The 1950s were overrated!

[RKMBrown]

Good times, yeah I wish we had some of this enthusiasm going on now:


Maybe good times will return. We'll see.

 

[Rikurzhen]

All that is opinion except for the cars. 50s cars were works of art. Heavy metal, built by Americans for Americans, low slung, uncomplicated, easy to work on, roomy and comfortable.

Okay. I'll give ya the cars. The 50s still sucked.

It's hard for us to understand what life was like back then because we've been bathed in propaganda our entire lives. The only truth tellers would be our parents, grandparents, other old people who are honest and social science data. It's hard to chuck off the propaganda firehosed at us and stand apart and make judgments. The data though makes the most convincing case.

 

[Rikurzhen]

Nostalgia. Children aren't aware of or don't understand the social and political problems that are going on during their childhood. Stuff was going in the 50s. Blacks had a real hard time, as did a woman who became pregnant outside of marriage. People were forced to get married if they were pregnant. Or the girl was forced to give up the child. Women had to pretend to be virgins or to be virgins before anyone would marry them.

You make all that sound like bad things. Look where leniency and "tolerance"(non-judgmentalism) have brought us. The old way was better. It's better to defend social standards and preserve society than to abandon social standards and ride the train of social decay. Look about in the universe - disorder is always nipping at the heels of order. It takes effort to maintain order.

 

[Rikurzhen]

95% of music today sucks. Elvis ruled.

I guess you like thug culture.

I agree that most new music sucks. Them and Elvis have something in common. Talentless hacks who can't even write their own songs. He was the 50s equivalent of a boy band.

As far as "thug culture" goes, 80s and 90s rap was great. While there are occasionally good artists nowadays, most of them suck.

We're probably near in age and even back in the 90s I recognized that rap was taking music into a cruder, simplistic, more lowest common denominator direction. The only great thing about it was that it was the glue which bound kids together, a fad, not some inherent innovation or elevation of art.

 

[Rikurzhen]

Ah, yes! Elvis and the 1950's! This one was actually in the early 60's, but you get the point....

Things have certainly improved. We're now a more culturally refined bunch.

 

[Rikurzhen]

And the movies were great!

Look at that, no multicultualist cancer anywhere to be seen. That must have been so awful for you to live in. Much better for you to be spending lots of money now to live in "better" neighborhoods.

 

[Rikurzhen]

For my parents and for my dad in particular, the 50's and 60's were da bomb. He was in the Army Air Force but the war ended before he even got out of boot camp. He hated the army. Know why? Cause he didn't like anyone telling him what to do. Ha! He was the captain of telling others what to do.

Anyway, he went from box boy to president of the company he worked for, his life was the quintessential "American Dream".

I don't remember the 50's, before my time. Like all eras, I'm sure there were parts that were much better than today and parts that were much worse.

The fact that the American Dream could play out like that for your Dad and not so much for today's generation is not just something that's changed for an unknown reason, it's because of choices that were made.

 

[Lakhota]

Gunsmoke: The greatest TV western of all time (1955-1975).

 

[RKMBrown]

For my parents and for my dad in particular, the 50's and 60's were da bomb. He was in the Army Air Force but the war ended before he even got out of boot camp. He hated the army. Know why? Cause he didn't like anyone telling him what to do. Ha! He was the captain of telling others what to do.

Anyway, he went from box boy to president of the company he worked for, his life was the quintessential "American Dream".

I don't remember the 50's, before my time. Like all eras, I'm sure there were parts that were much better than today and parts that were much worse.

The fact that the American Dream could play out like that for your Dad and not so much for today's generation is not just something that's changed for an unknown reason, it's because of choices that were made.

Granted Lonesome Dove was a mini-series but I think one could argue it was a pretty damn good. Maybe even better than gunsmoke.

 

[skye]

Elvis' voice was awesome, and he put out some really great songs, but I couldn't take much of watching him sing. He was too weirdly animated for my tastes. I also consider him the King of rock and roll.

I was also a Ricky Nelson fan.

Motown ruled the 1960s - until the Beatles invasion.

Big fan of Ricky Nelson here!!!!!!!!!!! ...and yes.. 80% of 1950s music was amazing!!!!!!!

 

[Lakhota]

Elvis' voice was awesome, and he put out some really great songs, but I couldn't take much of watching him sing. He was too weirdly animated for my tastes. I also consider him the King of rock and roll.

I was also a Ricky Nelson fan.

Motown ruled the 1960s - until the Beatles invasion.

Big fan of Ricky Nelson here!!!!!!!!!!! ...and yes.. 80% of 1950s music was amazing!!!!!!!

