# How Can We REGAIN The Optimism of the 1950's? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 2, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230 "2003-09-02T23:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/41 "2003-09-03T17:38:29Z")
Things I LIKED about the 50’s: -film noir -bobby soxed coeds -Marillyn Monroe -Tailfins on cars -Cheap (18 cents/gallon gas); 500 cu-inch V-8 engines -inter-city train service -fedoras and double-breasted suits -Jack Webb (“DRAGNET”) on TV I know the decade had its flaws…but I still like a lot about the 50’s! ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/42 "2003-09-03T17:50:48Z")
Don’t forget to have polio and smallpox still zipping around like gangbusters in parts of the world. Keeps them thar hot countries in their place and keeps ‘em from gettin’ all uppity-like. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/43 "2003-09-03T18:18:24Z")
A National round of lobotomies should do the trick ---
**Author:** ![boobah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/46a35a/32.png) [@boobah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boobah)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/44 "2003-09-03T18:31:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by freetobeme \* > \*\*I can’t imagine what this would have to do with anything. {I suggested watching “Pleasantville”–boobah} Yes, it was a movie about racism. Why do people feel the need to weld the 50’s to racism? Racism spans the centuries. Of course it was a movie about optimism too so… > > I have to say my folks have always said that the 50’s were the best times They’re thinking on personal terms. Take it for what it’s worth. In retrospect there is always plenty that turns out to be _wrong_ about any given decade or era. But there was a sense of optimism back then that I believe hasn’t been felt since regardless of what that sense was based on. > > And even if you point at all these issues that everyone has brought up here they’d likely still say that they miss those times. \*\* **Freetobeme** , hiya. “Pleasantville” was apropos to the OP as an artistic exploration of _nostalgia_. I don’t disagree with Ralph’s feelings, or your parents. It’s just that nostalgia is an “ambiguous emotion”[sup]1[/sup]. It can help to create identity through the creation of a personal and collective mythos. But that same mythology that comforts by providing a safety zone during change distorts reality. That’s dangerous for the individual and the society. People have had nostalgia in every era, because only change is constant. I had suggested “Pleasantville” to Ralph because I don’t think pointing out the historical facts helps someone experiencing the irrational feeling of nostalgia. That’s the whole point of nostalgia- it’s a coping mechanism against the facts. The main character in “Pleasantville” had nostalgia, and through an act of Don Knotts as God was able to experience the logical consequences. The final message of hope was the personal growth he experienced, which enabled him to return wiser and make a positive emotional impact on his own family, rather than to retreat into a fantasy. **Ralph** , almost all the things you like about the 50’s can be enjoyed as nostalgia, whether as kitsch or fine art. Go for it. Just don’t live there. There’s nice things here too… like SDMB. [sup]1[/sup][linky-link](http://www.fga.it/altreitalie/_contributi/00000004.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/45 "2003-09-03T18:38:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Cheap (18 cents/gallon gas); 500 cu-inch V-8 engines And the cars were really fuel-inefficient. 😛 Ah well. I’ll admit I think fedoras are cool, but you can still wear them now. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/46 "2003-09-03T18:49:38Z")
Just letting know that I’m in full agreement with **boobah** ; Pleasantville came to my mind as well. And **sickboy** should stop fucking anorexia. 😃 BTW aren’t Spanish girls very pretty without being anorexic? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/47 "2003-09-03T19:00:09Z")
I’ll settle for bringing back the '90s. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/48 "2003-09-03T19:01:29Z")
According high school and college feminist studies… The quickest way to bring back the 1950s experience for a woman is to lose your job to your husband, go bankrupt from overextended credit, and do valium. I’m with **Mr. Babbington**. Slaughter and all. The 1990s was MY era of joy. _Pax Clintona_. Sigh. Another thing I don’t miss about the 1950s - Censorship in the form of the MPAA ---
**Author:** ![sickboy51](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@sickboy51](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sickboy51)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/49 "2003-09-03T19:38:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tusculan \* > \*\*And **sickboy** should stop fucking anorexia. 😃 BTW aren’t Spanish girls very pretty without being anorexic? \*\* Whoaaa! Not so fast. Are you laughing at my english, making a joke or is it that my english is so awful that I cannot make myself clear? ☹ I like girls with curves! I want them! And I want them now! If available;) ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/50 "2003-09-03T19:54:44Z")
Guys, actually, both my parents came of age in the Fifties and remembered it being, at least for working-class people, a very exciting time. Both of them were the first in their families to go to college and hard work did pay off. And yes, all of their schools were fully integrated and the black alums often did as well as the white ones, because of the boundless confidence and can-do spirit that society encouraged. ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/51 "2003-09-04T00:02:38Z")
