History 467
Week 4
Due: in discussion section,
Tues. Jan. 23 or Wed. Jan. 24
Project: The lectures for
Week 4 are titled "Culture of Consensus" and "Subcultures of
Dissent." American political
culture during the Fifties celebrated an "American Way" of individual
freedom through consumerism in an allegedly classless society, while the
mainstream media simultaneously expressed anxiety about juvenile delinquency
while labeling American youth the "Silent Generation." For this discussion project, bring to
section a typed response (maximum one-page, single-spaced) that grapples with
one or both of the questions below, and be prepared to make your argument in
class.
**Should historians view the
images of teenage delinquency portrayed in Rebel without a Cause and the youth consumption of rock 'n' roll described
in All Shook Up as part of a
broader culture of consensus or as evidence of a rebellious culture of dissent?
**Did Hollywood's vision of
teenage delinquency in Rebel without a Cause and the mass marketing of rock 'n' roll during the
Fifties represent a subversive adoption of working-class and African-American
identity by suburban youth or instead a "whitening" process that
erased the class origins and racial authenticity of cultural rebellion?