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twf
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People over a certain age tend to see the past through through rose tinted glasss. I still remember certain posters on CAF who swear the 1950s was a Christian utopia of some sort.
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edwest2
Guest
This again? I was there. No, it was not perfect but it was 100% better than today. Sure, we had crime and all the rest but we did not lock our doors at night.
Speaking generally - to no one in particular - there is a vicious attack dog mentality promoted by some that the 1950s were absolutely wrong. Families, TV without sex and profanity and generally mild-mannered lives. That’s not only wrong - it’s impossible. I still live out what I was taught in the 1950s. Especially regarding God being a part of daily life.
Everything I learned then still applies to today.
Ed
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BoomBoomMancini
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The murder rate in the 1950s was about where it is today. It’s certainly much lower today than it was in the 70s and 80s.
I’m glad you apparently lived in an idyllic, Leave it to Beaver neighborhood in the 50s, but that doesn’t mean your experience was universal. The 1950s sucked for a lot of people.
And that’s not to say there wasn’t a lot to be admired back then: the divorce rate was much, much lower, which is obviously a good thing. But we should avoid oversimplified “old stuff good, new stuff bad” attitudes.
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edwest2
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Uh, huh. Idyllic? No. I went to funerals and weddings, people died from tumors, etc. It’s being oversimplified here all the time. One poster wrote that we should not accept “a bizarro fantasy world that never existed.” And which “never existed” world would that be? Compared to the the bizarro fantasy world that never existed before being created now with promotion by the media - I’ll live in the 1950s. Those ethics, that lifestyle.
I still wear the same brand of shoes I wore as a teenager. I still wear the same type of clothes.
Ed
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IWantGod
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Do you wear braces? You know, the ones that hold up your pants.
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BoomBoomMancini
Guest
I mean, great, if that’s what you like and what fits you. It just seems like you’re fetishizing the past.
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edwest2
Guest
There are no two right answers. What works, works. I watched a motion picture flyover of all the “cookie cutter” neighborhoods being built after World War II for all of us families. We mostly lived in simple woodframe homes. We worked. For miles around, all of the homes I visited were a lot like mine. All of the families were a lot like mine. We had shared values, even though we didn’t all go to the same Church. Shared values, not radical individualism. Elvis was on the radio not Sons of Anarchy.I mean, great, if that’s what you like and what fits you. It just seems like you’re fetishizing the past.
I watched as social cohesiveness gradually eroded into tribalism, but I still know people and places who have not changed. Today, the dysfunctional is being marketed by the media as a good. That is wrong.
Ed
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Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
Fetishizing the past? That’s reaching don’t you think.I mean, great, if that’s what you like and what fits you. It just seems like you’re fetishizing the past.
Worshiping the present is he ultimate ego stroke and the folly of students of history.
Past equals ignorant, dumb and silly
Present equals superior enlightened and the best.
meltzerboy
New member
Movies today depend too much on special effects and gratuitous violence and sex, even the first Alien movie, which I liked regardless. The fact that the Alien movies are the basis of comparison is itself indicative of the decline in movies. Not that there weren’t plenty of horrible films in the past; there certainly were. But it was a different time, in which a story could be told in a somewhat clear way, and actors could dig into their roles even if the movie itself was not all that good.
I think all the arts in general have declined throughout the years, the decades, the centuries. In fact, I think lifestyles today, which are reflected through the arts, have deteriorated compared to the past. I am quite conservative in this respect. Yes, I am well aware that the past was not good for everyone: there was much overt prejudice, discrimination, wars, murders. It was not all idyllic. However, it was a heck of a lot better for most than it is today, and certainly less confusing growing up.
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BoomBoomMancini
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Of course, there was a time when Elvis was also criticized as a sign of moral decline…
But who is setting up that binary? I’m not saying “the present is always superior, social conditions are always and everywhere improving.” Obviously, there is a lot about the 1950s to admire. There is also a lot to criticize. Just like every era. I’m just advocating for a little perspective. I have no doubt that in the 1950s, there were older men sitting around going, “Ugh, these kids today…the world has gone to hell. It was so much better in the 20s, when people treated each other right.”
