It’s the 1950s. A man is walking home from work, a cigar lazily balanced between the ends of his fingertips. Sauntering across the road, he waves to his neighbor, who is watering his perfectly manicured lawn. On his lawn two kids are hula hooping, happy smiles on their faces. They run to him, hugging his legs. His wife sits on the porch, mending an old blanket with needle and thread whilst humming along to the tune playing on the radio. The perfect American Dream.
It is difficult to imagine the sinister hand of fear and atomic destruction looming over this era; this perfect, utopian era. Nevertheless, it was the most intimate humanity has ever become with the wretched power of the atomic bomb.
The one most culpable of the glorification of this Age was the propaganda the U.S. government was slewing out to the masses. After the horrific winds of World War II swept across the world, it left in its wake a broken foundation of barren nations. Two superpowers crawled up from the shattered playing fields of the world and set their accusing eyes on each other; the U.S.S.R. and the United States.
The U.S.S.R. immediately began to flex her newfound prowess. The rise and fear of communism permeated throughout the world. What did the United States government do in response? They made it personal. If you were strange you must be a communist; if you were staring at your neighbor too long you must be a communist; if your family was from the Bloc you must be a communist. The manic tides of McCarthyism were sweeping across the nation with a speed parallel to none. The United States government had her grip on the American people, and there it would stay.
But, nowadays, this fear does not seem to make us afraid. We think of the great, prosperous times these people were having without giving a second thought to the seemingly inevitable nuclear armageddon. We now look back on the fallout shelters of the Atomic Age as family fun. Video games such as the Fallout series have even demonstrated these horrors in unique ways, oftentimes twisting the truth for dramatic effect.
It is disrespectful to forget these times and blanket them with a false reality. The 1950s was not a desirable time, especially with the figure of nuclear war looming over America and her allies. I do not believe we should ever glamourize and glorify such ages -- it takes away the meaning and reality of said situations.
If you want to see what a nuclear warning broadcast would look like here are 2 links:
1980s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhgJG__IkyY
Present Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvpYUxI45d0&t=94s
- Would you like to live in the 50s?
- Do you believe video games such as Fallout have a negative impact on popular culture? If so, why?
- What is the first thing you think of when the 50s come to mind?
https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/media-censorship
https://www.nps.gov/articles/coldwar_civildefense_kennedyrockefellerandcd.htm
https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3706.html
Replies
Great topic and well done Darbie! I do think a lot of students don't have the backgrounmd knowledge of this topic or what the 1950's were like to be able to comment to your questions. We discussed this challenge in class the other day.
When I think of the 50s, I think of nice cars and nuclear tests. No, I would like to live in the 50s. A constant state of fear over nuclear bnombarfdment doesn't sould like much fun. I don't think games like fallout have a negative impact on culture besides how the developers handle producing the game.
I personally wouldn't like to live in America during the 50's. The fact that somehow people have been basically brainwashed into thinking this period of time was perfect and Hollywood perfect is sad when you think about everything else that went on during this time.
The first thing I think of when I think of the '50s is the classic American dream, which nothing is wrong with. However, I think romanticizing the whole decade is a little odd, especially considering all the bad things going on in that decade. Especially since bad things happen in every decade, it doesn't make sense to me to romantacize a whole period of time.
I agree that it is wrong to romantacize an entire time period. It makes it difficult for us then to discern reality from the propoganda we have made ourselves.
I think the 1950's was definitely glorified, and is still even brought to the media as some sort of "paradise". I think it would be a lot of fun to live in the 50's like you see in the movies. When I think of this era I think of the clothes and the way people just hung out and always had fun.
I believe that the 50s is a glorified era, and all that we see in the movies may not be true all the time. Hollywood glamour and over-saturation of the 50s genre also makes it seem almost kin to a fantastical era.
I think living during the 1950's would be amazing. As I've seen in movie and other things like that, the 1950's just seems like a paradise. When I think of the 1950's I think of high school kids hanging out and living the dream. I do think the game Fallout has q slight impact on popular culture.
I would have to disagree with you. The nostalgia for the 50s was created by us trying to remember the time as less destructive and fear-mongering. Fallout has had a large impact on how we the view the 50s, but it has helped glorify the love of the atomic age.
I think that the decade was definitely romanticized and glorified by the media of not only that time but nowadays as well. Really when I think of the 50s I think of the lace polka dot dresses that all the women wore and definitely not the horrors of atomic war and communism.
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