Fifties Society Summary

From the outside, the 1950’s was a great time for America. Society revolved around the idea of America being a middle-class nation. Americans worshipped conformity, and materialism satisfied the need to conform. However, the prosperity of materialistic America hid the growing, numerous problems. Dissent in any way was not tolerated; all injustice was stifled by a fear of difference. In “Fifties Society,” Alan Brinkley discusses the truth of the era; that the fear of nonconformity was hidden by the seemingly prosperous middle-class nation. Brinkley argues the Beat movement and “feminine mystique” show that the people who did not fit in reveal the true colors of 1950’s society.
The Beat movement was made up young writers and authors who grew

up in the middle class but choose to define societal norms. They rejected all aspects of American middle-class society, replacing them with polar opposite ideas. Even though the Beats did not attract much attention, they are very significant to the meaning of the problems of the 50’s. The Beats show how repressive the time was, and how people were trapped by the traditional views of society. The video, “Snap Out of It” shows the fear of dissent underlying all aspects of society. The video promotes going along with the flow, and accepting the world for they way it is by explaining how to “snap out of it” when you are disappointed. The Beats are what the makers of the video were afraid of, people not following the norm. The video rationalizes forgetting your disappointments, and the rationalization of conformity is what hides the problems the Beat movement reveals. The video, “Are You Popular?” also the shows the fear of nonconformity that the Beat movement was not afraid of. In order to be popular, you must being pleasant, agreeing, and conforming to others ideas. Dissent was what made you unpopular. The Beat movement is made of the people who did not agree, who were not afraid to be unpopular. The Beats disobeyed the ideas promoted by “Snap Out of It” and “Are You Popular?”, explaining the hidden issues forming in 1950’s society.
Women were one of the greatest victims of having to conform in 1950’s society.

It was expected of women to get married, have children, buy a suburban home and do housework. The video, “A Word to the Wives” displays what Betty Friedan calls, “the feminine mystique”. The video presents the dilemma of a woman who is not happy because she does not have the newest house. Her friend has all the new “necessities” in order to successfully complete housework. Women were defined by what they had, not by who they were. Friedan’s research found that despite fulfilling the “feminine mystique”, when women were questioned they realized they were not truly satisfied with their life. The woman in the video would not of been fulfilled by buying a new house, or object. Women were deprived of the need to put their skills and talents to a purpose. The video, “Are You Popular” also shows the expectations of women.. It promotes that appearance, serving others, and rewarding men with “women” gifts such as baking is how to be popular. It condones girls for “parking in cars” but accepts men who do the same thing. Women must earn the approval of men, and men must earn women by doing thing women are “incapable” of. The repression of women in the 50’s is what eventually causes the “outbreak” of feminism in the 60’s. The idolism of the “female mystique” covered the sexism against women in the

fifties.