ipl-logo

The Role Of Youth In The 1960s

1396 Words6 Pages

Sibyl Li
Television: History/Form
Professor Isabelle Freda
11 March 2023
Analysis on Teenager’s place in 1960s Television History
1960s was an important time point in American television history. It is not only a time of various social changes, but also an era when teenagers are becoming the target of television programming. During this time, a new category of television programs centered on the experiences of adolescence. These programs frequently portrayed the struggles, pleasures, and conflicts of teenagers, and gained popularity among both adolescents and adults. There are many symbolic youth-centered shows like The Donna Reed Show, Leave It to Beaver, and The Patty Duke Show appeared in this era. These programs have had an enduring impact …show more content…

Those shows mentioned previously not only depicted the lives of teenagers in ways that were relatable and engaging for young people, but also provided a window into the changing social dynamics of the time. For example, The Donna Reed Show, which featured teenage costars Paul Peterson and Shelley Fabares as a means of reaching out to ABC’s core constituency, portrayed a middle-class suburban family in which the teenage daughter showing growing sense of empowerment among young women.”(Edgerton, 192). At the same time, The Patty Duke Show took a different approach from The Donna Reed Show, which gives teen girls an opportunity to “find themselves facing a new future and at the center of public attention” (Luckett, 96). These programs provided a platform for adolescents to see their experiences reflected on screen, and also contributed to the development of the American cultural perception of adolescence. Teenagers were not only as the center of the target audience, but also as characters in the shows. Not limited to that period, these programs still remain an integral part of television history and serve as a reminder of the profound influence television can have on our understanding of ourselves and our …show more content…

Although young people remain a large population in American culture, media depictions of this group play a vital role in molding views and attitudes about this group. The appearance of teens on television during that time offers historical background for these concerns, showing how media representation can both reflect and contribute to greater social and cultural transformations. We may obtain a better grasp of the intricate and dynamic interaction between media, culture, and society, as well as how these forces combine to generate our perspective of the world around us, by investigating this historical backdrop. It also allows us to learn about and delve into the changes in American culture and a dynamic society at the

Show More
Related
909 Words | 4 Pages

In James Gilbert’s book, A Cycle of Outrage - America’s Reaction to the Juvenile Delinquent in the 1950’s, he cites examples of why Americans were “puzzled and distressed by the activities of postwar teenagers.” In an excerpt from his book, he describes that the increased worry about the changing culture of American teenagers is partly due to the rise in technology during the 1950’s (12). Unlike in the past, teenagers were able to rapidly shift their speech, fashion, taste in music, and overall attitude in a uniform manner due to access to mass media. As technology was on the rise, so was the number of students attending high schools. () This, in turn, allowed for even more solidarity amongst the teenage population.

Read More
1317 Words | 6 Pages

Have you ever wondered if America is going in the proper political direction? The articles “American Psychosis,” by Chris Hedges, and “Engaging Apolitical Adolescents,” by Melissa Ames, have contrasting views and opinions about how pop culture is expressed through young adult’s political views and interest. Hedges explains why he thinks that reality TV shows- among others- are destroying this country. Hedges uses harsh and critical phrasing to evoke a deep emotional response in the reader. Ames, on the other hand, references the rise of dystopian novels after 9/11, and the fact that the “total vote has increased consistently throughout the past four presidential elections” (4 Ames).

Read More
787 Words | 4 Pages

Slide 2: How have shows and movies about teenagers through different time periods impacted how real teenagers have changed? How teenagers are seen in movies and TV shows has changed significantly over past decades to what fits with the current stereotypes and standards. The first time that being a teenager was ‘popularised’ was during the 1950s, when youths aged 13-19 wanted to be unique, and unlike the older generations. They turned to rock and roll music, younger television shows, and movies to distance themselves from being involved with the culture of their parents. This compared to teenagers in the 80s and 90s when there was a large uprising of rebellion and angst.

Read More
279 Words | 2 Pages

This passage analyzed sit-coms between the 1950’s and 1980’s. Essentially, the authors’ argued: narratives in family based shows either reflect the practices and attitudes of a society, or represent the goals of that society. It discussed; the correlation between real life families and how they were depicted on television, the standard structure of sit-coms, and the internalization resulting from viewing these shows. Popular TV shows such as The Cosby Show, and Leave it to Beaver

Read More
189 Words | 1 Pages

In the essay, The Great Imagination, describes how Reynolds Price see’s the end of teens imagination claiming that young American teens spend more time watching tv than reading books. The author goes on to say that, an alarming number of younger Americans have had the early shoots of a personal fantasy life blighted by a dictatorial daylong T.V. exposure. Teens are looking up to movie stars as their role models, but are not realizing that they are being told what to do. By comparing high school graduates from today and from the 50’s, Price see’s a huge difference when telling an undergraduate to write a story. The reason is students today have an imagination that revolves in the hollywood world.

