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?
We are spoiled now, for sure. If you really had to go back, you would be miserable. I’m thinking of the cars ... ridiculous contraptions! ... But we loved it that way!
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.
....
Death rates for cars have gone way down since then.
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.
...
True, but there are millions more living in the nice Detroit suburbs. But it gets too cold no matter what year it is.
Reagan mentioned John Wayne’s drinking in the obituary he wrote for him. That’s all I’ll say about that.
In Ala., selected Seniors drove the school buses (with aftermarket AM radios and speaker arrays), kept them at home and washed them....
But the one I really wanted was
Now you can get car payment plans that long!
That picture reminded me that in 1965 a workmate of mine bought a brand new Austin Healey. He took me for a ride at lunchtime in the rain. Damned if the windshield didn’t leak. What a beauty it was.
Well, we have Free Republic now. So there’s that.
Anything specific you want me to look at? Never mind that Wikipedia is not a primary source.
The only reason for government to get involved in anything is to increase its power. And with all due respect to Ike, it would be Janus-faced of him to embrace this increase of power of his office (meaning his branch of government) with respect to micromanaging public infrastructure in the name of “defense” and then go on to speak of a so-called “military-industrial complex” later.
Nothing specific, it just has a broad description of the program.
I used to have a 1959 Austin Healey. Deceptively heavy due its frame. The top and side curtains were just to give you the illusion that the rain wouldn’t get in.
I still would love to have a TR-3.
I was in high school and had my first job making $.76 an hour typing collection letters for the credit department in a clothing store or a manual typewriter. Only reason I was able to get the job was because I had taken two years of typing in high school and had won an award for 80 wpm error free. Then the store owner discovered I also knew shorthand so I took dictation from him on Saturday morning and then typed his letters on Saturday afternoon. Did well and was given a raise to $.95 an hour. At least in school back then we learned how to do something that would help us get a job.
Much as I think that the '50s were oh so awesome, if I had to go back then I'd enjoy it for about a couple of days.
Then I'd get so bored.
I could hang out with Archie and Moose at the malt shop, but then where is my internet?
Where's my Netflix streaming?
To keep up on the news, I'd have to rely on, GASP, newspapers.
At least in 1956, there were enough WWII vets who knew about, and rejected communism.
So there's that.
Just so happens I bought a full set of the World Book Encyclopedia, 1956 edition a few weeks ago. Reading through it gives you a good idea of America in the mid-50s.
Good story. The pay sounds tiny, but then prices were also low. I received a good education when I grew up in the DC area, but little of it was of any use to me. But then I didn’t take typing.
I never felt that I was in danger walking down a Korean street no matter what time of day or night it was and Korea was much poorer when I was there.
That’s one of the things I like is how safe it is. And people actually behave themselves. People make a big deal about how Koreans have a temper, but frankly 99% of the folks I was around were better behaved than many Americans. My experience is you treat people there with respect, they’re very nice and often will go out of their way to help you.
“”In 1956, you could buy a nice ranch house in the suburbs of Pittsburgh for $12,500.”
And how long would an average worker have had to work in order to save that much money?”
Pay cash for everything, I always say!
I resent how the queers, fags and dykes have adopted one of my favorite natural atmospheric phenomenons as a symbol of theirs.
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