1950s

Today's post is about the 1950s.  I don't know if you've noticed, but I love the early twentieth century, especially the 1940s and -50s.  I love their styles, their music, their movies.

 

http://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/pin-roll-introduction/#more-385

http://fashion.lilithezine.com/1950s-Fashion.html

http://www.beauty-and-the-bath.com/womens-1950s-hairstyles.html

 http://racampbell.tripod.com/blog/index.blog?topic_id=1029288

 http://the-history-notes.blogspot.com/2011/06/post-war-society-social-life-in-1950s.html

Now, I think it goes without saying that there are certainly things from that era I don't like so much:

http://fiftieswedding.com/category/1950s-general/

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~ucw/HistoryofWomenatISU/Fashions.html

And of course, there was prohibition and the depression, and certain laws that protect people today did not exist or were not enforced then.  But family life thrived, and there at least appeared to be a great pride in our service men, a pride which was in the movies and on television.  There was a kind of dignity that the common man commonly had.  Even people on the low end had manners and pride and felt shame, or so the movie said - and that's a far cry from many of the movies we have today.

Take even your best film - family geared, family friendly, moral, good values - and compare it to even some of the poorly made movies of those days and you'll notice a great difference in how people related to one another, how they treated each other.

Is it that the movies of today better capture human relationships?  Maybe, but I don't think so.  Watch even the reality television shows of the day, and even the ones that are questionable may surprise you.  I guess that while the youth and discontented were protesting war and injustice, they just didn't have time to shake hands and hold doors.

I live in New England, one of the most reserved areas of the United States.  "Reserved?" you might say.  Well, yes.  Not politically -  See, we've almost grown into a kind of "keep out of my bubble" mentality which, as I understand, is not quite duplicated anywhere else.  Whenever a New England person feel his bubble has been invaded, it becomes a federal case - sometimes literally.

But I think this is kind of the case with all of the US.  What with the wars, Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and so on, we've become very cautious and begrudging.  I almost have to wonder if another war, where we've actively fighting for our very freedom, wouldn't in fact help this country, or if it would only sink it deeper.  Now, in this time some might call the Lesser Depression, a war might destroy us.  It might make us miserly and greedy and mean.  Or it might make us open our hearts to one another.  If we're any kind of country worth fighting for, and dying for, worth surviving, we'd pull together and become united.

But I digress.  This is about 20th century, not about war.  Still, I'd be interested to hear anything you have to say on the subject.

Note: I am not affiliated with the above websites in any way and will not assume responsibility of anything on those sites.  Visit at own risk.

~Meggy