Friday 9 September 2011

The touching innocence of 1950's indoctination



Like so many people these days we live in the suburbs and Dave needs the car for business

It’s a whole new way of life. Now I’m free to go anywhere, do anything, see anybody, anytime I want to.”

1950's suburban living, in fact, imprisoned people in an urban form from which the only escape was the car. The scale upon which the city had been built presupposed ownership of a car, and from then on the American ideal of freedom was synonymous with consumption. 

I couldn’t even shop when I wanted to!

Adverts at this time, and I guess any time, are not simply for one product, the car, but for a whole consumer lifestyle, in which all the elements are mutually supportive.