoria]

So NSG, I got to do some of that dangerous late-night thinking, and I thought about what it would be like to live in the 1950s, a time portrayed as somewhat of a Golden Age in American history. The time of sock hops and pink carnations, the 1950s economically and somewhat socially a prosperous time for America, after victories over Nazism and Imperial Japan, emerging out of the Great Depression as a world superpower.

The 1950s are generally portrayed as peaceful, carefree, and wonderful time in the media, when most everyone lived by the same ethics and standards. I personally do not think of the 1950s America as a Utopia, going by exact definition, given the social policies of the US and the looming threat of a nuclear war, but I'm curious to see NSG's opinion.

So, what is it? A Utopia, or just a period of prosperity in American history?

what is was was so much better than the 2 decades before it that it seemed to those living in it like utopia.

that may even be somewhat true for minorities whose lives were still restricted in the 50s but weren't as bad as in the depression or world war 2.

[New England and The Maritimes]

No, and anyone who wants to say yes is a racist prick.

[Nervium]

If you were a leftist or social liberal, chances are, it would suck.
And ofcourse also if you were black.

[Divair]

If you were a leftist or social liberal, chances are, it would suck.
And ofcourse also if you were black.

Or a woman.
Or gay.
Or transsexual.
Or atheist.

[Nervium]

If you were a leftist or social liberal, chances are, it would suck.
And ofcourse also if you were black.

Or a woman.
Or gay.
Or transsexual.
Or atheist.

Or a Rusky, or intellectual.

Indeed the list goes on and on.

[Nervium]

No, and anyone who wants to say yes is a racist prick.

"But... I listen to black rock music."

[Viridius]

It was.

As long as you were a white, straight, married, christian male

[Thanatttynia]

No, and anyone who wants to say yes is a racist prick.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that.

[Saiwania]

A utopia if you were a middle-class straight white Christian male.

I keep seeing this put forth in this thread so I must ask: What is inherently wrong about being a "middle class straight White Christian male"?
Is the issue more about the other ethnic groups such as Blacks being neglected back then, or simply that there was less diversity?

[Divair]

A utopia if you were a middle-class straight white Christian male.

I keep seeing this put forth in this thread so I must ask: What is inherently wrong about being a "middle class straight White Christian male"?
Is the issue more about the other ethnic groups such as Blacks being neglected back then, or simply that there was less diversity?

Nothing's wrong with it. But to claim it's a utopia when it's utter hell for the majority of people is nonsensical.

[Grenartia]

I keep seeing this put forth in this thread so I must ask: What is inherently wrong about being a "middle class straight White Christian male"?
Is the issue more about the other ethnic groups such as Blacks being neglected back then, or simply that there was less diversity?

Nothing's wrong with it. But to claim it's a utopia when it's utter hell for the majority of people is nonsensical.

Indeed. If "utopia" means paradise for a privileged few, at the expense and on the backs of everybody else, then I'm all for dystopia.

[Saiwania]

Nothing's wrong with it. But to claim it's a utopia when it's utter hell for the majority of people is nonsensical.

Am I missing something here? Whites were the majority of Americans back then, only around 10% were non-White.

[Divair]

Nothing's wrong with it. But to claim it's a utopia when it's utter hell for the majority of people is nonsensical.

Am I missing something here? Whites were the majority of Americans back then, only around 10% were non-White.

Half the country was women. Add atheists. Add blacks. Add transsexuals. Add homosexuals.

We're well above 50% now. See why claiming the US was a utopia is complete bullshit?

[Tsa-la-gi Nation]

Economically speaking, the US was in a golden age because we cranked up our industry to deal with the war and this infrastructure remained in tack after the war while Europe's infrastructure was in shambles. Socially, is was bigotry as usual.

[Grenartia]

Nothing's wrong with it. But to claim it's a utopia when it's utter hell for the majority of people is nonsensical.

Am I missing something here? Whites were the majority of Americans back then, only around 10% were non-White.

Still doesn't justify the shit treatment of minorities. I mean, if I wanted to brutally beat everybody with red hair, is it somehow justifiable because they don't make up a majority of people?

[Saiwania]

Half the country was women. Add atheists. Add blacks. Add transsexuals. Add homosexuals.
We're well above 50% now. See why claiming the US was a utopia is complete bullshit?

Women, Blacks, native Americans, and homosexuals, I'd accept as being examples of marginalized groups back then. But atheists and transsexuals? Please. There was no advanced sex change operations back then.

The 1950's weren't perfect, but it is far from the worst decade that some people might like to paint it as.

[Bottle]

What the fuck is wrong with our education system, that anybody would even ask this question?

[Divair]

But atheists and transsexuals? Please.

This is the same decade in which "Under God" was added to money and the PoA because the Soviets were considered the godless commies. Atheists are still discriminated against in some states, but far less so than back in the 50's.

There was no advanced sex change operations back then.

Uh, yes? That's kind of my point. That and transphobia was far larger back then than it is now. Did you just defeat your own point?

[The Nuclear Fist]

But atheists and transsexuals? Please. There was no advanced sex change operations back then.

Yet Transexuals still existed, except now far more marginalized. Indeed, everyone of an alternative sexuality would be casually mistreated. Hell, Transexuals are grievously mistreated now, let alone sixty years ago.

And considering how religious that point in time was, atheists largely would have had a similar situation.

See, here's the thing. If you have to remain closeted about core aspects of yourself, something is deeply and intrinsically wrong with your society.