1776, the 1950s and the Republican Dream.........

[Charles]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

On a more serious note.

Honestly, I had an older gentleman tell me once that he thought the period between WW2 and the mid-sixties was "wierd", and that the late sixties and early seventies were "even wierder, but in a different way", that it was as if the postwar era held a sort of "paranoid, obssessive conformity" (In his words.) that the baby boomers rebelled against.

Does this make any sense to you who lived during that period?
Where's Rob? I'd like to see his input.

Dave

(And, to our resident righties; I have just been razzing you with this thread. Having a little fun. So, lighten up.)

That would be me.

People did conform more back then, not so much due to being paranoid or obsessive IMHO, but because they had fewer choices.

Today it seems as though everyone is a human pincushion, or has a tat, or has a t shirt with a logo on it, or has an alternative lifestyle, or something.

I suppose it's just their way of demonstrating that they are unique, just like everyone else.

Chas

[Charles]

Originally Posted by merrylander

WW II had ended and people were trying to get their lives back together. Since NorAm did not have its cities and factories bombed flat the Big 3 started producing civilian cars again. Being the one productive area of the world there was plenty of employment, unions were strong and wages were rising.

Returning soldiers were marrying and building houses - you can see areas here where all this building was going on, typical house was either a "CapeCod" or rancher about 1000 sq feet, Google Levittown. In MD take a drive along Norwood Ave, that was probably the fringes than.

Hey compared to the crap of the Depression things were quite rosy, whether families were like "Leave it to Beaver" or "Archie Bunker" depended a great deal on where you lived. I started at Bell in October 1950.

Of course our big mills were so busy turning ot steel, cars, etc. no one thought of taking a line out of production and modernizing it. Europe and Japan built new and so used the latest technology and eventually ate our lunch. Best of it was that they did it with our help - Marshall Plan.

The one thing you could do in the 50s, at least where I lived - leave your doors unlocked, keys in the car and never worry. Here the doors are locked even when we are in the house, when I am on the tractor cutting grass and the garage door is open, the inner door is locked and I carry a house key.

That's really a shame.

I hardly ever lock the house, but I do lock by vehicles and shop, and have installed motion sensor lights all around them. Some of the locals will steal your tools.

But I'm pretty safe in the house. The hooligans may be able to give the slip to the local donut eaters, but they can't fool my little dog.

Chas

BTW, it wasn't that long ago that no one locked their house around here, but it's becoming the rule.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by Charles

That would be me.

People did conform more back then, not so much due to being paranoid or obsessive IMHO, but because they had fewer choices.

Today it seems as though everyone is a human pincushion, or has a tat, or has a t shirt with a logo on it, or has an alternative lifestyle, or something.

I suppose it's just their way of demonstrating that they are unique, just like everyone else.

Chas

The Dr. Pepper ads in the '70s reflected that schizophrenic attitude. Be original - be a Pepper - wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too? I boycotted Dr. Pepper for a long time because I found that ad campaign to be such an insult to our intelligence. You can see how much their sales suffered.

Regards,

D-Ray

[Charles]

Originally Posted by d-ray657

The Dr. Pepper ads in the '70s reflected that schizophrenic attitude. Be original - be a Pepper - wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too? I boycotted Dr. Pepper for a long time because I found that ad campaign to be such an insult to our intelligence. You can see how much their sales suffered.

Regards,

D-Ray

Snob appeal. Generally it works, provided it's done right.

Chas

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by Charles

That would be me.

People did conform more back then, not so much due to being paranoid or obsessive IMHO, but because they had fewer choices.

Today it seems as though everyone is a human pincushion, or has a tat, or has a t shirt with a logo on it, or has an alternative lifestyle, or something.

I suppose it's just their way of demonstrating that they are unique, just like everyone else.

Chas

Yeah, I never did quite understand what he meant about "paranoid, obsessive conformity". Unless he was somehow tying it into the Cold War/McCarthy era stuff?----"Better act normal and patriotic lest the neighbors think you're a commie.", perhaps? I dunno.

@Rob;

I live in such a house. Every home, with few exceptions, in my neighborhood is tiny, >1,000 sq.ft. and has exactly the same original floor plan. Three bedroom "California Rancher" on a slab. The entire neighborhood was built in 1956-57. My neighbor Leo, is an original owner. He has a real estate ad from 1956 that reads, "Own your own little bungalow in the woods." Prior to that, it was a pig farm. The urban sprawl (Norfolk, VA.) has since completely engulfed it.

Dave

[mossbacked]

Personally, I'd just like to live my life the way I did prior to late 2008.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by mossbacked

Personally, I'd just like to live my life the way I did prior to late 2008.

I would agree, except for me, that wasn't much to brag about either.

Now, the late '90s up until 2003-----I would do that all over again in a flash!

Dave

[Charles]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

Yeah, I never did quite understand what he meant about "paranoid, obsessive conformity". Unless he was somehow tying it into the Cold War/McCarthy era stuff?----"Better act normal and patriotic lest the neighbors think you're a commie.", perhaps? I dunno.

@Rob;

I live in such a house. Every home, with few exceptions, in my neighborhood is tiny, >1,000 sq.ft. and has exactly the same original floor plan. Three bedroom "California Rancher" on a slab. The entire neighborhood was built in 1956-57. My neighbor Leo, is an original owner. He has a real estate ad from 1956 that reads, "Own your own little bungalow in the woods." Prior to that, it was a pig farm. The urban sprawl (Norfolk, VA.) has since completely engulfed it.

Dave

I roughed in a bushel of 'em in Texas. Carried the masters in my suitcase for the subdivision.

Four floorplans with three to four elevations, depending. Track homes.

If the land and elevation affords it, you can tweek the floorplan to include a basement. Can't go wrong with a basement, it offers more options.

Built right, affordable and energeny efficient homes. I live in a slab, tricked out ceilings, double car garage, cheap to heat, cheap to cool.

Full basement or a slab is the way to go, nothing quite sucks like a crawlspace.

Moisture problems.

Chas

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Charles

I roughed in a bushel of 'em in Texas. Carried the masters in my suitcase for the subdivision.

Four floorplans with three to four elevations, depending. Track homes.

If the land and elevation affords it, you can tweek the floorplan to include a basement. Can't go wrong with a basement, it offers more options.

Built right, affordable and energeny efficient homes. I live in a slab, tricked out ceilings, double car garage, cheap to heat, cheap to cool.

Full basement or a slab is the way to go, nothing quite sucks like a crawlspace.

Moisture problems.

Chas

BTDT it was a rental back in Quebec, mostly dry but not great.

This one was built with 2 x 6 exterior walls with insulation to match. Double glazed windows, 10" of insulation in the attic. Trane high SEER heat pump, latest patio doors and skylight Low E glass. Before I retired we replaced most appliances with Energy Star or as close as we could get. Recently the 36 year old freezer died so that was the last electricity hog. You have to understand that where I lived in Ontario they only read the meter every second month as rates were so low it did not pay to bill monthly. Uh yeah, full basement for sure and two car garage is insulated and lined but only 2 x 4 walls.

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by mossbacked

Personally, I'd just like to live my life the way I did prior to late 2008.

you and I as well

life has been a herculean challenge the last two plus years but thanks to several factors including progressive programs things never got as bad as it appeared they would

still, with a reasonable corporate climate things could have been much better