# What has the US lost since the 50s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 26, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060 "2005-02-26T22:56:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/1 "2005-02-26T22:56:51Z")
The US has, of course made great advances since the 1950s, especially in the fields of civil rights and equality of the sexes. But what, if anything, has America lost? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/2 "2005-02-26T23:06:55Z")
The Vietnam war. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/3 "2005-02-26T23:13:20Z")
Restraint ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/4 "2005-02-26T23:13:37Z")
Off the top of my head some military bases in Germany that were no longer needed after the end of the cold war. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/5 "2005-02-26T23:18:13Z")
Civility; style; the social contract; the phenomenon of neighborhoods; effective coalition government; effective organized labor; most all passenger rail service; the sense that every adult male is obligated to perform militarily; great hulking gobs of racism and sexism (though large parts remain here and there); polio; roller derby; non-ironic hat-wearing. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/6 "2005-02-26T23:18:49Z")
Weā€™ve lost quite a few Ryder Cups and the Americaā€™s Cup, too. šŸ™‚ Can you be more specific about what things you are thinking about? We surely have lost our dominance in the world markets that we had right after WWII, when most of the other industrialized nations had been bombed to smitherines. That was a tremendous advantage, and one that I think is lost on a lot of people today who think we can somehow reclaim the days of high wage, relatively low skilled factory jobs. We were pretty much the only game in town for about a decade or two after WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/7 "2005-02-27T06:02:02Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Civility; I disagree. If youā€™d asked someone in 1955 what he/she thought theyā€™d ā€œlostā€ since the 1900s, they would have told you that kids are less polite these days, folks donā€™t have the same sense of community, ettiquette has tumbled into shambles, and things have basically gone to hell in a handbasket. Nostalgia is fun, but there never was a time when politicians were honest, everyone was a boy or girl scout, and family values reigned supreme. > [@](#): > > style; Again, I have to disagree. Pastel colored appliances. Fins on massive, ugly cars. The terrible fashions. > [@](#): > > the social contract; There never was one, or, if it was, they forgot to have everyone in America sign it. There were plenty of ā€œdeviantsā€ running around-- like in most eras, morality remained mostly on the surface. _Peyton Place_ resonated for a reason. > [@](#): > > the phenomenon of neighborhoods; Which was actually a relatively new phenomenon. The suburbs came into being around the 50s . . . and were harshly condemned by many critics who saw them as stifling and bland. (Levittown, anyone?) With the suburbs being a recent development, there was not a ā€œstrong sense of communityā€ in the way that is envisioned. These people were strangers, after all. You donā€™t get instant small-town-America when a neighborhood is hastily constructed. Remember that the idea of ā€œnuclearā€ families was a relatively new concept. The idea of a couple leaving their home to go out and make a new one was a bit different than what previous generations had done-- families used to stay together, with generations living under the same roof. Perhaps folks from that time would look at the young families of the 50s and bemoan the fact that grandma 'n grandpa (not to mention Maiden Aunt Betsy) were not welcome to live with their children the way they were in the past. > [@](#): > > effective coalition government; _smothers grin_ > [@](#): > > effective organized labor; Isnā€™t that an oxymoron? šŸ˜ƒ > [@](#): > > most all passenger rail service; Iā€™m with you on this one. This is something truly to be mourned. > [@](#): > > the sense that every adult male is obligated to perform militarily; I donā€™t think that a lot of people had that sense. Hell, I know a great many men who were adult at that time who did not serve, and arenā€™t bothered a bit by it. > [@](#): > > great hulking gobs of racism and sexism (though large parts remain here and there); I think that we will bear the mark of Cain for a few more generations because of it, too. > [@](#): > > non-ironic hat-wearing. Itā€™s coming back! I see more women wearing hats . . . hope springs eternal! ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/8 "2005-02-27T08:41:18Z")
Its freakinā€™ mind, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/9 "2005-02-27T12:41:08Z")
I think we can safely say that most of America has lost local media. In most major cities, the local TV, newspaper, and radio outlets are owned by giant companies with few ties to the community. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/10 "2005-02-27T18:04:40Z")
Things it is good that we (and much of the rest of the world) have lost: Polio, measles, mumps, diptheria, smallpox, whooping cough. Institutionalized segregation. Stereotyped roles for women and men. (Remember when want ads had ā€œhelp wanted ā€“ femaleā€ and ā€œhelp wanted ā€“ maleā€ sections?) Things it is sad that (some of us) have lost: Stars. In much of the country, when you look up in the sky at night, you see only a handful of the brightest stars; the rest have been lost in the glare of artificial light. Where I live, the night sky isnā€™t even dark; itā€™s pink from the glow of the neon signs of the hotels near the interstate highway interchange a mile or so away. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/11 "2005-02-27T18:47:31Z")
The US has lost much of the moral authority/stature it had with the rest of the world during & right after World War II. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/12 "2005-02-27T19:29:01Z")
the concept that individuals are responsible for their actions. ---
**Author:** ![Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fromage\_A\_Trois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fromage_A_Trois)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/13 "2005-02-27T19:41:23Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > The US has lost much of the moral authority/stature it had with the rest of the world during & right after World War II. I have to agree with you here - I would say the US has lost the respect of other nations. It seems that in the past, the world looked to the US for guidance almostā€¦ now itā€™s more ā€œoff they go again, what are they saying now?ā€ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/14 "2005-02-27T20:41:17Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > the concept that individuals are responsible for their actions. Horseshit. We have a larger proportion of our population incarcerated than any other country. Thatā€™s not what you would expect of a society that blames society. See this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=304071](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=304071) ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/15 "2005-02-27T23:30:45Z")
Segregation,and naivety in fighting wars and installing regimes, but not all of it. Its main rival, Communism. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/16 "2005-02-27T23:55:42Z")
International prestige, but that couldnā€™t really be avoided. In the 50ā€™s, if you didnā€™t like the Soviet Union, you pretty much had to look up to us because economically and militarily we were the only country capable of competing with the Soviets. But now both the EU and China have power comparable to the United States, so nobody has to step lightly and pretend to like us anymore. As tempting as it is to blame the whole thing on Dubya, itā€™s really the logical result of worldwide economic growth. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/17 "2005-02-28T00:21:35Z")
[Low radiation steel](http://yarchive.net/space/old_lowrad_steel.html) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/18 "2005-02-28T15:28:10Z")
Didnā€™t we used to have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights and stuff? Ah, what the hell, nobody really misses them! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Superior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@Superior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superior)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/19 "2005-03-01T00:18:43Z")
respect. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060/20 "2005-03-01T00:24:20Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Didnā€™t we used to have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights and stuff? > > Ah, what the hell, nobody really misses them! šŸ™‚ Yet more hystericalness on your part BrainGlutton. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-us-lost-since-the-50s/292060.md?page=2)