BROADCASTS.com

A striking contrast between 1957 and the present is that Americans today appear to have a much lower tolerance for risk than their grandparents and great grandparents. As one contemporary recalled, \u201cFor those who grew up in the 1930s and 1940s, there was nothing unusual about finding yourself threatened by contagious disease. Mumps, measles, chickenpox, and German measles swept through our entire schools and towns. . . . We took the Asian flu in stride. We said our prayers and took our chances.\u201c Perhaps a society with a stronger fabric of family life, community life, and church life was better equipped to withstand the anguish of untimely deaths in a society that has, in so many ways, come apart.

There were no lockdowns since the US working population did not have the option to work from home in 1957. In the absence of a telecommunications infrastructure more sophisticated than the telephone (and a quarter of U.S. households still did not have a landline in 1957), the choice was between working at one\u2019s workplace or not working at all.

In 1957\u2013even with a serious risk of infectious disease (and not just flu; there was also polio and much else), life was jovial. By contrast, to be young in 2020 was\u2014for most American teenagers\u2014rather hellish. Stuck indoors, struggling to concentrate on \u201cdistance-learning\u201d with irritable parents working from home in the next room, young people experienced at best frustration and at worst mental illness.

Huey \u201cPiano\u201d Smith captured the celebration of the rock \u2018n\u2019 roll generation despite the pandemic.

The episode blogpost may be viewed at:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/16280040/8446940506587874311

Time to answer a quick 4-question survey? Click to answer; thank you!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1pfdA_6_7YzUnyolusOJy0lJeU0gNm07HIOMFyM2YCT4/edit

If you like the Podcast please do three simple things for me: rate, subscribe, and write a review.

Thank you!

Amazon Associate ID is thedoctorofdi-20

Consider purchasing the song, \u201cRockin\u2019 Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu,\u201d Huey \u201cPiano\u201d Smith.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-doctor-of-digital-gmick-smith-phd--1279468/support.