Sunday, April 12, 2009
Reaction #9: Cheerful Robots
In the 1950s, C. Wright Mills criticized the American people as being “Cheerful Robots.” People in the 1950s had become cookie cutter, just like the houses they were living in. The family became known as the nuclear family, as families all worked together to “benefit” everyone in one. Families became more immediate, rather than putting emphasis on the extended family. This nuclear family almost always included the father being in charge of “bringing home the bread.” Women were left to have his children and take care of them at home. The “Cheerful Robots” comment that Mills made refers to the fact that all the families normally put on a smile and did the same thing every day. Also, with more and more appliances being developed, more was expected of women in the home. Many had been forced to leave their jobs after the war, and had to act happy about being forced to now stay in the home. People can still be considered as a “cheerful robot” today, trying to constantly fill their lives in order to be happy and live a life worth living.
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This post takes into consideration that it becomes an emphasis on immediate family rather than extended. The nuclear family was the basis for the conformity that American embraced in the 1950's. Because material possessions became available, with little variation, for this nuclear family and they were extremely willing to take advantage of the new ideals and their new technology.
ReplyDeleteThis was good but I think you could have said more.
ReplyDeleteA little more would be good, but the big thing i noticed is how you related the peoples views back then to some of the peoples views now and quite frankly, i see those views alive and well. Good job pointing that out.
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