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What happened to the america of until the 60s


outoftheworld

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Now i am not going to say it was all peaches and cream, because i know it wasnt, i know there were mafia gangs, and the late 1800s wild west was anything but peaceful.

However there is a certain charm i get from watching old westerns, one that i simply cant get anywhere else, not even by watching british dramas where people put on posh victorian voices.

Basically that whole `men by the campfire, ` or `girls working on the ranch` and riding off on your horse into the countryside.. or the dancing in a tavern with a guitar, which always ends up in a major bar brawl

That sort of old western culture is such a simple life, and i really used to think of america as being like that, until i visited it once as a kid, and now i see documentaries about places like detroit/ philadelphia etc being major crime havens, its just sad because you watch these old westerns and you hear people talking about the american dream, and even though that was in the 50s, and they were acting as people from the last century, there was still such a gentle side to these people like james stewart, jeff chandler etc etc.. dont get gentle mistaken with nieve or weak, because that they werent, but i really hate modern society where everything is toilet jokes or the `f` word, and all people care about are their apps

And no, i dont want to, or care for the amish.

I love, putting my earfones on, on a rainy day, snuggle up and watch a 1950s colour western and temporarily time travel out of this cruel cold world.

So, once again, what happened to those giant canyons, the goregous countryside, those gold rush boom towns, the thousands of miles of countryside, all those travelling people around camp fires etc.. i know life was anything but perfect back then, especially with injuns on the warpath, but it just seems so hard to think that an entire civilisation/ culture/ is totally gone.. or unrecognisable now.

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it grew up, boy-scouting is not so much in vogue anymore...

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Now i am not going to say it was all peaches and cream, because i know it wasnt, i know there were mafia gangs, and the late 1800s wild west was anything but peaceful.

However there is a certain charm i get from watching old westerns, one that i simply cant get anywhere else, not even by watching british dramas where people put on posh victorian voices.

Basically that whole `men by the campfire, ` or `girls working on the ranch` and riding off on your horse into the countryside.. or the dancing in a tavern with a guitar, which always ends up in a major bar brawl

That sort of old western culture is such a simple life, and i really used to think of america as being like that, until i visited it once as a kid, and now i see documentaries about places like detroit/ philadelphia etc being major crime havens, its just sad because you watch these old westerns and you hear people talking about the american dream, and even though that was in the 50s, and they were acting as people from the last century, there was still such a gentle side to these people like james stewart, jeff chandler etc etc.. dont get gentle mistaken with nieve or weak, because that they werent, but i really hate modern society where everything is toilet jokes or the `f` word, and all people care about are their apps

And no, i dont want to, or care for the amish.

I love, putting my earfones on, on a rainy day, snuggle up and watch a 1950s colour western and temporarily time travel out of this cruel cold world.

So, once again, what happened to those giant canyons, the goregous countryside, those gold rush boom towns, the thousands of miles of countryside, all those travelling people around camp fires etc.. i know life was anything but perfect back then, especially with injuns on the warpath, but it just seems so hard to think that an entire civilisation/ culture/ is totally gone.. or unrecognisable now.

It was idealized, for sure but there WAS a certain level of respect and caring for neighbors then that is long gone now - except when each of us as individuals tries to keep it alive. The best western movie I can remember was one with Gregory Peck, Chuck Connors and Burl Ives, oh and of course Jean Simmons as the beautiful love interest!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Country

It was a "big screen" kind of movie for sure. I've watched it several times over the years.

