Posted on 04/06/2016 9:00:44 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Is America a better place today than it was back in 1956? Of course many Americans living right now couldn’t even imagine a world without cell phones, Facebook or cable television, but was life really so bad back then? 60 years ago, families would actually spend time on their front porches and people would actually have dinner with their neighbors. 60 years ago, cars were still cars, football was still football and it still meant something to be an American. In our country today, it is considered odd to greet someone as they are walking down the street, and if someone tries to be helpful it is usually because they want something from you. But things were very different in the middle of the last century. Men aspired to be gentlemen and women aspired to be ladies, and nobody had ever heard of “bling”, “sexting” or “twerking”. Of course life was far from perfect, but people actually had standards and they tried to live up to them.
So how did it all go so wrong?
Could it be possible that life in America peaked back then and we have been in decline ever since?
Before you answer, I want to share with you a list of comparisons between life in America in 1956 and life in America in 2016…
In 1956, John Wayne, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe were some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world.
In 2016, our young people look up to “stars” like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
In 1956, Americans were watching I Love Lucy and The Ed Sullivan Show on television.
In 2016, the major television networks are offering us trashy shows such as Mistresses and Lucifer.
In 1956, you could buy a first-class stamp for just 3 cents.
In 2016, a first-class stamp will cost you 49 cents.
In 1956, gum chewing and talking in class were some of the major disciplinary problems in our schools.
In 2016, many of our public schools have been equipped with metal detectors because violence has gotten so far out of control.
In 1956, children went outside and played when they got home from school.
In 2016, our parks and our playgrounds are virtually empty and we have the highest childhood obesity rate on the entire planet.
In 1956, if a kid skinned his knee he was patched up and sent back outside to play.
In 2016, if a kid skins his knee he is likely to be shipped off to the emergency room.
In 1956, “introducing solids” to a baby’s diet may have meant shoving a piece of pizza down her throat.
In 2016, we have “attachment parenting” which advocates treating children like babies almost until they reach puberty.
In 1956, seat belts and bicycle helmets were considered to be optional pieces of equipment, and car safety seats were virtually unknown.
In 2016, millions of us are afraid to leave our homes for fear that something might happen to us, and if something does happen we slap lawsuits on one another at the drop of a hat.
In 1956, many Americans regularly left their cars and the front doors of their homes unlocked.
In 2016, many Americans live with steel bars on their windows and gun sales are at all-time record highs.
In 1956, about 5 percent of all babies in America were born to unmarried parents.
In 2016, more than 40 percent of all babies in America will be born to unmarried parents.
In 1956, one income could support an entire middle class family.
In 2016, approximately one-third of all Americans don’t make enough money to even cover the basics even though both parents have entered the workforce in most households.
In 1956, redistribution of wealth was considered to be something that “the communists” did.
In 2016, the federal government systematically redistributes our wealth, and two communists are fighting for the Democratic nomination.
In 1956, there were about 2 million people living in Detroit and it was one of the greatest cities on Earth.
In 2016, there are only about 688,000 people living in Detroit and it has become a joke to the rest of the world.
In 1956, millions of Americans dreamed of moving out to sunny California.
In 2016, millions of Americans are moving out of California and never plan to go back.
In 1956, television networks would not even show husbands and wives in bed together.
In 2016, there is so much demand for pornography that there are more than 4 million adult websites on the Internet, and they get more traffic than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined.
In 1956, the American people had a great love for the U.S. Constitution.
In 2016, “constitutionalists” are considered to be potential terrorists by the U.S. government.
In 1956, people from all over the world wanted to come to the United States to pursue “the American Dream”.
In 2016, 48 percent of all U.S. adults under the age of 30 believe that “the American Dream is dead”.
In 1956, the United States loaned more money to the rest of the world than anybody else.
In 2016, the United States owes more money to the rest of the world than anybody else.
And there is one more thing that I would like to share with you before I wrap up this article.
This is what the New York skyline looked like on March 31st, 1956…
And this is the kind of thing that we are seeing displayed on the Empire State Building these days…
For those that don’t know, that is an image of the Hindu goddess of death, time and destruction known as Kali. And next month a reproduction of the 48-foot-tall arch that stood in front of the Temple of Baal in Palmyra, Syria is going up in Times Square.
