Once upon a time there were the “Good Old Days.” Now before you laugh or proclaim, “Oh No, not another Geezer gig;” allow me to issue some disclaimers. First, If you are not at least 60 years old, you will not remember the “Good Old Days”. The “Good Old Days” took place in the USA between 1954 and 1964. They have also been called “The Happy Days.” If you are under 60, you will be too young to remember these days. Second, if you are an African American, you may not subscribe to my paean to “Happy Days”. You will more than likely have had recurring experiences of overt racism in a country using Jim Crow laws to keep Blacks in their place and to put as many in prison as possible.
If you are Gay or LGBTQI+, you also may not remember these times very fondly. Chances are you were forced to deny your sexual preferences and had to watch out on the streets for fear of being molested and assaulted. If you are a woman, you might not remember these times very fondly either. Back then, a woman’s place was said to be in the kitchen and her role was to be barefoot and pregnant. There was no place for women in politics, business, military, or senior positions in any organization. When it comes to other minorities, Jews, Latinos, Asians, Pacific Islanders, all would have stories of subtle and not so subtle discrimination during the “Good Old Days”.
But there is no denying that a large number of Americans do look back upon some of these days with a great deal of fondness. I am one of them. I do not tend to be overly nostalgic. I do not spend much time looking back. However, I have to admit, as a young White male during the period of time noted, life was not so bad. The same was true for many older White men as well. Even some of the groups excluded or ostracized by mainstream America during this period had a few exceptions. People of color and other minority groups who may look back upon at least a few of these days with happy memories as well.
I was eight years old in 1954. My age of innocence ended in 1964 along with many other young men who heard the Siren calls of war in Asia. “Come save America from the Communists. If you don’t stop them in Vietnam, before you know it, they will be in California.” Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and we put a man on the moon in 1969. I joined the USAF in 1964 to save the USA from “Godless Communism.” It would be another two years before I learned what is true of most wars. They are waged by stupid people for stupid reasons and the people who suffer the most during these wars have the least to gain.
With these disclaimers out of the way, what are some good things that I remember about “My Good Old Days.” Remember this is looking back and comparing the old days to the times I am now living in. Some of these good things might not have been as good as I thought, but back then I was still in my “Days of Innocence” as well as in the my “Happy Days”. Here is my list of good memories from the “Good Old Days:”
- Little evidence of environmental degradation
- No climate change
- Never heard of serial killers
- No worry about getting shot in school
- Plenty of snow during the winter to play in
- Water was drinkable everywhere and lakes were clean
- Floods and other natural disasters were much rarer
- I could walk to school by myself
- There were no anti-heroes only heroes
- Never heard of pedophiles
- I did not have to worry about a razor blade being put in an apple on Halloween
- Movies were 25 cents and candy was five and ten cents. Popcorn was 15 cents
- Gas was 21 cents per gallon and hamburger was 12 cents per pound
- Mom was home when I got out of school to make me a snack
- Lots of time to play sandlot ball on Saturdays with my friends
- The USA was in a brief period of peace between the end of the Korean War in 1953 and the ramp up of the Vietnam War in 1964
- We still had large family gatherings since people were not spread all over the globe or country
- We had bright starry nights since light pollution was not prevalent in many areas
- No concealed carry. You did not worry about being mowed down on the street by some maniac with a gun
- The Boy Scouts were still a respected group
- The really bad kids in school were those who chewed gum
- School bullying was uncommon
- Obesity was uncommon
- No such thing as road rage
- I could make a few bucks with a paper route
- The USA was at its peak of economic prominence. We were the major exporters of goods to the world
- Grid lock had not become common on our highways
- People were able to make a living on family farms and family fishing boats
- Speed limits were sensible
- Teachers, lawyers, and politicians were respected
- The average inflation rate in the United States between 1954 and 1964 was 1.37% per year
- Economic prosperity: The economy overall grew by 37% during the 1950s and unemployment remained low, about 4.5%. At the end of the decade, the median American family had 30% more purchasing power than at the beginning.
Times have changed a bit. No doubt you could make an even bigger list of good things going on today. But there is no denying that once upon a time in a land called the USA, there was a set of days that for many people will never be forgotten. For those of us who lived well during this period, we can’t deny our feelings of regret that so many of the things in my list have become shadows of the past.
“Tell Me About the Good Old Days” by the Judds
Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days
Sometimes it feels like this world’s gone crazy
Grandpa, take me back to yesterday
When the line between right and wrong
Didn’t seem so hazy
Did lovers really fall in love to stay
And stand beside each other, come what may?
Was a promise really something people kept
Not just something they would say
Did families really bow their heads to pray?
Did daddies really never go away?
Whoa, whoa, grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days
Grandpa, everything is changing fast
We call it progress, but I just don’t know
And grandpa, let’s wander back into the past
Then paint me the picture of long ago.
Aging Capriciously 