In response to the claim that popular culture no longer cares about the serious topics, I think it is important to remember that this assertion is really an illusion. A particular stance claims, “Things ‘nowadays’ or ‘today’ are worse than they were in a previous golden age—the 1950s . . .” (MeKee 26). People always remember the positive, rather than the trying times. As one classmate suggested, the media seemed to have forgotten their vilification of Michael Jackson and praised his talents instead after he died. This illustrates how humans remember the positive and forget the negative. McKee explains that the past is really is “idealized,” and I agree (26). People always talk about ‘the good old days,’ but what exactly are those? The 1950s are not “the good old days,” people simply have only remembered only the good things. For example, I watch reruns of “I Love Lucy” of the 1950s which reflect the ideals and norms for that decade. Several episodes focus on Lucy’s ob
session to lose weight or on materialistic things like a new freezer. People are and have always been concerned with these types of things or trivialities. It isn’t something new that makes the twenty-first century worse in any way. People tend to romanticize the past. I believe humans tend not to dwell on things that end badly. We are no better or worse than the 1950s.
session to lose weight or on materialistic things like a new freezer. People are and have always been concerned with these types of things or trivialities. It isn’t something new that makes the twenty-first century worse in any way. People tend to romanticize the past. I believe humans tend not to dwell on things that end badly. We are no better or worse than the 1950s.
Yeah we still want the same things, and we're still interested in the same kind of stuff, but how can you say we're no better or worse than the 1950's? We are definitely in a worse economic sense for starters, and although Lucy's shows may have been aimed at ridiculous concepts for accumulating wealth and fame, they are still not as bad as "nowadays". Watch an episode of Jersey Shore and witness the many fist pumps, drunken nights, random adventures, and slutty hookups. NONE of this would be allowed on t.v. during Lucy's time, for God's sake they weren't even allowed to sleep in the same bed on that show, let alone say the WORD pregnant.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people seem to remember the good times instead of the bad. But the fifties was defintely a more innocent time than today. And people could get more for their money because the quality of products was much better then than they are now. Things were made to last longer like toys, and clothes. Also people in today's society say cuss words like it's nothing, which would never happen in the fifties much less the word bitch being said on tv. I think some things in the fifties were better than it is now, but I am glad to live in today's society. But I can appreciate the style, music,tv, and entertainment of the fifties.
ReplyDeleteEven though I love the 50’s in a nostalgic form, I would never want to live in that period of time. The TV 50’s I think are the what most people would like the world to be. But the fact of the 50’s was that everything was not as it seemed. Although things like cheese burgers were about 15 cents, most people only made about a $1.25 an hour, if that. On that pay they wanted to live the American dream with the sprawling yard and ranch style house, while having a family, and a dog; not an easy thing to achieve. Technologically yes, we have come a long way, but to glorify the past only leads to living in the past.
ReplyDeleteI think people romanticize that era based on the nostalgic 1950s sitcoms that rerun today. I think that T.V. was very conservative and unrealistic in reflecting natural everyday life. Do we really know what life was like? No. But I am willing to bet that people cussed just as much as they do now. I’m sure there were drunken nights etc. in the 1950s as well; this was just something not portrayed on T.V. or something that people weren’t comfortable discussing. I just think that through the years citizens have become more tolerant and accepting. If anything, I think that this is for the better because it realistically portrays American culture, rather than an ideal. I will also take a stance that this is certainly not a negative decline rather than a natural shift. Were they better off in the 1950s? My response is that it certainly wasn’t a fairy tale. There was strong unease with the Russians and the Red Scare—people had bomb shelters in their backyard. There were race, gender, and sexual orientation boundaries that had not been shattered yet. Each period has their struggles and uneasiness and each of the following generations has an easier time dealing with things (off and on television) that the previous generation found more disturbing. So, it’s not a decline—only a natural shift.
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