(Cultural changes) The origins of a teenage culture Flashcards
What happened in the 50s?
A real emergence of teenage culture
How did the population of people aged under 24 change?
1950 - 41.6%
1960 = 44.4%
How were teenagers seen?
A distinct social group with common interests.
How did the economic boom impact teenagers?
Financial power for teenage consumerism and independence from parents
What did teenage culture consist of as a result of the economic boom?
(4)
Availability of cars
Fast food diners
Hollywood
Rock n Roll
What was the teenage market estimated to be?
$10 billion a year by 1955
How were teenagers becoming more sexually active?
Indiana University Institute of Sexual Research claimed 95% of males had been sexually active by 15 with similar findings for girls.
What did Frederic Wretham publish in 1954?
What did this claim?
What happened as a result?
Seduction of innocence
Comic books helped to corrupt young people
By 1955, 13 states passed laws regulating comic books to prevent overt references to sex & immoral behaviour.
Who published ‘Seduction of Innocence’, claiming comic books helped to corrupt young people?
When?
Frederic Wretham
1954
What was the belief surrounding teenager culture on behalf of adults?
It was confrontational and rebellious, unlike their own more sedate teenage years.
Moral concern - how did TV and film contribute to a moral concern?
Contributed to teenage stereotypes of aggressive juvenile delinquents who were confrontational towards authority.
Moral concern - what did the media claim?
Gangs of youths were roaming inner cities and engaging in random acts of violence, drunkenness and disrespectful behaviour.
Moral concern - give evidence to suggest teenagers were becoming more violent.
1956, New York, teenage murders had risen by 26% on the previous year.
Moral concern - how were parents blamed?
How was education blamed?
Leaving “latchkey kids” to fend for themselves.
Many teenagers found formal education to be irrelevant to the needs of modern teenagers.
Moral concern - what evidence suggests that teenagers were not as violent as thought to be?
LA police showed less than 1 in 10 teenage gangs participated in violent behaviour and less than 1% of teenagers nationally were ever held on criminal charges in 1956.
Moral concern - give evidence to suggest traditional values and concepts were still in place.
Early 50s = average age for marriage was 20.3 years
1940 = 21.5
Moral concern - what does the decreasing average age for marriage suggest?
Traditional values & concepts were still in place.
Rock n roll - what was rock n roll music closely associated with?
Teenage rebellion
Rock n roll - who are examples of famous rock n roll artists?
Elvis Presley
Rock n roll - what other music was rock n roll closely associated with?
What is significant about this?
African American music
It only took off in popular culture once it had started to be performed by white musicians.
Rock n roll - what did many teenagers still prefer to listen to?
Give evidence.
The likes of Pat Boon and Perry Como
One of the biggest hits of 1953 was ‘How Much is That Doggie in the Window?’
