Saturday, October 23, 2010

Hey, Pop! The Real Mid-Century 'Look'



Buoyant, crass, optimistic, richer than anywhere else, innocent of its arrogance, arrogant about its innocence, 'modern' with a 'T' for tasteless, fast, practical, goofy, criminal with a 'B' for brass knuckles, an 'S' for switchblade, and a 'C' for cement overcoat, commercial, blandly religious, conformist to the point of bigotry, classless but racist, democratic but rigidly institutional, forthright yet hypocritical, stupid yet innovative, proud of a be-wigged history yet seeing history as a 'future', Constitution-thumping yet run by social prejudice whose every legal construction and interpretation stank of exegetical cavil.  And The Creature From The Black Lagoon, in 3D.

Ah.  The 50s.

It's great having come this far away.  It is.


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2 comments:

  1. It's also great to read where you started. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Karin,

    Thanks! (And my 50s were in your neck of the 'hike').

    Trulyfool

    ReplyDelete