HOW DID Elvis Presley HAVE AN IMPACT ON SOCIETY IN THE 1950's?
970829
Presley was to music what James Dean was to film: a rebel who personified what cool was to guys and defined what hot was to women.  \n\nBefore Elvis tore open the music scene, teens were struggling with near comotose consciousness states with the soothing strains from Glenn Miller brass bands, popularized in the 1940's. \n\nElvis woke up teens world-wide.  Presley's looks, wild gyrations on stage and his to-this-day unique voice unearthed taboo thoughts (and sensations) long suppressed by the "new" generation of American teens.  \n\nAnd with this rise of teen rebellion, Elvis was blamed by the "Moral Majority" of the 50's for this wanton new sound of "Rock n' Roll"  that also signaled the onset of the pre-jet age of Americana: we were being prepared to boom-emerge from the dusty post-Western Frontieer age of social life with the introduction of remote control TV's, boxcar fast food cafes, Route 66 and the "space race".\n\nElvis was a part of that too.....as he was a part of our personal lives.
807125
I think King ushered in an since of sanity, once all was said and done, in a social environment that was contradictory to the intent of our country which was inspired by moral law. \n\nForced segregation among people, a mind set among politicians of what was 'best for people,' and that 3/4 of the country didn't even care because it wasn't happening, nor was it an issue, in their corner of the world. \n\nImagine how shocked people were in middle America to see on TV what was going on in other parts of the US. Notice that there were a mix of 'colors' joining the movements from all over to address the issues that were in question. \n\nMany politicians did believe that keeping races separate was moral, being concerned about what people were doing in their bedrooms was moral, and that it was King who was presenting immoral behavior! Obviously those politicians found the error of their ways and discovered that races were very capable of getting along when the element of paranoia is removed.\n\nI don't think it's a hostility toward religion per say, just an interpretation of different religions and its place in society and government. And as far as hostility toward King goes, he was a man who had a certain power and influence. It doesn't matter who was sitting in that position, that person who does sit there will always be attacked for better or worse.
761147
This question results from the widely (but wrongly) held belief that the arts are the CAUSE of societal behaviors. Sociologists and historians have long been well aware of the FACT that the arts do NOT cause social change -- they merely REFLECT it!\n\nRAP, tatooes, burn scarring, body piercing, violence against women and children, recreational drug use, and all of our other "social ills" are NOT causes, -- they are REFLECTIONS of what is already going on in society!\n\nTo discover CAUSES people must look at what has changed in family structure, child care, work environments, discretionary income, politics, health care, and most of all, the QUALITY OF EDUCATION!\n\nHistory will probably show that this period in American society was riddled with loss of strong moral values, lowered educational expectations, and many other symptoms of the decline of family structure, political integrity, and willingness of the population to accept personal responsibility for individual behaviors.\n\nAnd finally, religion is NOT the answer, -- things like honesty, integrity, reason, social responsibility, logic, and LOVE are! To the extent that religion leads us to these things, it is very useful.
540436
Do you mean compare and contrast between the 50s and 60s--or do you mean the 50s and 60s and today?\n\nI'll tell you one thing:  In the 50s through mid-60s, people knew in junior high school more than high school graduates know today.  School wasn't a place to play around and pick and choose what work they felt like doing - you did what you had to do to get that diploma (which most parents insisted on - since they may have not had the opportunity to graduate high school themselves).\n\nMost females in the 50s through mid-60s were not college bound - many took secretarial courses in high school, figured they would work for a while, and then get married and become mothers.\n\nWhen Women's Lib came to be (a bit later) more women went to college, more women wanted to have a profession (rather than just a job), and less women were content to become simply a housewife and mother.\n\nThe bad side of that, is that with both parents working more children felt free to join gangs, do drugs and drink, commit crimes, etc., because they were all alone - nearly all the time.
1172770
the influence of pop culture on today's society.
479301
When I was a child in the 50's I think we relied on our parents more for entertainment etc as we didn't have all the after school activities etc that there are today.Parents were definately the head of the household whereas today life seems to revolve around the children.There also seems to be more freedom to access the world via affordable travel so that families today are very well travelled.The one thing that has not changed is the way we all love our own families even though lots of things are different today than they were then.
526067
When I was a young teen, my friend was in a band and we got back stage passes all the time. We meet, AC/DC, Kiss, Rod Stewart, i forget the others, hey it was the 70s! My graandpa worked at a gas station once and Elvis stopped and got gas, he handed him a 100 dollar tip and that was amazing back then.
489043
Elvis is and will always be the King of Rock and Roll to me...I grew up with Elvis in my life because of my grandmother and I am a huge Elvis fan.  My friends give me grief but then they turn around and buy me all this Elvis stuff.  It is pretty funny.  They try to test my knowledge and think I won't know the answer to something and I prove them wrong!!!!
