History Lesson

I occasionally encounter a type of phony nostalgia for "a time when a family could live comfortably and send their kids to college on a single paycheck." This is then followed by a laying of blame on a person or political event supposed to have brought that golden age to an abrupt end. I am here to tell you that never happened. I don't play "back when I was a kid" very often but it seems people are getting their knowledge of the 20th century from cable TV soap operas now instead of actual fact, so I am going to tell you a few things I know are true because I saw them.

Sending your kids to college was not considered a necessity for the working class, and the middle class often had to choose one child to send to college while the rest found jobs. Middle class people who did go to college often went to learn a trade such as engineering or animal husbandry, or to obtain a teacher's certificate, not business administration, and a liberal arts degree was a bit of a joke for anyone who wasn't an heir killing time while waiting for someone to die. People who owned and operated businesses often built them up themselves or inherited them from someone who did. Home economics was not just a name of a class but a way of life and a necessity - living on a budget was a matter for serious consideration. There were no credit cards so if you had a good job and a good reputation you could take out a bank loan for a car or house, and you could put a refrigerator or washing machine on layaway so when you finished paying for it they would deliver it to you. Living on credit was frowned upon, and most people actually had to have the money to buy something before they could buy it. People saved up for things and put money aside to buy things they wanted in the future. Most people didn't have two cars, or even two televisions, and if their television broke down they didn't buy another one, they had it fixed. Disposability was not invented until the 1970s. People didn't have vast assortments of clothing to choose from and if you only owned two suits you had them cleaned or repaired. Mothers patched jeans and darned socks - I learned to darn socks myself - so you didn't throw something away just because it had a little hole in it. There were very few prepared meals you could buy and they were pretty lousy. Cooking and keeping house well were a matter of pride and peer pressure, something to show off to others to impress them. Going out to eat was an uncommon occurrence because making a sandwich cost less than buying a hamburger, just the same as today. "Keeping up with the Joneses" was a term applied to foolish people who bought things they didn't need, just to show off. I am not sure whether the term conspicuous consumption had even been invented yet. The only thing in the house that needed batteries was the flashlight, and products or tools that required continued expenditure or maintenance were not considered worth buying. Living on one paycheck was not easy, and people didn't often live comfortably. Sending kids to college was something that required long-range planning and monetary sacrifice. Norman Rockwell wasn't painting things that really happened, but things he created in his studio - fantasies and ideals - and the Norman Rockwell and Leave It To Beaver world NEVER EXISTED. I know not many people will read this but those of you who do may be able to cry bullshit on some of the phony crap that passes without comment these days from one ignoramus to another. I encourage everyone to educate themselves on the facts about what life was really like for their parents and grandparents, and not swallow the fantastic guff about a dreamworld that never happened.