1. Bell Ringer
What are some potential benefits of conformity on marriage, family, and communities? What are the drawbacks?

2. The Nifty Fifties!

3. Making America the Best Place to Live
The Affluent Society
Making America the Best Place to Live

4. A New Normalcy Conformity as the new “normal” American Dream
Reaction to upheaval of WWII + Fears of communist infiltration
Conformity = unity
American Dream
Nuclear Family
Ideal, not necessarily reality
A New Normalcy

5. The Affluent Society General affluence following WWII
Income triples
Home ownership
Shift in job demographics
Prominence of poverty
Mostly minorities
Inner cities
Resulting from “white flight”
Racial discrimination
Average income triples between
Home ownership increases (GI Bill)
Move to white collar and service jobs
Prominence of poverty
Mostly minorities
Inner cities
Resulting form “white flight”
Racial discrimination was prominent
Schools, housing, hiring, salary
30 million in poverty
White Flight: Whites moving away from cities as demographics shift towards minorities; take their tax dollars with them
Discrimination in schools, housing, and hiring (only earned an average 51% of what whites earned)

6. The 1950s Workplace White collar jobs Chain stores and franchises
“The Organization/ Company Man”
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson (1956)
Chain store: Stores share a brand and central management; have standardized business practices
Franchise: A supplier allows an operator to use the supplier’s trademark in return for a fee. (e.g. McDonald’s)
Uniformity
Consistency
A man whose identity and worth is directly linked to his company and its success
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson (1956) – showed the secret discontentment of American businessmen
The 1950s Workplace

7. Postwar Consumerism
Keeping up with the Joneses

8. Post-War Consumerism Causes: Characteristics: Post-war affluence
Fordism
“Keeping up with the Joneses”
Characteristics:
Easy credit - Introduction of the “Diner’s Club Card”
Technology boom focuses on “convenience items”
Highly influenced by print and television advertising

9. Post-War Consumerism Zenith introduces "lazy bones" tuning
Telephone Answering Machine created
Chrysler Corporation introduces Hydraguide (power steering)
Saran Wrap invented
General Electric introduces colored kitchen appliances
Secretary Bette Nesmith Graham invented "Mistake Out" (Liquid Paper/white out)