Today's @bopinion post is about 1950s nostalgia.
THE 1950s ARE WAY OVERRATED.
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
THE 1950s ARE WAY OVERRATED.
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
Lots of social conservatives miss the culture of the 50s, and lots of (white) liberals pine for the strong unions and high taxes of the 50s.
Black people have...less reason to pine for the 50s.
Black people have...less reason to pine for the 50s.
Women too, of course.
But actually the idea of the single-breadwinner household is a bit of a myth. Lots of women still had to work in order to supplement their families' income. They just couldn't work at *good* jobs.
But actually the idea of the single-breadwinner household is a bit of a myth. Lots of women still had to work in order to supplement their families' income. They just couldn't work at *good* jobs.
And home-making was no picnic either.
Almost no one had a diswasher or a clothes dryer. You had to do it all by hand. Fewer than half even had a washing machine.
Want to go back to that??
Almost no one had a diswasher or a clothes dryer. You had to do it all by hand. Fewer than half even had a washing machine.
Want to go back to that??
But the 50s were great as long as you were white...right?
Well, as long as a poverty rate of over 18% is "great".
Well, as long as a poverty rate of over 18% is "great".
But for lots of (white) families, a single breadwinner could earn enough to afford a house, right?
Yeah, as long as you didn't mind if your house was under 1000 square feet.
Yeah, as long as you didn't mind if your house was under 1000 square feet.
And you had to squeeze your big 1950s family into that tiny house, and it didn't have air conditioning or other modern conveniences.
Oh, and yeah maybe you could support a family as a single breadwinner, but you had to work a LOT.
Remember those "good" 1950s factory jobs?
Try working at one. Hope you enjoy sweltering heat and the constant threat of getting your fingers chopped off!
Try working at one. Hope you enjoy sweltering heat and the constant threat of getting your fingers chopped off!
Oh, and here's what the outside world looked like in the 50s.
No EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act...
No EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act...
And since life expectancy in the 50s was just 70 years, you didn't have much retirement to look forward to!
In the decades after the 50s, the U.S. benefited from:
A) rapid economic growth
B) government anti-poverty programs
C) the banning of race and gender discrimination
D) environmental protection laws
And we became a MUCH better country as a result.
A) rapid economic growth
B) government anti-poverty programs
C) the banning of race and gender discrimination
D) environmental protection laws
And we became a MUCH better country as a result.
The 1950s certainly have some lessons for how to make the economy more equal (strong unions, high taxes).
But let's not be nostalgic for that decade. American life then was far worse than it is now.
(end)
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
But let's not be nostalgic for that decade. American life then was far worse than it is now.
(end)
bloomberg.com/opinion/articl…
