Rebellion, Television, & Equality

John Lennon once said: ''Before Elvis, there was nothing.'', Though there is some truth to that in a musical sense, I find it more suitable to apply this quote to a bigger picture and take Elvis as a metaphor for the pop culture of the 1950s, (I'm sure Mr. Lennon would allow the deviation.) For before 1950's, there was pretty much nothing. Okay, Boogie Woogie and R&B were before the 50's and yes, a few social changes took place in the 20's, but nobody would argue that these pale compared to Rock and Roll and the birth of modern civil rights. A lot of things went down during this decade, hence I like to call it: The grandfather decade of rebellion.

The question is: What triggered this ''rebellion'' during the '50s? Was it in fact Elvis Presley? Rock and Roll? was it the roaring birth rates? or was it Television? ...maybe the hairstyles? The answer is indeed all of the above...right, maybe not so much the hairstyles; though they were really cool.

All American Girl Lucy and her Cuban husband Ricky, From 'I love lucy'

There were a few things that made the 1950's exciting. A big one was that it introduced most of the nation to household Television, a device that caught on faster than any novelty since the light bulb. To put it in perspective, in 1949 around 7% of US Households owned a TV set; By 1959 the number had soared to 90%. National television news coverage of the civil rights movement helped transform its viewers by showing Americans the evils and violence of racism and by presenting the dignity of the African American people in the quest for equality. Popular Television sitcoms like 'I love Lucy' ignited controversy by presenting an interracial couple in a way that everybody could relate to and enjoy. TV forced producers to fire white actors who played black characters on radio.

A very different worldview was absorbed by the primary regular viewers of television, the baby boomers.