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It was idealized, for sure but there WAS a certain level of respect and caring for neighbors then that is long gone now - except when each of us as individuals tries to keep it alive. The best western movie I can remember was one with Gregory Peck, Chuck Connors and Burl Ives, oh and of course Jean Simmons as the beautiful love interest!

http://en.wikipedia....The_Big_Country

It was a "big screen" kind of movie for sure. I've watched it several times over the years.

you hit the nail on the head

i am not saying life was fine, of course it had its flaws

but that sort of family everyone knows somebody, sort of community.. its just gone

we as a society, by and large are nothing like that anymore

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So, once again, what happened to those giant canyons, the goregous countryside, those gold rush boom towns, the thousands of miles of countryside, all those travelling people around camp fires etc.. i know life was anything but perfect back then, especially with injuns on the warpath, but it just seems so hard to think that an entire civilisation/ culture/ is totally gone.. or unrecognisable now.[/color]]

Don't be sad! That world is still around just visit South Dakota! For real, there are wide open places, mountains and Badlands canyons if you go to western SD. We have friendly neighbors, lots of horse riding and farm living. If you want a package experience you can look on the internet and look for working dude ranches, hunting trips and fishing trips.

We have sweet but tough people here. Please don't be sad at all, we feel it is part of our culture to be western so it won't be gone very soon.

:yes: :yes: :yes: MeanieAndMe

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Don't be sad! That world is still around just visit South Dakota! For real, there are wide open places, mountains and Badlands canyons if you go to western SD. We have friendly neighbors, lots of horse riding and farm living. If you want a package experience you can look on the internet and look for working dude ranches, hunting trips and fishing trips.

We have sweet but tough people here. Please don't be sad at all, we feel it is part of our culture to be western so it won't be gone very soon.

:yes: :yes: :yes: MeanieAndMe

You live there?

I know this sounds sad, but do you ever look around you and imagine swarms of apaches riding past?

Damn, im not wishing indian wars, but its so sad how all these once proud tribes who 120 years ago literally roamed and owned most of the u.s (mentally), are now gone, and in tiny numbers, in poor conditions, yet their great grandfathers were proud warriors, who died in vain

Edited by outoftheworld
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You live there?

I know this sounds sad, but do you ever look around you and imagine swarms of apaches riding past?

Damn, im not wishing indian wars, but its so sad how all these once proud tribes who 120 years ago literally roamed and owned most of the u.s (mentally), are now gone, and in tiny numbers

Haha, I don't think so. Just because they don't live on reservations doesn't mean there aren't a huge population of Native Americans. Heck, a good majority of everyone that lives in the South has at least some NA blood.

My husband's grandmother was full blooded Cherokee.

Edited by Michelle
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It's only gone because it's taken a new form; the internet. Why talk to the neighbors next door when you can go online and "socialize" with like minded people? That's the way I see it anyways, and other than that, I really don't believe it has changed that much. I've been to a lot of states and people are good and bad anywhere you go.

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It's only gone because it's taken a new form; the internet. Why talk to the neighbors next door when you can go online and "socialize" with like minded people? That's the way I see it anyways, and other than that, I really don't believe it has changed that much. I've been to a lot of states and people are good and bad anywhere you go.

...Very true.People do not socialize like they used to.They have been conditioned into the mentality that the way to make friends is to meet people on Facebook, MySpace, etc.Technology has changed the way we interact. It has also made it more impersonal in the way "friendships" are formed.Most people who "friend" you have no interest in getting to know you as much as they have an interest in collecting as many friends as possible. Have you ever noticed,when the power goes out,you start talking to all the people who are you're neighbors? There is much good to be gained with technology. But as with all thing's, there is a downside.People live in their own world.
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There are still a lot of neighborhoods where people get together regularly, have neighborhood watches and keep an eye on each other's kids out playing. We have block parties a couple of times a year. One neighbor does a Halloween party, another has a pot luck lunch once a month and I do Christmas Day. The neighborhood kids often go around asking if they can do yard work for extra money and they voluntarily help the older people carry their groceries in for them or their garbage out to the road.

It's a virtual Norman Rockwell picture except we usually have beers or wine glasses in our hands. :lol:

Edited by Michelle
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It's gone because people sit around bemoaning the fact that it's gone rather than do something about it.

Of course we can't go back in time, but nothing is preventing you from being friendly, going out into the world and singing songs by a campfire or being truly kind to your neighbors etc. People in general are not so against good things or down to earth things. I think most people are scared to go out on a limb and just be nice. Being indifferent and snarky is "cool" these days.

If you don't like it, don't be it. Don't accept it. You might be surprised how it rubs off on other people around you.