Yeah, I bet that’s what they remember. And everyone treated the black people the same as the white people, no questions asked, no sirree! Sure, he’s the doorman, but that’s what black people DO! We sure were very nice to him! And boy, that TV show, Amos and Andy, that was great! Best show ever, and the main characters were BLACK! Oh, hilarious. Yay for the can-do American spirit of the 50’s! ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/52 "2003-09-04T00:13:18Z")
Yeah, I bet that’s what they remember. And everyone treated the black people the same as the white people, no questions asked, no sirree! Sure, he’s the doorman, but that’s what black people DO! We sure were very nice to him! And boy, that TV show, Amos and Andy, that was great! Best show ever, and the main characters were BLACK! Oh, hilarious. Yay for the can-do American spirit of the 50’s! ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/53 "2003-09-04T04:04:09Z")
Dontcha just LOVE that HUAC? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/54 "2003-09-04T05:28:21Z")
Well, they keep it turned up awful high in my building, so my office is always too cold, but… Oh. H **U** AC. …Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/55 "2003-09-04T06:23:37Z")
Nostalgia for bygone eras and it’s cultural legacy is fine, but we tend to have selective memory and romanticize such things. Disclaimer: I was not alive in the 50’s, I’ve only read about it, so my knowledge is second-hand at best, but if I can believe what I read, this country had an pervasive fear of Communism that led to the witch-hunts and prosecution of many innocent (as well as guilty) people. The world had just been introduced to the H-Bomb and this time, America didn’t have sole ownership: our dread enemy, the USSR had their own version of it, and people were scared. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/56 "2003-09-04T06:30:32Z")
Well **ralph** , I think I found the answer. Kill all the cynics. Of course, that’s practically everyone including me. So maybe it’s not such a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/57 "2003-09-04T12:00:56Z")
Sorry if it looked like I was making fun of your english, **sickboy**. You english is fine AFAIK can tell (not being a native speaker myself). I tried to make a joke that in retrospect is downright stupid. So go ahead, call me an idiot (or better yet, a colorful Spanish swearword) 🙂 But seriously, I was always under the impression that Spain does have its fair share of curvy girls as well as slender ones. Well, shoot. One country less to go to 😉 ---
**Author:** ![freetobeme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@freetobeme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freetobeme)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/58 "2003-09-04T13:17:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by boobah \* > \*\ ***Freetobeme** , hiya. > > “Pleasantville” was apropos to the OP as an artistic exploration of _nostalgia_. I don’t disagree with Ralph’s feelings, or your parents. It’s just that nostalgia is an “ambiguous emotion”[sup]1[/sup]. It can help to create identity through the creation of a personal and collective mythos… > > … **Ralph** , almost all the things you like about the 50’s can be enjoyed as nostalgia, whether as kitsch or fine art. Go for it. Just don’t live there. There’s nice things here too… like SDMB. > > [\*\* In which case I totally agree. I am going to be elequenter someday. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/59 "2003-09-04T14:20:38Z")
Yeah, of course I asked about that, but hell, they’d been kids during WWII. A sense of lurking danger was normal for them. Were you permanently traumatized by the Nuclear Winter scenarios of the '80s? Me neither. And the crack about the doormen was uncalled for. We’re talking working-class people, immigrants, aspiring kids from the streets of Brooklyn and the Bronx. My mother’s mother was an immigrant and a maid, living in a garrett on Park Avenue; and yet all five of her children went to college. City colleges or scholarships, all living at home, and working at Woolworth’s all summer to be able to go back, but college. That’s what I’m talking about. Although my Dad was very shaken by his first encounter of segregation when he was drafted in 1959 and sent to Fort Drum, Georgia. He bonded with a fellow teacher, a black gent from Chicago, and they were disgusted they couldn’t get a drink together off-base. OTOH, when my Mom’s high school class went to Washington DC overnight, the black students stayed in the same hotel with them as part of the group with no problems. ---
**Author:** ![sickboy51](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@sickboy51](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sickboy51)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230/60 "2003-09-04T18:29:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tusculan \* > \*\*Sorry if it looked like I was making fun of your english, **sickboy**. You english is fine AFAIK can tell (not being a native speaker myself). I tried to make a joke that in retrospect is downright stupid. So go ahead, call me an idiot (or better yet, a colorful Spanish swearword) 🙂 > > But seriously, I was always under the impression that Spain does have its fair share of curvy girls as well as slender ones. Well, shoot. One country less to go to 😉 \*\* Naa, I don´t get offended so easily. Now that I think of it, yes, we have curvy and slender women here. What i´m tired of is watching actresses and models who are less than bones and skin. Anyway, the fifties in Spain were plainly shitty, so no nostalgia around here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-regain-the-optimism-of-the-1950s/199230.md?page=4)