1950s Paradox
James Henderson
Stoltenberg – 6
HCA 2
11 March 2013 The paradox of the 1950s that encouraged conformity is displayed when observing both several social engineering videos, as well as some paintings from this same time period. The paradox was ultimately caused by these social engineering videos and the society of which they portrayed. The social engineering videos made by the government in the 1950s convey an entirely different society that the paintings of this time. The actions of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, provide helpful insight to this paradox. In the 1950s several videos regarding social engineering were made by the U.S. government for the country to observe. These videos served as a basic guideline to a conformed version of society. These videos showed how various people of different gender and age acted given certain scenarios. Topics included how to act properly in a classroom, how to be popular and have proper social interactions, how to throw a party, and many more. These videos conveyed certain messages without necessarily pointing them out. For instance, the language of the people in the videos is always very formal, and they are always dressed very formally as well. The irony of these videos is that because the government thrived for a more controlled society, it only caused people to feel the need to break free from this confinement; as shown by the rebellious actions of Holden Caulfield as described in the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye. In addition to this, it caused people’s lives to become more dull and almost generic, as seen in the before mentioned paintings of this time period. Three paintings in particular contradicted the idea of a better, more conformed society. One of which is “Nighthawks”, by Edward Hopper. This painting is a scene of four people, a couple, an employee, and someone by themselves, in a small diner. The surrounding streets are very dark and these four people appear to be
Stoltenberg – 6
HCA 2
11 March 2013 The paradox of the 1950s that encouraged conformity is displayed when observing both several social engineering videos, as well as some paintings from this same time period. The paradox was ultimately caused by these social engineering videos and the society of which they portrayed. The social engineering videos made by the government in the 1950s convey an entirely different society that the paintings of this time. The actions of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, provide helpful insight to this paradox. In the 1950s several videos regarding social engineering were made by the U.S. government for the country to observe. These videos served as a basic guideline to a conformed version of society. These videos showed how various people of different gender and age acted given certain scenarios. Topics included how to act properly in a classroom, how to be popular and have proper social interactions, how to throw a party, and many more. These videos conveyed certain messages without necessarily pointing them out. For instance, the language of the people in the videos is always very formal, and they are always dressed very formally as well. The irony of these videos is that because the government thrived for a more controlled society, it only caused people to feel the need to break free from this confinement; as shown by the rebellious actions of Holden Caulfield as described in the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye. In addition to this, it caused people’s lives to become more dull and almost generic, as seen in the before mentioned paintings of this time period. Three paintings in particular contradicted the idea of a better, more conformed society. One of which is “Nighthawks”, by Edward Hopper. This painting is a scene of four people, a couple, an employee, and someone by themselves, in a small diner. The surrounding streets are very dark and these four people appear to be