Right on! Ricky was underrated.

 

[Lakhota]

For my parents and for my dad in particular, the 50's and 60's were da bomb. He was in the Army Air Force but the war ended before he even got out of boot camp. He hated the army. Know why? Cause he didn't like anyone telling him what to do. Ha! He was the captain of telling others what to do.

Anyway, he went from box boy to president of the company he worked for, his life was the quintessential "American Dream".

I don't remember the 50's, before my time. Like all eras, I'm sure there were parts that were much better than today and parts that were much worse.

The fact that the American Dream could play out like that for your Dad and not so much for today's generation is not just something that's changed for an unknown reason, it's because of choices that were made.

Granted Lonesome Dove was a mini-series but I think one could argue it was a pretty damn good. Maybe even better than gunsmoke.

Gunsmoke was the greatest TV western EVER. Lonesome Dove was the greatest TV western mini-series EVER - in my opinion.

I watch all the old reruns of Gunsmoke on the Encore Westerns Channel - and I now realize that Chester (Dennis Weaver) was much greater than I originally gave him credit for.

 

[Jarlaxle]

The 1950s were awesome! Music, cars, and television.

The music SUCKED. The cars SUCKED. The television SUCKED. The 50s SUCKED.

As a kid growing up in the 90s ,I thought they were great, but at least I recognize that it's likely just a bunch of nostalgic bullshit on my part.

Elvis sucked?

Like a 14-amp shop vac!

 

[JimH52]

Well, since I was born and spent my early years in the 50's, I have to admit that I look back on those years very fondly. My mother and father were alive, and my brothers and sisters were all younger, in prime health and being as young as I was (the youngest of six), really didn't have a care in the world. Ed Sullivan was on Sunday evenings. Chet Huntley and David Brinkley were doing the NBC News. Our black and white TV got two channels, three if we waited until past 9:00PM at night and turned the antenna just right. I would leave the house at 8:00am and played in the neighborhood until supper time when my father would stand on the front porch and whistle. You'd better answer and come right now, else you'd get in deep trouble. And if you did something wrong? Every person in town knew who you were and you could count on a phone call to your parents. Course, that's when you went through an operator to make even a local call because the phones didn't have a dial. When you did pick up a phone to make a call, the operator that answered was more likely a friends mom and she'd ask how you and your parents were. Every car was as big as a house and it was no big deal to lay on the back deck in the rear window and go to sleep while your father drove down to the A&W for a root beer. 5 cents for a small mug. 10 cents for a large one, but that was usually for adults.

Yeah, it was a horrible time. Forgive me if I don't whine and moan about the horrible social issues of the time. I wish there were more times like it ahead.

I lived in the country and don't forget party lines for our phones. We had as many as 4 other families on our party line. The art was to pick up the phone and listen to a neighbor's conversation without them knowing it.

 

[Rikurzhen]

I would leave the house at 8:00am and played in the neighborhood until supper time when my father would stand on the front porch and whistle. You'd better answer and come right now, else you'd get in deep trouble. And if you did something wrong? Every person in town knew who you were and you could count on a phone call to your parents.

That sense of community is amazing to read about and now it's gone. Thanks liberals.

 

[Pogo]

I would leave the house at 8:00am and played in the neighborhood until supper time when my father would stand on the front porch and whistle. You'd better answer and come right now, else you'd get in deep trouble. And if you did something wrong? Every person in town knew who you were and you could count on a phone call to your parents.

That sense of community is amazing to read about and now it's gone. Thanks liberals.

For creating this country and getting the People out from under the thumb of the First and Second Estates?
Yeah, you're welcome.

 

[Alex.]

The 1950's had great music, cars, films but society did not grow, people lived in fear of nuclear war. People seemed to be resting and recovering from WWII. The positive and the negatives seem to mirror just about any era.

 

[Lakhota]

The 1950's had great music, cars, films but society did not grow, people lived in fear of nuclear war. People seemed to be resting and recovering from WWII. The positive and the negatives seem to mirror just about any era.

Alex, I respect your opinion - but that isn't even close to the way I remember it - except for the concern over nuclear war. The America I knew prospered in the 1950s - and 1960s. Google it.

 

[Vandalshandle]

Look at that, no multicultualist cancer anywhere to be seen. That must have been so awful for you to live in. Much better for you to be spending lots of money now to live in "better" neighborhoods.

Say what.....?

 

[Lakhota]

Look at that, no multicultualist cancer anywhere to be seen. That must have been so awful for you to live in. Much better for you to be spending lots of money now to live in "better" neighborhoods.

Say what.....?

I assume he means no "diversity"...black...brown...yellow...foreign...etc...