Every generation is going to pine for the days of it’s youth. That’s fine, just remember to have a little self awareness.
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Hoosier_Daddy
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The problem is that I don’t think you know what the 50s were like. Only what you have been told and fits your worldview.Of course, there was a time when Elvis was also criticized as a sign of moral decline…
But who is setting up that binary? I’m not saying “the present is always superior, social conditions are always and everywhere improving.” Obviously, there is a lot about the 1950s to admire. There is also a lot to criticize. Just like every era. I’m just advocating for a little perspective. I have no doubt that in the 1950s, there were older men sitting around going, “Ugh, these kids today…the world has gone to hell. It was so much better in the 20s, when people treated each other right.”
Every generation is going to pine for the days of it’s youth. That’s fine, just remember to have a little self awareness.
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edwest2
Guest
Regarding Elvis, at least people had the common sense to recognize indecency as bad. Today, there’s no such thing as bad or indecency. Indecency is celebrated. Nothing to admire about that.Of course, there was a time when Elvis was also criticized as a sign of moral decline…
But who is setting up that binary? I’m not saying “the present is always superior, social conditions are always and everywhere improving.” Obviously, there is a lot about the 1950s to admire. There is also a lot to criticize. Just like every era. I’m just advocating for a little perspective. I have no doubt that in the 1950s, there were older men sitting around going, “Ugh, these kids today…the world has gone to hell. It was so much better in the 20s, when people treated each other right.”
Every generation is going to pine for the days of it’s youth. That’s fine, just remember to have a little self awareness.
Ed
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BoomBoomMancini
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What do you think “my worldview” is?
Besides, aren’t we all just basing our opinions on secondhand sources? I didn’t live through the Civil War, either, but I think I’m allowed to have thoughts about it.
And even if you lived through a time, you only know your own experiences. You can’t really know firsthand if they’re representative.
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Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
I don’t know. But you have one. We all do. And we spout it all over any medium we can. So I only know what you post here and you only know the cards I show as well.
It’s a fact though, some time periods are better or worse than others. They have to be.
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BoomBoomMancini
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I mean, sure. My opinions and musings are informed by my experiences, preconceptions, etc. But that applies to everyone talking about anything.
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Hoosier_Daddy
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Yes it does. But once you identify them in honest introspection it better enables you to dicern the Truth. As a student of history this is imperative.
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edwest2
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That ignores history and other documentation. Opinions mean very little as opposed to actually living through a time period of mostly social cohesiveness and shared values on a national level. The US Government told us to be proud of our Judeo/Christian Heritage and I was. Civics was taught in schools. It outlined to young people how they should behave as good and productive members of society, which included being respectful, conscientious and of understanding the basic function of individuals in society.
A World War II veteran, and I knew many, did not relate opinions. He was there.
Ed
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friardchips
Guest
That period of adventure film-making had more time and effort put into things instead of films being made as part of a money-spinning machine. Even the musical scores - going back to Star Wars, for example - were genius. The same with Superman, there was something awesome that delivered on every level, including the music. As you say, substance.
Didn’t know it was the same guy. It’s a far superior franchise to Superman.
Thanks for the link. Star trek definitely explored life on many dimensions!
Ah, I like the darker stuff.
The only Anime I like is Studio Ghibli. There is a lot of the stuff coming out of Asia but a lot of it is the samey.
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BoomBoomMancini
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But I’m already stipulating that. So I’m not sure what you’re trying to prove here.
You’re sort of making my point. Even if you live through a period or experience an event, you still can’t be totally sure that your experience was representative. For example, to take your WWII veteran example. I’m an Iraq War veteran. I have a perspective on the Iraq War that is a little more personal than people who weren’t there. But that doesn’t mean that I know everything about it, or that people who weren’t there can’t also have an informed opinion. My experience was just one little sliver of the whole. I’ve met many people who never deployed who had a better handle on Middle East politics than soldiers who were actually there.
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friardchips
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Snyder did 300 which was made up of amazing graphics and effects.
Watchman, however, took itself too seriously. Nolan’s Batman was serious but had humour. Watchman was way overrated.
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