Ashley Simon
Mrs. Teri Hevener
English 111
March 8, 2014 Society today and Society in the 1950’s
In the past sixty years are country has seen overwhelming change. Some change has been for the best, while much has been for the worse. We’ve seen amazing advancements in technology and made huge strides in the health field. Unfortunately we’ve also lost a lot of common sense and have a lack of morals and dignity. In the 1950’s family’s usually stayed together. Today a very big percentage of marriages end in divorce. In the fifties families ate dinner around the table together. Today people have such busy, hectic schedules that family meals are rare and often eaten in front of the TV. In the fifties jobs were easy to come by. Factories were everywhere and paid well enough to comfortably support a middle class family. Today good paying jobs are hard to find and most require a big, expensive degree and even then it’s not guarantee a job. In the 1950’s most mothers were able to and chose to stay home and raise their children. Today most mothers either do not want to or cannot afford to stay home, resulting in children spending most of their childhood in daycare while their mothers work. In the 1950’s children usually played outside, and it was safe enough for them to wander all over the neighborhood. Today kids spend most of their time watching TV and playing video games and can’t just roam around with their friends outside anymore. In the 1950s people often left their doors unlocked. Today that’s unthinkable.
In the 1950s people felt more involved and confident about their government. Today most people feel that they do not have a voice and don’t trust the government to do what is should. In the fifties the government was held responsible for their actions and our debt and other affairs were under control and handled efficiently. Today our government often does as it pleases and shifts the blame to the other party or someone else. Our debt along with about anything else the government does is a huge, unruly mess. In the fifties people didn’t have the air of entitlement that people do today. They valued hard work the ideas of capitalism, and believed that you had to earn what you wanted. Today so many people want everything handed to them. They love the idea of redistribution of wealth, “free” handouts, and are very good at working the system. . In the fifties things were well made and meant to last. People didn’t just throw something away when it broke. They fixed it. Today we live in a throwaway culture; everything’s made cheaply in China and meant to brake so you’ll have to go buy another one. Not only do we not put much value in objects, but often we treat people as disposable and replaceable as well. In the 1950s people dressed to impress with class and dignity, everyone did whether you where rich or poor. Today too many people dress sloppily or in revealing, unflattering fashions.
In the 1950s people did not have as easy access we have to news and information; they relied on newspapers and books. In the 1950s people died from sicknesses that can be treated easily today. Today there much research being done on diseases and cancers and we understand medical problems and health issues better today. In the 1950s people smoked a lot more than today and they did not understand things that cause health risks very well. Today we understand the health risks of smoking and other things like the importance a healthy diet and exercise. Today we are able to hear news much faster and pretty much find and research anything through the internet. In the fifties before internet, people lives were far less controlled by the media though. People formed opinions from life experiences, lessons they learned in the real world, and values they were taught. Today the mass media to often shapes people’s opinions, especially vulnerable children and young people. It tells us how we should look, how to be “cool”, what’s right and wrong, even how to think. The 1950s people used common sense and were rational. Today it’s all about being “politically correct” and over analyzing everything. In the 1950s’s people had high morals, values, and the line between right and wrong was thin. Today we live in a culture where everything goes, morals are scoffed at, and the line between right and wrong is always becoming more blurred.
The society of today and the society of the 1950s might as well be two different planets. We’ve made some important steps forward and improved certain areas life. While there were negatives in the 50s such as segregation and lack of understanding in the medical field, I think there is a lot we can learn from the fifties and what made it such a great time in our history.