Mass Culture After 1945

Explain how mass culture was maintained and challenged during the period after 1945.

A widespread, homogenous set of ideas and patterns of behavior to which many Americans subscribed.
Pressure to conform culturally came from McCarthyism. Fear of communists led to societal pressure to be a predictable kind of American.
Avoid being labeled a nonconformist to avoid suspicion as an enemy of the state.

Television: By the end of the 1950s, nearly 90% of American households had a television.
- Like the radio, television provided a platform for the consumption of mass culture.
- Television programming was dominated by a few networks, featuring:
  - Sports Programming
  - Sitcoms
  - Soap Operas
  - Variety Shows
- Suburban sitcoms (e.g., Leave It to Beaver, Father Knows Best) presented the ideal American family with a working dad, housewife, and obedient children.
- These programs provided a common language and shared values among Americans, spreading mass culture.
Advertising Industry: Rose along with television.
- Due to general prosperity, the middle class had more disposable income.
- Advertisers became more aggressive, appealing to emotional needs (belonging, status) rather than survival needs.
- Products were offered as an answer to these emotional needs.
- Exploiting people's desire for belonging and status.
Credit Cards: Addressed the problem of people wanting more than they could afford.
- Widespread use of credit allowed people to buy more than they could afford and pay it off over time.
Rock and Roll Music: Became exceedingly popular among young people.
- Spread mass culture mainly to the younger generation.
- Older generation often detested it.
- Had roots in the black community (e.g., Chuck Berry) but took on a white face (e.g., Elvis Presley).

Artists challenged the cultural conformity of the age.
Beatniks/Beat Generation: Group of poets who rebelled against conformity through their poetry.
- Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road, used a stream-of-consciousness style, rejecting standard poetical meter for a free-form style.
- Championed individualism, spontaneity, and freedom.
J.D. Salinger: Wrote The Catcher in the Rye.
- Novel about Holden Caulfield, a troubled and cynical teenager with a distaste for phoniness.
- Caulfield's criticism targeted mass cultural conformity.

The spread of mass culture through television, advertising, and music was contrasted by artists who rebelled against this conformity by calling for spontaneity and truthful living.