ETA comment on Michelle's post. I bet all those nice things started as one person, or one family, deciding to include everyone in something nice and it spread. The Smith's down the block knock on doors and invite everyone to a picnic one year. The next year they have the picnic again and the Jackson's decide to open their doors on Halloween.

I think a large part of "what is wrong with society these days?" is that people are always waiting for someone else (or the government!) to start something for them.

Edited by Purplos
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When I moved here, in my twenties, almost everyone was elderly and most of them all knew each other. They would get together to shoot pool, trade garden seeds or whatnot, invited me in and introduced me around. When one at a time they started having to move or passed away, I kept the tradition going by making the new kids on the block a list of all the neighbor's phone numbers and having some sort of party, BBQ or something. Now most of the people are in their 20's or 30's, have kids of all ages and we are the "elders". :cry::P

No one ever has to worry about noise complaints at parties, because when the neighbors have one everybody is invited.

Edited by Michelle
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Rural America still has a lot of that..honor..caring about others ...those folks who get made fun of as backwards for holding on to their God and their guns...they still have a bit of that old school America ....let Detroit burn...perhaps when the cities fall to ruin we can start over...

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However there is a certain charm i get from watching old westerns,

I love, putting my earfones on, on a rainy day, snuggle up and watch a 1950s colour western and temporarily time travel out of this cruel cold world.

You do realize your old westerns are make believe, right? They are not historical biographies. They are completely fictional, made up, hogwash. It amazing what people think is real.

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Don't mistake cowboy movies for real life; they're fiction and romanticized. You can find some first-person history books that give a much more accurate picture of those times. 30 years from now people will probably yearn for these good old days that we're living.

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Things are pretty much the same as it always was. Humanity has this knack for looking back on everything fondly and being afraid of whats unknown, such as the future, or even the present.

All that we are is the same as we were then, we just have access to more information now.

a few years ago, a guy blows up a building in Oklahoma city, and the country got info at a trickle.

Now? A similar thing happens at the Boston marathon, and within 24 hours everyone's an expert and the people who did the killing have fangirls and boys who defend them to the death.

The influx of availability of information makes us realize that the way things are is more complicated than just a black hat/white hat situation.

The reality is various shades of gray. Those times of the 50's also had fewer rights for minorities, homosexuals were treated like a mental disorder, domestic violence was "just one of those things"

We live in possibly the best time in history, scientifically we're progressive, societally we're accepting, and medically we find new cures an treatments for debilitating illnesses everyday.

Thats not to say that the good aspects of life erase the bad parts. But by that, the bad parts of life, don't make the good parts any less real.

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You live there?

I know this sounds sad, but do you ever look around you and imagine swarms of apaches riding past?

Damn, im not wishing indian wars, but its so sad how all these once proud tribes who 120 years ago literally roamed and owned most of the u.s (mentally), are now gone, and in tiny numbers, in poor conditions, yet their great grandfathers were proud warriors, who died in vain

Yup. Born and raised. If there were swarms of Apaches riding around I would be worried I was in the wrong state..LOL!! :yes:

Actually, there are different Lakota tribes all over the state with a smattering of Mandan, Nez Pierce (thats my family, yes I am 1/4 native) and some Chippewa tribes. Many of the young Natives are trying to become urban and modern, that worries me because they look down on the languages and culture. Most are made fun of by whites until they want to blend in with white ideals.

Thank goodness, most come back to the blanket in their 30's and 40's.

Some other neat things going on here are the Laura Ingalls Wilder house in DeSmet, SD. We also have Prairie Village in Madison, SD and the re-enactment of the shooting of Wild Bill Hickock in Deadwood, SD. You can sit at the actual table in Saloon Number 7 where he met Calamity Jane and stand in the spot where he actually got shot. The West WAS real and there are lots of places to explore where actual events happened.

Take my town for instance, Jesse James robbed our bank and led a posse on a horse chase through our quartzite cliffs before making a daring leap to freedom over a chasm at Devil's Gulch 3 blocks from my house.