Read More
233 Words | 1 Pages

During the 1950s, movies and TV were both a force for conformity and rebellion, depending on the specific content and audience. On one hand, the dominant narrative of movies and TV during this era tended to reinforce mainstream values and promote social conformity. Many films and TV shows portrayed idealized versions of American life, featuring characters who conformed to traditional gender roles and family structures. These narratives often emphasized the importance of conformity and adherence to societal norms, portraying those who deviated from these expectations as outcasts or villains. On the other hand, some films and TV shows challenged these mainstream values and promoted rebellion against the status quo.

Read More
1180 Words | 5 Pages

Imagine that you are sitting in your living room, watching T.V and you start to wonder how television got to this point. Some may believe that T.V was always this way, but this could not be further from the truth. Television had a very long journey from the 1960's to modern day. Many of the ideas that were populare in shows before the 60's were not poulare in the future.

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

The work of art I chose is Prometheus being chained by Vulcan by Dirck van Baburen in 1623 and is oil on canvas. He had very few paintings that are known today and his career was short lived but the ones that are known are of mostly religious subjects in Rome. In his final years of painting he started to merge the methods he had learned from Caravaggio and Manfredi into mythological and history paintings. In this painting Baburen adapts a upside-down figure of St. Paul for the position of the fallen Prometheus who was consequently being punished for stealing fire from Hephaestus on Mount

Read More
420 Words | 2 Pages

The politics and culture of the 1950s were positively affected due to the innovation of the television. It irreversibly changed how the American people lived their day-to-day lives through televised entertainment, commercials, and political events and news. Although television was not new, beginning as early as the 1920s, it wasn’t until the 1950s that it truly took off and the industry boomed quickly becoming a national pastime. Television provided families, friends, and young people with new sources of entertainment such as college and professional sports and game shows that were being broadcasted across America.

Read More
561 Words | 3 Pages

The viewers related to the show and gave the network their full and undivided attention. Ultimately, the teens adopted the attitudes and behaviors they were exposed to. Personally, I have been a part of such loop when I was an adolescent. I followed trends such as clothing, shoe ware, soft drinks, cellular phones, TV shows and more.

Read More
237 Words | 1 Pages

The 1950s was a time of social and cultural conformity, with a strong emphasis on family values and stability. This was also the era of the "Red Scare," when fears of Communist infiltration in America led to a wave of anti-Communist sentiment and government repression. The 1960s was a decade of civil rights activism, as African Americans

Read More
947 Words | 4 Pages

The 1970’s was a time for radical change. Within the radical change was feminism, sex and sexuality, and drugs. Although this may not have been part of everyone’s lives, it was there, and it was prevalent. However, in 1970’s television none of this was talked about. Even though the 1970’s was a turning point in censorship in American television, the ideas and values were still moderately the same as the previous decades.

Read More
1886 Words | 8 Pages

The past decade has not seen any notable family sitcoms that has surpassed such leaps of social justice as some had in the 1950’s or 1970’s. While that may be disappointing to some, this is also a great feat for all television audiences. So many issues that were once considered, “taboos,” now, can be the premise of the sitcom altogether. Even the little things like interracial couples, married partners in the same bed, and even mentioning a pregnant woman is considered normal. Yes, the family sitcom is still no direct comparison to the modern family arrangement, but it is as close as were going to get for

Read More
593 Words | 3 Pages

Those programs were used as a parenting tool and shaped the American culture, even more that same culture brought a social atmosphere in favor of males and in disfavor of the females. As a final point, the media is responsible for the 1950s decade's image of the perfect American life, total

Read More
121 Words | 1 Pages

National Security within the United States has been a concern since the 1930s and is only heightened during times of war. Naturally, due to the conflicts with particular countries, World War II and the Cold War created racial stereotypes. Unfortunately, those stereotypes lead to racially bias legal doctrines being created within the United States . The court was not alone in shaping these doctrines, as there was immense pressure from both public and military interests. Particular cases, during WWII and the Cold War, can give examples of how people shouldn’t be treated and how, at the time, every man and women wasn’t truly created equal within the United States, that the 14th amendment was a written law but not properly

Read More

More about The Role Of Youth In The 1960s

Related Topics

Open Document