So now that you have seen what I have to share, what do you think?
Has America changed for the better, or has it changed for the worse?
A lot of good stuff back then. Unless you happen to be black...in the south...I’m guessing wasn’t so great for them.
Yes, it’s so much better for them now.
Lol...great attitude. So much for everyone being equal.
The United States reached the apex of its civilization in 1962, when it put everything on the line in a nuclear showdown, something none of its leaders since 1992 could possibly handle. It then entered a long, slow decline, which continues to this day- a nation of tattooed, stoned, pagan savages living off the carcass of the past, its finances a maelstrom of worthless paper, its government hopelessly corrupt and subverted by the very enemies it sought to defeat in the Cold War. The America of 1956 was worth defending. The America of 2016....?
Bingo....That nation in 1956 was curing polio & starting a space program. That nation had safe cities & towns along with good schools. Detroit was not a third world city. There was no massive Black & Hispanic underclass. No massive food stamp program. No massive drug problem.
That nation was not 19 trillion dollars in debt. That nation controlled its borders & did not have 30 million illegals running wild & raping & murdering its citizens. That nation had self-respect & did not cower when it was called “racist”.
That nation in 1956 had an unlimited & bright future....this cesspit in 2016 has debt that will never be paid back, no borders, Stasi-style diversity-mongers who run our government & media and ruin citizens lives. That nation had no political correctness.....which is nothing but psychological terrorism.
These is ZERO comparison between the America of 1956 & the America of 2016 & to say otherwise is absurd.
And let me add: no healthy nation allows for something as absurd as “gay marriage”. Anal sex (which by its nature is diseased) elevated to the same status as a union between a man & a women. The insanity of transgendered bathrooms where our women & children are endangered by perverts.
In 1956 there was no massive immigration of Muslims, there was no Obamacare where American citizens are now forced to buy a product. The middle class was expanding, not contracting like it is now. You could go on forever....the United States is in free-fall. The 1950s were not perfect, like any era, but to try & sell America circa 2016 as in anyway culturally, morally, or economically in better shape than 1956 is laughable.
A lot of people of the 60s-70s were guilted into not having children by widespread "population bomb" propaganda being spread all over the media then, which is also when birth control pills and abortion were legalized. Ruined everything wholesome in love and sex for so many people.
This topic has nothing to do w/ logic, this is purely a question of preference. Seems we got plenty of folks here that say life was better in 1956 because, well, OK they just like '56 better period. My thinking is that if they were honest about the preference and not just a bunch of helpless crybabies, how come they keep using the internet and keep posting their nonsense on this thread?
And its not technological advancement that has ruined us its the influence of a Socialist Europe, the Progressive takeover of our society and increased role of govt in the average American’s life. That coupled with disasterous trade deals and the Federal Reserve hijacking the economy that has decimated the middle class and you have 2016.
In 1956 if you had money in a savings account you were earning interest. If you owned a home you were building equity and if you had a job it was fairly certain you could work there til retirement.
If you got sick you went to the family doctor and paid the bill. If you had to go into the hospital you either paid the bill on the way out or they put you on a payment plan and you paid every month til it was paid off. Family dentist same deal.
There were no credit cards. At the Department Store there was layaway. You put so much down on an item and paid on it every week or so til it was paid off then went and picked it up. People just did not have that much debt.
If you wanted to go to college you either got a scholarship or paid as you went.
If you could not afford a car you took public transportation.
Flying on airplanes was for the rich. Everybody else drove or took the train. Or bus.
In Jax, Fl my parents bought a 3/2 brick ranch with a two car garage in a nice neighborhood for $7,500.00 I think they paid cash.
In 1956 the US still had a draft.
Good points. There was also no legal abortion & 40 million dead babies. The courts were just starting to rot & legislate from the bench then. People trusted the government....they did not love it, but by & large they felt the people in government were like them, they loved their nation....these people in government today, we know, do not have our best interests at heart.
All true.
Bump
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.