America in the 1950's - What a time! Look!

[Winston]

Wow check out this video about life in America in 1957. Wow it was so much better in many ways than today.



Check out this great comment below the video where someone describes what it was like during that era:

"James Miller

"Having lived during this time I can confirm all that you have presented above. It IS as it was. For instance . . . Everything was remarkably inexpensive and almost all items were marked "Made in USA". Sure, inflation existed but, it was a slow moving affair 'though over the long run it sure added up, stealing savings thereby. Our family doctor made house calls, now a thing of the past if you are not truly wealthy. The Hippocratic Oath ruled those early doctors' conscience' when the notion of becoming well off by doctoring laid safely in the future. Also, entrepreneurial effort could be rewarded with riches if one had the requisite talent, creativity and drive. (Here let's think early computer ideas and the famous non-corporate types that had them.) The level of civility as taught was far higher, with nary a curse word to be heard publicly. We kids all seemed to have a standard type outfit: T-shirts with those colorful horizontal stripes across them. My grand parents, as I remember well. almost always dressed 'to the nines' when going out to do even ordinary things, and my grandmother in Fox Furs to go out weekend shopping! Yikes! But they did so more in the Forties and this lessened somewhat going into the Fifties. The subject of (shhh S-E-X!) was left mainly to be divined by ESP in many cases. Well, it seemed that way looking back. In my small desert town which we inhabited Middle-class style, there were the occasional slip-ups happening, when some couple would be reported (down the grape-vine) as having to get married quickly. And, as I remember, very occasionally the police would show up at my high school and some teacher forever after was to never appear again. In those days, other than some ugly stuff just as now, there was no verbal description existing for "gay" but, very sub terra and quietly, much of such-related action somehow got done and with not inconsiderable abandon, wanton or no, the parents only very rarely catching-on. (Naturally I do no speak of this from personal knowledge, but rather compliments of that same rumoring Grape-vine.) Worries were about things mostly mundane as compared to now, where so many are deadly-serious. The Atomic Energy thing did not occupy much of my mind's time at all. Also, a real high-light was the Atomic themed science fiction B&W movies we kids went into town to see, or earlier, to what was called the Drive-In Theater where while in our autos we would watch movies projected outside. For a truly authentic portrayal of our Fifties Science Fiction movie revels, do see "Matinee" starring John Goodman. THEN you will understand!! (Even tho this particular action happened in the early Sixties, it was identical earlier. Take my word for it.) As far as violence went, it essentially did not exist, and when some thing did break forth, it was BIG NEWS, and not something regular as to happening. Racial tensions? Absolutely non-existent! (One of the wicked evils of segregation, now nice and all-fixed.) That's the report."

Someone else said that in 1957 their dad made 27 dollars a week and was able to buy a house and raise a family of four with that. But that america is gone.

[Winston]

Another video showing life in the 1950's. Wow. Life looked so proper, clean and moralistic. Men and women dressed nicely and conservatively too. Normal men wore suits, not T-Shirts.

[Winston]

Wow check out this 1950's video about homosexuality and how boys need to be aware of gay men. lol. Weren't they so open and tolerant toward gays? lol

[Winston]

Wow check out these videos about home economics in the 1950's. lol

[Winston]

1950's video teaching boys how to ask a girl out for a date. lol

[Winston]

@Adama wouldn't you have fit in America a lot better during the 1950's? lol

[Winston]

To be honest, after watching some of these videos, I get the impression that yeah the 1950's were better in terms of the economy, family values, cost of living, stable jobs, and moral values. However, there is no freethought or nonconformity at all. Or even true individualism. Everyone back then looked like a pure conformist, like mainland China is today. No rebels or hippies existed. So you could not be a freethinker. My friend Mitchell told me that his mom told him that back in the 1950's if you were a nonconformist or freethinker, they would put you in a mental institution, because that is not allowed. So it was a culture of total conformity, even though many things were nice. But I guess that in a good environment with good people, less people will be inclined to be rebels or nonconformists, because people will feel happier and more harmonious with others. So it's possible that had I grown up back then, I may not have been incited to become a misfit or nonconformist. Who knows.

[Winston]

American suburb life in the 1950's. Wow.

[Winston]

American family life in the 1950's. Wow.

[kairosan117]

Back then, most families were going to church and had stable office jobs. If you were married, your woman would be at home cleaning while you would be at work and you made enough to buy a car, appliances , TV was was a new consumer product. if you were a kid, you practice bomb drills at school and even though Jim crow was law, black communities had their own thriving banks, stores and clubs and most black families were together as a happy family....

[kairosan117]

[Adama]

@Adama wouldn't you have fit in America a lot better during the 1950's? lol

Without the internet and phone apps? I read the Bible on a phone app 99.9% of the time.

[Winston]

@Adama wouldn't you have fit in America a lot better during the 1950's? lol

Without the internet and phone apps? I read the Bible on a phone app 99.9% of the time.

He meant in terms of people, family values and moral values.

There's nothing wrong with reading a real book. The problem is that books are heavy so you can't carry too many of them, especially when traveling.

[Winston]

Wow check out this video from 1957 about how much petting, touching and affection young couples on a date can do without crossing the line of appropriateness. lol. Imagine a video like this coming out in modern America today. lol. Young people would give such a video the middle finger. lol



Great comment below the video:

Michelle Everett 4 years ago
It's interesting how niceness was an appreciated quality back then. He doesn't say "You're the prettiest, sexiest, hottest girl I've ever met, Mary", he says she's the nicest. I wish being nice were still admired.

So true. In the 1950's being nice was considered a good thing and an attractive quality to the opposite sex. Today being nice is useless unless you work in customer service, where it's mandatory and expected. But not in the dating scene, no way.

[Winston]

Wow check out this film about traveling across America by Greyhound bus in the 1950s. Notice how friendly and wholesome everyone is to each other. It looks so easy to talk to perfect strangers on the bus. Everyone looks so prim and proper too. No one looks degenerate or trashy. lol. I know the dialogue is probably scripted but still, I'm sure people were somewhat like this in real life back then. Also everyone was so patriotic back then. You weren't allowed to criticize or insult America, as you can see in the conversations on the bus. lol. Can you guys imagine talking to these people on the bus in the film about gay rights or tattoos? lol

How come today, when you get on a Greyhound bus, the people there look so low class, degenerate and trashy? lol. Nothing like in this video.