291996
Interesting question. It definitely was a time of much greater innocence on the part of the public. There was little of the "muckraking" of today, so we didn't see much of the seamier side of politics. There were backroom deals, of course, but we didn't know of them.\nPoliticians such as Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson were articulate and seemingly honest. \nThere were notable similarities to today, specifically the McCarthy era in the early 1950s. Politicians then were searching for the Commies and the Commie-sympathizers, and especially focused on the film industry and universities.\nThere were few and infrequent news sources compared to today. Newspapers, radio, film, and the fledgling tv interests gave us news headlines.\nThere also seemed to be much more willingness of democrats and republicans to be civil towards each other, both at the level of political parties and among individuals, as compared to the current atmosphere.\nOverall, the country was far more conservative in its values. Females tended to be homemakers; no one would admit to being gay or lesbian; minorities had little access to jobs and power; environmental concerns were of little interest. One of the few things that tended more toward a democratic position was the power of unions at that time--they were much more prominent.
351065
The 1950s in the United States of America were marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the baby boom from returning GIs who went to college under the G.I. Bill and settled in suburban America. Most of the internal conflicts that had developed in earlier decades like women's rights, civil rights, imperialism, and war were relatively suppressed or neglected during this time as a world returning from the brink hoped to see a more consistent way of life as opposed to liberalism and radicalism of the 1930s and 1940s. The effect of suppressing social problems in the 50s would have a significant impact on the rest of the twentieth century.\n\nThe 1950s were also marked with a rapid rise in conflict with the United States and the Soviet Union that would heighten the Cold War to an unprecedented level which would include the Arms Race, Space Race, McCarthyism, and Korean War. Stalin's death in 1953 left an enormous impact in Eastern Europe that forced the Soviet Union to create more liberal policies internally and externally. The rise of Suburbia as well as the growing conflict with the East are the two generally accepted reasons for the conservative domination of this decade.
728021
Check this out:\nTELEVISION\n Perhaps the most far reaching change in communications worldwide was the advancement in the area of television broadcasting.  During the 1950's, television became the dominant mass media as people brought television into their homes in greater numbers of hours per week than ever before.  In the early fifties, young people watched TV more hours than they went to school, a trend which has not changed greatly since that time.  What was portrayed on television became  accepted as normal.   The ideal family, the ideal schools and neighborhoods, the world, were all seen in a way which had only partial basis in reality.  People began to accept what was heard and seen on television because they were "eye witnesses" to events as never before (live TV) .  Programs such as You Are There brought historical events into the living rooms of many Americans.  The affect on print news media and entertainment media was felt in lower attendance at movies and greater reliance on TV news sources for information.  And then, in 1954, black and white broadcasts became color broadcasts.   Shows called " sitcoms " like  The Honeymooners ,  Lassie,  Father Knows Best, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet , and  I Love Lucy  featured popular characters whose lives thousands of viewers watched and copied.  Families enjoyed variety shows like Disneyland  and  The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evenings.  Daytime programs like Guiding Light,  "soap operas" were popular and helped advertisers sell many products to the homemakers of America.  News broadcasting changed from newsmen simply reading the news to shows which included videotaped  pictures of events which had occurred anywhere in the world, and then to more and more  live  broadcasts of events happening at the time of viewing.   This was made possible in 1951 with the development of coaxial cable and microwave relays  coast to coast.  When  Edward R. Murrow  began offering his weekly radio program (called "Hear It Now") on TV as "See It Now,"  the world of news broadcasting was irrevocably changed (eyewitness recounts the change)\n\nLINKS \nTelevision News Archive  Television news history presented by Vanderbilt University.\n\n Chronology of TV broadcasting   from Jeff Miller, teacher at Gulf High School in New Port Richey, FL \nThe first 75 years of Television   from Tom Genova, many links on development of TV including advertising. Includes a timeline.
402438
Elvis b/c he was just a country boy who came from nothing and singin in his church choir to the legend he is today. Also, he completely changed music. Imagine what music and dancing would be like now if there had been no Elvis. He may have made some bad decisions but he's a good example of how drugs can consume your life and ruin it.
962047
Rags to Riches.  Mid 80s.  I was in first grade when it was popular.  I had a neighbor who was obsessed with that show.  I remember one episode where they met Elvis.
632182
a HUGE impact. look at the da vinci code. even the author said it was completely fiction and people still took it seriously and started to question their ways of life and religion. or take the red book everyone carried in communist china. that little book ruled their lives (along with mao, but he was the author so it's all connected). there you go. it can change a person's whole point of view almost instantly
927053
There was a hugh fear of communism in the '50s and you could write about McCarthyism and the blaclisting of actors in Hollywood during this period.  The movie about Edward Murrow "Good Night and Good Luck" would explain more on this subject.\n\nAlso, in the fifties the nuclear family was the "norm" and people tried to be like "Ozzie and Harriet" - the perfect family.  That could be another essay.\n\nOr the economic advantages of the generation in the 50s, where homes and cars were affordable, and these families went up within the middle class.\n\nBest wishes.
1071728
The prosperity of the economy after WWII gave people hope and extra money to begin the "happy days" lifestyle.  The US was also creating a rival with the USSR (Capitalism vs. Communism) thus creating a great sense of nationalism throughout the country.
884820
he changed everything!!!......\nmusic,fashion,culture,dancing,television and even race relations...........