There were a lot of unpleasant changes that hit American society. All these transformations and speculation created irreversible consequences in terms of individuals’ socialization processes and the way Americans accept realities. This story is about a nation degenerating and decaying at a progressive pace. Nowadays, people are in desperate need to bring things back on track as they are suffocating with pervasive oppression of their fundamental rights and needs. At the outset, everything seems pretty nice, and people do not notice that their country is rampant with drugs, crimes, dirt, and noise; but inside, they are on the edge of a blind alley.
The majority of Americans tend to look back on the 1950s and consider this era a good time in American history in terms of many social perspectives. While racking up happy memories, people who are advanced in years say that their homes were safe, meaning that many people did not bother to lock their doors as anybody intended to break into houses. Public schools were excellent, as children got complete education that made them well-read and versatile individuals.
Men treated women with great respect and considered them to be the real ladies who committed themselves to make good homes, bringing up their children, and participating in volunteer activities. Children were reared in two-parent households, where parents devoted all their lives to their stability and prosperity, loving them unconditionally and sacrificing all their energy and resources to their kids.
Undoubtedly, something has changed drastically since those times. In case a random ancestor of the 1950s comes to this time, there would not be anything reminiscent to them in this developing country. They would be terrified, shocked, and smitten to witness what their country has become. It would be next to impossible to realize that they would not be allowed to go places, as certain parts of the city are for particular country residents.
They must lock their doors and windows just in case so as not to be the victims of burglary. If these wanderers bring their families with them, they must pass the process of verification and careful examinations on social institutes’ behalf allowing their children to get an education in public school or rejecting them. Another peculiarity that might shock these strangers is the fact that their children would learn that homosexuality is normal and even welcomed in the current world.
Over the last forty-fifty years, America has been conquered by a force called Marxist ideology. Nowadays, political activists are defying long-standing moral rules and ideas, claiming individuals to carry out a harsh breakdown on the armor of conservative and outmoded stereotypes (Kruger 45). Activists, lobbyists, and politicians are trying to imbed the idea of uniformity of thinking in human beings’ consciousness (Kruger 123). They lobby for the notion that it is customary to give birth to children out of wedlock; to occupy male working positions, such as police officers and soldiers, by women. They do not understand why men should still hold doors open for ladies and why homosexuals and transgender expressions should be shunned and severely criticized.
Obviously, Marxism is the basis of the moral value eradication regarded at implementing such terms as uniformity of thought and behavior, transgender sexual free expression, and out-of-wedlock relationships (Leoni 75). Individuals are taught to swim with the tide in expressing their ordinary standpoints during their upbringing and are stimulated to expropriate their moral and cultural values by indulging their sexual-related whims.
Undoubtedly, the 1950s were supposed to be “the golden era” of the American family, as women did not cater around but were full-time mothers and housewives. At the same time, their husbands were breadwinners carrying for their families and household. People put in their best endeavors to raise and rear their children and help them get a higher education and a decent job in the future. At the present moment, the picture is different and needs drastic alterations.
Coontz, in her essay “What we really miss about the 50’s” raises the same critical issue, such as family value elimination. The author conveys cultural and ethical messages in her essay. She describes families glued to TV dramas shaped individuals’ outlook back then. She is decisive that most Americans might choose the 1950’s period, as they consider it to be the best decade for children’s upbringing.
Coontz highlights that people led that lifestyle due to the social and economic environment predisposing their commitment to family boundaries (84). Coming out of the financial crisis (the Great depression) after the war, most families were disadvantaged. Many women could have several children at once, and females needed prominent breadwinners to supply them and their children with food and finances. Coontz notes that that lifestyle was expected, and all people were engrossed with the idea of refinement of their households.
Another argument that Coontz brings up is the family power through soap operas and dramas; and sitcoms. Back then, television was growing in popularity, and all-American families participated in family-get-togethers in front of the TV. They were glued to TV screens, watching various dramas that reshaped and brainwashed their minds. They accepted those false illusions they watched on TV as real ones and wanted them to become real in their lives. TV sitcoms set a role model of an allegedly family pattern to follow, and families act on them without reservations. It is incredible to realize the power of media and other social contexts in influencing people’s mindsets.
It is another credible evidence that people can be manipulated and forced to follow the crowd. The combination of both factors made the 50s “the golden era” of the American family. The first factor is that people tried to hand in long-standing values and morals from generation to generation. The second one is that individuals were given a particular picture of a happy family that made them create this image in real life unintentionally.
Some people believe the 50’s to be the best years and would like to come back, while others doubt the upsides of that time. There are a lot of major merits to living in that era, as it is a perfect picture portraying people devoted to their families. If this paradigm returns, no children would be raised in one-parent households, affecting infants’ mental conditions as kids need two parents while growing. Husbands would not cheat on their wives; wife would spend all their time in return. Homosexuals would be prohibited; the level of education would be on the rise, and there would be a lot of significant changes in people’s lives in terms of their spiritual growth and financial prosperity. On the other hand, other people wonder if that lifestyle influences how people express themselves. Following the steps of our ancestors might make women thoughtless creatures bringing up children following the preordained paths of their future with no opportunity to project themselves in a different way.
The question concerning the merits and demerits of the 1950s is still open. On the one hand, there are a lot of significant benefits of living at that time. The concept of pure and serene love was omnipresent; people devoted all their existence to their beloveds. Moral and cultural values were embedded in human beings’ minds. On the other hand, people were not allowed to expand their boundaries and present true-self that did not correspond to the general principles and viewpoints.
Works Cited
Colombo, Gary, et al. Rereading America. Eleventh Edition. Macmillan Learning, 2019.
Kruger, Douglas. How to Grow Rich: 50 Ways to Debunk Money Myths and Master Wealth. General Press, 2021.
Kruger, Douglas. Political Correctness Does More Harm Than Good. AMBASSADOR International, 2020.
Leoni, Zeno. American Grand Strategy from Obama to Trump. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2021.