re: 1950's in America. Was it really better than today?

As a child of the '50s and '60s I think we tend to romanticize the time of our youth. I had a wonderful childhood in those days, but it was not without fear.

It was a sleepy time. I really don't remember the economy (my folks provided for me). It was the precursor of an escalated cold war (but at least we knew our enemy) in the '60s. I remember well the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Berlin Wall, the Viet Nam War, the social unrest we had, the drug culture, the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK.

What I really appreciated about my youth was the music from the mid-60s -- The Beach Boys, The British Invasion, and MoTown. I still listen to it.

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People partied like there was no tomorrow because basically they didn't really believe there would be one

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That's the way I looked at it... No heavy drugs... Just weed... I miss those days......... Well the 70's that is....

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People weren't nearly as uptight about smoking, drinking, drugs as they are today.

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Correct.... I guess where I lived it wasn't such a big problem... But I lived in classic "SMALL TOWN] USA....
Talk about culture shock moving from Michigan to Louisiana in 1979... I was like..WHOA! These people like to party..... I still can't believe how much money I blew in NOLA the 1st few years I was down here.........


But back on topic... Has anyone else on here heard the American Graffiti soundtrack?????? Its an all time classic... Malt shops and music like that was awesome I am sure... There was STILL an AIR of innocence back in the 50's that just doesn't compute in todays age.......

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IonaTiger

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You are a few years older than me IONA.........


I remember those things as well... I will never forget the day JFK was shot.. My mom and people around the area were freaking out... And YES I believe the music of the 50's paved the way for what we would here for decades to come.. A launching Pad if you will..........

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but it was not without fear.

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I guess this would be a product of WHERE you were raised...... I lived in Mich till I was 19 and there was NO crime... I moved to LA. in 1979 and still not much crime[Morgan City]. Then moved to BR in 1995 and I was in shock at the amount of crime and just awful things that were going on around me.....

I think if I was alive back then, the fear that war with Russia was always right around the corner would really be difficult to deal with. I know we have a similar problem now with the war on terror. I feel like going to a war with a "superpower" of the world would be much much worse. However that's all speculation and I am by no means an expert.

I remember reading facts comparing life then to now. The one that stuck out to me was, "major problems in school then were talking and chewing gum. Now it is normal to come across schools with metal detectors, on account of violence between classmates."

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1950's in America. Was it really better than today?

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What's the criteria for this rating? Us and the black families in our neighborhood didn't have air conditioning BUT we didn't have obama either.

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Worldwide and in the US

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I think a lot of people overlooked the question is based on a worldwide perspective.

I don't know the exact numbers, but it's safe to say we have made significant progress fighting world hunger, poverty, and even disease since this time. There's absolutely no question that on a global scale we are far better off today.

The "decay of morals" has nothing to do with today's problems and everything to do with ridiculous regulations, taxes, and of course the military industrial complex.

It's late, but the Department of Education and 24-hour news first come to mind about our present day issues, not technology. Our education system is failing countless kids, while the news just keeps everyone in a constant state of fear.

Just think of where we could be with most of the 1950s thought process and ideology...with 2015 technology.