8.5 Flashcards
1
Q
Television
A
- Most homes one by 1961. People began to worry about the mind-rot that youth experienced as they spent hours watching mindless shows. Shows reinforced conservative values (gender roles).
2
Q
Consumerism
A
- aggressive advertising by name brands promoted common material wants, the introduction of suburban shopping centers and plastic credit cards (1950s)
3
Q
Credit Cards
A
- Allowed people to buy stuff without the money (“buying on credit” from before)
4
Q
Fast Food
A
- restaurants on the roadside was one measure of success for the new marketing techniques and standardized products as the nation turned from “mom and pop” stores to franchise operations.
5
Q
Paperback books
A
- (1950s)
- Americans were reading more than ever and almost a million copies sold a day by 1960.
6
Q
Records
A
- inexpensive long-playing (LP) record albums and stacks of 45 rpm records increased music consumption
7
Q
Rock and Roll music
A
- a blend of African American rhythm and blues sounds with White country music, popularized by the gyrating Elvis Presley. Largely consumed by teenagers.
8
Q
Conglomerates
A
- The combination of multiple businesses began to dominate industries.
9
Q
Business
A
- More white-collar jobs than blue-collar jobs.
- Large corporations promoted teamwork and conformity, including a dress code
10
Q
The Organization Man (1956) by William Whyte
A
- documented this loss of individuality in his
book . A key point was that people believed that organizations could make better decisions than individuals, and thus serving an organization became preferable to developing one’s individual creativity. - For most Americans, conformity was a small price to pay for higher paycheck/comfy lifestyle
11
Q
Merger of American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) (1955)
A
Big unions became more powerful and more conservative as blue-collar workers began to enjoy middle-class incomes.
12
Q
Disneyland in California
A
- (1955)
- more money to spend on entertainment
13
Q
Organized religions
A
- expanded dramatically after World War II with the building of thousands of new churches and synagogues.
14
Q
Will Herberg’s book Protestant, Catholic, Jew
A
- (1955)
- commented on the new religious tolerance of the times and the lack of interest in doctrine, as religious membership became a source of both individual identity and socialization.
15
Q
Women’s Roles
A
- Baby boom and media reaffirmed role as housewife. However, dissatisfaction was growing, especially among well-educated women of the middle class who would enter the workforce in their middle-ages. Men still saw women as housewives and they had lower wages.
