“I wish we could go back to simpler days” is a statement I hear frequently.
Whether it’s related to politics, technology or relationships, it seems many long to jump in the DeLorean, fire up the flux capacitor and return to 1955.
Memories of this time are often misleading images of family stability, easier political times and uncomplicated means of communication.
I’ll admit parts of our lives have improved dramatically from the 1950s. Just within the college realm, we have less administrative oversight in our day-to-day lives, increased personal freedoms and a larger variety of studies to choose from.
While there’s still a long way to go in some regards, I’d much rather be here than back in time.
Colleges in the 1950s “worked under the framework of ‘in loco parentis,'” according to Carolyn Lewis, assistant professor of history and women’s and gender studies.
College administrations essentially took the place of your parents, giving students dress codes, curfews and even doing checks of housing on and off campus.
College is a place for learning not just book knowledge, but how to be responsible for yourself and dealing with the consequences of your actions. It’s hard to learn from your mistakes if you aren’t allowed to make them.
You never get to find yourself if someone else always tells you who you should be and how you should dress and act. Everyday occurrences on college campuses today, like not shaving or wearing sweatpants to class, were punishable offenses in the 1950s, according to Lewis.
A few busybodies on campus today would love for us to go back to the days of strict dress codes, but as long as you’re covering what is legally mandated to be covered and you’re comfortable, I won’t condemn anyone.
Our clothing choices are personal – a way to display our individuality and uniqueness as we choose. No one should take this away, especially it it’s only because it makes someone else uncomfortable.
If you don’t like it, don’t look.
From the ’50s and into the ’60s, the U.S. saw a political uprising among young adults demanding the right to self-determination, according to Lewis. They recognized the negative effects of the political climate of the ’50s, and these feelings rolled over into their beliefs about the social structures as well.
The demands were extensive, from freedom from propaganda in politics to the major movements like civil rights and the second wave of feminism.
With this we saw what has come to be known as the “Free Love” movement – the “sexual liberation of a generation,” according to some.
But this movement did nothing to revolutionize sex, Lewis said. True revolution would appear in the ’70s with later parts of the women’s liberation movement.
The right to sexual self-determination is an argument we’re still entrenched in today, with discussions around birth control, abortions and sex education.
It started in the ’60s, yet 50 years later people still don’t comprehend these issues or allow a person to determine what is best without interference.
Despite all of the improvements I see, I can’t say we’ve moved too far away from the ’50s and ’60s.
We still fight the same oppressions people in the ’50s and ’60s fought. Poverty, sexism, racism, homophobia, slut-shaming and more are still rampant despite the progress we have made in other areas.
We can’t lose sight of the progress when looking at all that still remains to be done. It might not be as much as we want, but true change comes slowly.
We’re making progress. Sixty years changed our world in more ways than I can count, but we still have a long way to go.
Kristi Carnahan is a 25-year-old anthropology major from West Monroe. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_KCarnahan.
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Contact Kristi Carnahan at [email protected].