:st:su:st:su

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I don't think the poster realizes how big the USA really is

I agree! If possible the OP should visit my state just to see how real the west still is....and then Wyoming, Nebraska, Texas (they have lot of history too) and Oklahoma has western history too!

My old house 8 miles from where I live now used to be an old lumberyard building built in frontier days of 1880's. It was converted into a residence. Lot of history there...it still had the square storefront facade. It was sooo cool. We even have horses corralled up in the middle of town there

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Meanie, I've been in South Dakota to visit my parents when they lived there and my brother wants to move back there when he retires. I think it's a wonderful COUNTRY but the politics have me riling mad. I could never live in a state where politicians are so determined to rule their state like heavy handed tyrants. Besides, I remember being in Rapid City and hearing people complain right and left about the Indians. I'm sorry, although I wouldn't mind living in South Dakota either, I need a little more tolerance in other people for me to feel I could be happy there.

As an aside, I will mention this. I moved up in the hills here in Washington into a "planned" community and I thought it was wonderful when the neighbors came over and we all knew each other. Then they started to fight with each other. You practically had to pick sides to speak to anyone and when one of my neighbors started a conversation with "We have to talk about what you said to so and so", I thought, "What? Are in first grade or what?". I was happy to move away and as far as I am concerned, I'll help my neighbor any way I can, but I'll keep myself to myself next time.

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Meanie, I've been in South Dakota to visit my parents when they lived there and my brother wants to move back there when he retires. I think it's a wonderful COUNTRY but the politics have me riling mad. I could never live in a state where politicians are so determined to rule their state like heavy handed tyrants. Besides, I remember being in Rapid City and hearing people complain right and left about the Indians. I'm sorry, although I wouldn't mind living in South Dakota either, I need a little more tolerance in other people for me to feel I could be happy there.

As an aside, I will mention this. I moved up in the hills here in Washington into a "planned" community and I thought it was wonderful when the neighbors came over and we all knew each other. Then they started to fight with each other. You practically had to pick sides to speak to anyone and when one of my neighbors started a conversation with "We have to talk about what you said to so and so", I thought, "What? Are in first grade or what?". I was happy to move away and as far as I am concerned, I'll help my neighbor any way I can, but I'll keep myself to myself next time.

Sorry you had a bad experience here. It sounds like you didn't live here for long. Maybe I have a thicker skin than you do being 1/4 Native and being hassled for it most of my life here. I just don't pay attention to politics or care what other people think.

In spite of having had a difficult time here, I still love it here and plan to stay. The land has so much beauty to offer and there is strong culture of caring here. Traditional cultures tend to be less progressive than urban liberal areas.

Our state does have 2 different political views. East river (where I live) is more progressive with mostly white people doing politics so there is less of a proprietary attitude because white people don't have a history of being owned by the government like Indians.

West river politics are different. There are reservations there and Native Americans are a dominant population there, with a few uppity white people trying to control the Indians with politics and laws. (Except on the rez...that is federal land there controlled by NA).

No matter where you live there is going to be bad experiences. I look at the whole. There is low crime here in East River areas (West River has more crime/violence due to poverty on rez). No traffic, no one telling you what to do all the time and open spaces.

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The America of the 1960's is a wonderful memory. I was a little young...born in 1965 so....can't say I remember a lot. I do remember the 70's very well and at times I wish things were like they were back then.

I grew up in the Appalachian mountains and believe it or not, life off the 4 lanes and interstates is not that much different than it was then. I work in a construction related field so for many years I bounced all over the east coast and the south. I have recently moved back to the mountain state after being gone for many years.

The capitol city looks the same...not as much business anymore and most of the high paying jobs are gone...but when you head out into the county I grew up in...it's pretty much the same. A few new developments closer to the 4 lanes but the country roads...practically like a time warp. I laugh and point and tell my 20 year old daughter stories about this place or that as we sometimes drive out there.

Sure, I pine for "the old days" sometimes. I miss the simplicity of back then...I miss the slower pace of things...but then I fire up my computer or some other modern tech device and I realize the "good ole days" are where you make them.

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