Fifties Culture Study Notes

The topic is centered on Fifties culture, with a focus on social movements, particularly those affecting women and minorities.

Post-war economy changes society: Factors influencing the culture of the 1950s include the GI Bill and its impact on Americans.
  - GI Bill (Serviceman's Readjustment Act): Extended benefits to veterans, including:
    - Homeowner loans
    - Business loans
    - College tuition for veterans and their dependents
  - Contributed to the baby boom and the rise of the middle-class suburban lifestyle.
Emergence of the American Dream characterized by the ideal of a white picket fence and a higher quality of life.
The fifties witnessed a shift towards consumerism, particularly during the Eisenhower administration, encouraging family growth and suburban migration.

The Great White Flight: Movement from urban areas to suburbs, facilitated by:
  - The affordability of homes in areas like Levittown, which pioneered mass housing manufacturing.
  - Suburban lifestyle included:
    - Families aiming for a better life away from urban chaos which involved having around 2-3 children (metaphorically depicted as 2.5).
  - Public perception: Confusion among students about concepts like the 2.5 child family model.

Post-WWII shift: Many women returning to traditional roles as homemakers after wartime employment.
- Jobs previously held by women were often given back to veterans.
- Social pressure for women to marry and become housewives; the period saw less resistance compared to the previous decade (the 1920s).
Gender norms: The ideal was for women to enjoy homemaking, though many faced dissatisfaction and felt pressured to conform to societal expectations of a perfect housewife.

The expansion of the automobile industry made personal vehicles accessible and essential to American life.
- Influential policies like the Federal Highway Act facilitated the development of interstates, changing mobility and encouraging car use.
- Roads enabled weekend excursions and increased tourism.
Cultural Impact of Cars:
- Emphasis on leisure activities such as Sunday drives (illustrated by anecdotes from the speaker's mother).
- Pollution emerged as a future concern due to increased automobile use.

Rise in consumer culture: Advertising proliferated, influencing public perceptions of success and happiness.
  - TV became affordable, with household ownership soaring from 3.9% to 86.7% during the fifties, shaping societal norms and reinforcing traditional family models.
  - People compared themselves to the idealized family depicted on screen, stirring feelings of inadequacy.
  - Advertisements encouraged “keeping up with the Joneses”, creating pressure for material acquisition.
A shift in women's advertising portrayals:
  - Ads implied that women’s happiness was tied to domestic ability, often emphasizing cleanliness and service to husbands.
  - Prominent examples include:
    - Lysol ads promoting cleaning as essential to a happy marriage.
    - Promotions suggesting household appliances as gifts for wives, equating their happiness with material possessions.

Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique critiqued the glorification of women's roles as housewives, forcing women to confront their feelings of dissatisfaction.
- Highlighted the concept of the problem that has no name, expressing women's unvoiced struggles.
- Women's education during this era often served as a means to find a husband rather than to pursue a career.
Cultural Responses:
- Some women supported Friedan's ideas while others viewed the book as criticism of their lifestyle choice.

Alfred Kinsey’s research in the fifties challenged traditional views on sexuality:
- His studies (e.g., Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, Sexual Behavior in the Human Female) revealed that many perceived 'abnormal' behaviors were actually common.
- Opened discussions about women’s sexual enjoyment, sparking the sexual revolution movement.

Emergence of parenting literature advocating for more attentive, nurturing methods:
- Benjamin Spock's guidelines replaced stern discipline with trust in maternal instincts, influencing the baby boom generation’s upbringing.

Post-war teens experienced cultural conformity:
- Characteristics included the rise of soda shops, poodle skirts, and a backlash from the counter-culture movement characterized by rebellion (e.g., greasers, rock and roll).
Literature reflected this cultural push and the conflict with conservatism:
- Recommendations for banned literature (“Death of a Salesman, On the Road, etc.).

Emergence of Beatniks and the counter-cultural movement, diverging from mainstream norms embracing jazz, beat poetry, and nonconformist lifestyles.
Influence of characters like James Dean and Marlon Brando, who embodied rebellion and countercultural themes.

Contribution of advancements like the Polio Vaccine and DDT:
- Initially positive public reception turned sour upon realizing the environmental and health ramifications of DDT.
The Cold War Paranoia influenced domestic politics:
- Initiation of McCarthyism, wariness towards communism, and the impact on civil liberties and freedoms.
- J. Edgar Hoover’s pursuit of suspected communists led to extensive political repression at the governmental level.

The fifties was a time marked by dramatic cultural shifts: economic prosperity, women's changing roles, suburbanization, counter-culture, and the roots of the feminist movement. These factors not only defined the era but also laid the groundwork for future social movements in the sixties and beyond.