# If someone from the 1950s suddenly appeared today, what would be the most difficult thing to explain **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454 "2013-11-21T17:57:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/21 "2013-11-21T18:49:44Z")
How the hell they time-traveled from the 1950’s to today. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/22 "2013-11-21T18:50:52Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > That people are rich enough to have two television sets Not only that, but there are poor people with heating, air conditioning, refrigerators, cars, televisions and cellphones. They would tell you that these people are not poor. and yes, I have been one of those poor people ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/23 "2013-11-21T18:51:04Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > I don’t think cultural changes would be as stark as some claim. The roots of many of them were clear in the 1950’s. The black president’s support for _gay marriage,_ though, could be surprising. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/24 "2013-11-21T18:58:16Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > Gay marriage being legal, gay senators, gay congressmen, gay governors, gays in the military, body piercings, tattoo’s, Mohawk hair cuts, purple hair, legal marijuana in Washington State and Colorado and why the San Diego Chargers can’t seem to win enough games to get to the playoffs this year even though they have one of the best teams in the NFL. Openly so, anyway. Most historians believe we’ve already had a gay president - James Buchanan. Heck, in the 1950s, a Catholic president was hard for some people to wrap their heads around, if you think about it. People are more likely to live their lives according to what is best for them, and not be as heavily influenced by other people, especially “the neighbors” and others who barely know them. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/25 "2013-11-21T18:58:41Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > That we landed a man on the moon in 1969 would be hard to explain. I think that was expected, in time. What we’d have a harder time explaining would be why we haven’t gone back for 40 years and aren’t planning to, ever. I have often fantasized about being able to tell my dad all about the technical things that have happened since he died long ago. I have no doubt that he would get up to speed quickly and it would be fun to tell and show him everything. He died much too young. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/26 "2013-11-21T18:59:20Z")
> [@bup](#): > > How the hell they time-traveled from the 1950’s to today. 😃 Good point. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/27 "2013-11-21T19:01:59Z")
What do you mean I’m not allowed to pat my secretary on the butt? 😕 How will she know I appreciate her? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/28 "2013-11-21T19:07:27Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What do you mean I’m not allowed to pat my secretary on the butt? 😕 How will she know I appreciate her? And I have to pay her the same as I would pay a man in that job, and I can’t fire her just because she’s pregnant? And what do you mean, I can’t beat my wife? How else will she know where her place is in our relationship? What? I could get thrown in jail for that? She might - egads - DIVORCE me? And everyone would take HER side, not mine? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/29 "2013-11-21T19:12:52Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The black president’s support for _gay marriage,_ though, could be surprising. Oh, I doubt that. I suspect that the idea that a black president would support gay marriage would seem just about right to a bigot of that era. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/30 "2013-11-21T19:20:50Z")
That you now have to pump your own gas, and check your own oil and tire pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/31 "2013-11-21T19:23:13Z")
> [@bup](#): > > How the hell they time-traveled from the 1950’s to today. “It’s like this, grandpa. You were out mowing your lawn in front of the beautiful two-story suburban home that you paid $35,000 for, when Sputnik fell out of orbit and conked you on the head. You’ve been in a coma ever since. We sold the home for $750,000 about seven years ago, right before the bubble burst.” ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/32 "2013-11-21T19:27:04Z")
How we still don’t know who put the ram in the ram-a-lam-a-ding-dong. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/33 "2013-11-21T19:28:26Z")
I think the gay thing would be the one they had the hardest time wrapping their heads around. Civil Rights for African Americans was already starting by the 50’s and had plenty of mainstream support. Lots of people from the 50’s might’ve hated it, but I don’t think they’d be surprised. Homosexuality, on the other hand, was still basically seen as a perversion and mental illness by almost everyone. The fact that a few decades later a sizable portion of the population just decided it didn’t matter would, I think, blow 1950’s guys mind far more then black Presidents or smart phones. Hell, I was born in the 80’s, and its still kinda weird for me to think about how fast homosexuality has gained general acceptance. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/34 "2013-11-21T19:33:59Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > That you now have to pump your own gas, and check your own oil and tire pressure. Except in the state of Oregon it’s a state law that they pump your gas for you 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/35 "2013-11-21T19:46:01Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Medical advances would be mind-boggling to a time traveler as well. Birth control in a PILL? Blood pressure medicines that aren’t worse than the disorder they’re being used to treat? People are having their cancer treated with MEDICINE, especially childhood leukemia, which is no longer an automatic death sentence??? Organ transplants and joint replacements? Dialysis available to anyone who needs it? Premature babies born beyond a certain time in pregnancy seldom die, and often go on to lead completely normal lives? Open heart surgery? > > None of this happened in the 1950s, except for dialysis and some chemotherapy being available on an experimental basis. You are seriously shortchanging the 50s. The first oral contraceptive pill began clinical trials in 1956. The first successful kidney transplant happened in 1954. And Henry Dalton performed the first successful open-heart surgery **in 1891**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/36 "2013-11-21T19:56:37Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Oh, I doubt that. I suspect that the idea that a black president would support gay marriage would seem just about right to a bigot of that era. “You’re absolutely right; if memory serves, the Mormon he won against preferred civil unions for our gay and lesbian soldiers.” ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/37 "2013-11-21T19:59:04Z")
I don’t think a lot of the technological stuff would be hard to explain at all. The internet - Okay, so imagine everyone has a computer in their home because they are smaller and more powerful now. If this is an educated person from the 1950s, they are still with you. Okay, now imagine the computer is connected to a screen to show images much like a TV can. Okay, still with you. Now, imagine these computers can talk to one another across the world just like how telegraph or teletype machines can. Boom, got it. I think stuff like the invention of the telegraph would be far harder to explain to someone from the 1700s than would be the internet to someone in the 50s who had grown up with long distance phone calls, teletype machines and in a world where telegraph communication was over 100 years old. Smartphones - You know how you can communicate with two way radios that you carry around? Okay, now imagine we’ve developed a similar system that lets you do that but with phones you carry around and can call other phones in the phone system. Now, also imagine that phone is also a very small computer that also connects to that internet thing we explained already. I don’t think people would be that shocked by black civil rights or even a black President. Many white Americans from the 50s would be _angry_ about it, but just that sort of outcome was probably something they were ultimately worried about in granting civil rights. Some pro-civil rights whites would be thrilled to know things had gone how they hoped they would. The tolerance of open homosexuality and State recognition of legal homosexual unions would be far bigger a shock than the internet or cell phones. Unlike black civil rights gays were basically thought of as mentally ill perverts. Adults knew about them back then but they tried to keep their kids from knowing about it, and they were known as degenerate perverts who secretly met in clandestine places to do unspeakable acts. The concept that something so detested could be practiced openly, and that unions and marriages would be granted between two men would be extremely shocking. The stuff about beating your wife is not accurate. It was illegal to beat your wife in the 50s, and everyone knew it. While there was more tacit acceptance, and people might tell a battered wife that she needed to try to “work things out” with their husband, it still wasn’t legally acceptable or a mainstream concept in the 1950s that part of a man’s duties as head of household was to beat his wife if she disobeyed or misbehaved. I think the last time that was a mainstream view in the United States was in the mid-19th century. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/38 "2013-11-21T20:04:34Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. You know, I think it would be something like this. The relative global peace and prosperity we currently have. In the '50s we had just had two major world wars and the century was only half over. The atom bomb and the isolated economies, still base upon war efforts, a person from the '50s was almost sure that the next big war was coming. The idea that the major world powers are now so commercially entwined, that third world countries are now pursuing the formerly “American Dream” and that the prospect of another major world war is quite remote. Perhaps just the global economy in general. Sure, we still have wars but they are more regionally limited and almost tribal in nature. Major powers still have major differences, but they are not about to go to war with each other. To do so once the economy is so interdependent is to shoot yourself in the foot. Isolationism cannot exist in today’s economy. I do not think that a person from the '50s would be surprised about advances in technology at all. There would be a lot of education to explain the process that got us here, but I think that the modern world would be pretty recognizable. It would just include more gadgets. And the same daily issues that haven’t been solved by technology. Where the hell is my flying car? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/39 "2013-11-21T20:14:08Z")
“You do _what_ with corn?” ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-from-the-1950s-suddenly-appeared-today-what-would-be-the-most-difficult-thing-to-explain/674454/40 "2013-11-21T20:22:02Z")
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