The view of automobiles changes radically with the end of WW2

Life Magazine, Dec 7th, 1942, Vol 13, #23, pg. 21
Life Magazine, October 31st, 1955, Vol 39, #18

In the General Motors wartime ad, we do not see a car but rather a man working on an airplane engine. I looked through two entire wartime years of life magazine and failed to find an ad where an automobile was actually pictured. This says something about the position of automobiles in society during the war. They were neglected in the face of war production. This would later be responsible for creating the pent-up demand that fueled the spectacular auto boom after the war. During World War Two carmakers were still advertising their brands- they just weren’t showcasing their cars. The postwar implication of this is clear. Because they contributed substantially to the war effort, the automakers name became associated with a sense of patriotism in American industrialism represented in the flags and stripes in the ad. After the war ended you could buy a sense of that pride by buying a huge American car with a powerful engine (the father’s Dodge 440 in Blue Sky Dream).

The carpet advert from 1955 illustrates some features of the new postwar society and the automobile’s role in it. In this ad, the car ceases to be an extension of the heroicised, masculine wartime image but instead has become a delicate and stylish art object, representing a hip, modern, design-conscious “lifestyle” -certainly something to impress the neighbors. The minimalist style of the house shows the influence of European design that was brought back from the war. In fact, the origins of the Ford Thunderbird pictured here lie in Europe as well. In Paris, Ford executives saw a Jaguar xk120 sports car and vowed to imitate it when they returned to America. The change in values represented in the postwar image can be seen in relation to Riesman’s “other-directed” person, who spends a large part of their life trying to look good (and "very today!") in the eyes of others. The way the second image depicts the Thunderbird as part of the house shows the new position of consumer goods in representing extensions of one’s personality, hinting at Riesman’s other idea of the beginning of classlessness where social status is determined by taste, not wealth. The popularity of the sportscar is also an indication of the importance of the idea of leisure in the postwar climate.

Media's Portrayal of Women and War: 1940's-1950's

The 1943 Royal Crown Cola advertisement published in Life emphasizes the large number of women entering the workforce during the war.  Actress Mary Martin represents women across America who are actively engaged in an effort to maximize economic and industrial production and to help win the war.  Seated at what appears to be a local joint, Mary, still dressed in her work attire, takes a brief respite from her patriotic work as an actress to spend some time talking with men while sipping on Royal Crown Cola.  The ad reads, "War work and screen acting don't allow lovely Mary Martin much time for relaxation.  But when she does take time out, it's Royal Crown Cola that gives her a fresh start."  Written below in capital letters, the reader is instructed to "BUY MORE U.S. WAR BONDS AND STAMPS TODAY."  Though actress Mary Martin most likely leads a life that is far less ordinary than this ad might suggest, Mary is, nevertheless, portrayed as a good American woman who tends to her duties as a citizen of a country at war.  The fact that the advertisement features a woman as the consumer of a general product is significant, as it emphasizes the replacement of men at war by women.  Royal Crown Cola is not a distinctly feminine consumer item like perfume or lingerie, and so it is noteworthy that a man does not take center stage in an ad for an unisex product.

Fast-forwarding twelve years to the mid-fifties, this ad, sponsored by the United States Brewers foundation, presents the reader with a very different depiction of what life is like for women in America.  This image highlights a number of important changes that have taken place during the post-war period and into the McCarthy era, including the complete re-structuring of time and a shift in gender roles.  The image illuminates the new ideas about foreign relations and national security, domesticity, work and leisure, and, more generally, what it means to be an American.  The advertisement is entitled "Home Life in America," which suggests an image of both America as a nation and Americans as people that are unified, singular, and homogeneous.  The women pictured in this ad lead distinctly different lives than Mary Martin; however, both the women in the beer ad and Mary Martin are offered as good models for how the average American woman should serve her country.  Mary Martin and her piers were principally concerned with helping their nation win World War II by participating in the production of goods.  In contrast, women of the fifties are instructed to strengthen their country and fight communism by raising and supporting a "good American family with good American values."  Marchand (1982) writes, "with the home symbolizing the security and stability recently thwarted by war and depression, the paramount role [for women] [i]s homemaker."  Through ads like this, "the popular media romanticize[s] domesticity and elevate[s] it to the status of a national purpose" (Marchand, 172).  Indeed, at the bottom of the full-page ad, one reads "in this friendly, freedom-loving land of ours...Beer Belongs - Enjoy."  "Beer belongs" in America, the land of democracy, prosperity, and "good Christian values."  Communism, on the other hand, does not.  In order to ensure that this is a reality, women must fulfill their duties as devoted wives, gracious hostesses, good mothers, and, most of all, patriotic Americans.  Unlike women of World War II, modern women of the fifties are warned against spending their time outside the home.  As Ladies' Home Journal puts it, "You Can't Have a Career and Be a Good Wife."  The United Brewers ad communicates to the reader a number of shifts that have taken place.  Leisure, rather than work, is central to this advertisement, reflecting a broader change in the way Americans spend their time.  In an era of opulence, American families enjoy their new homes with spacious lawns.  With the man grilling and the woman serving cold beers to her guests, this ad exemplifies women and men stepping into new roles and allocating their time in a very different manner than before.  This is how "home life in America" is and ought to be if America is to remain strong in light of communist threats at home and abroad.

Media Research Project: Harper's Magazine - Bell Telephone Systems

For my first media research project I decided to use two images printed in Harper's Magazine from January, 1945 and November, 1957.

The first image (Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 190, No. 1136, p. 96 – January, 1945) displays a volunteer member of the "Signal Battalion" from Bell Telephone as he strings new telephone cable aside a recently bombed bridge in Europe. The written piece of the advertisement notes that 59,000 Bell employees (men and women) volunteered to go overseas to assist with the United States war effort. During World War II many men and women in the United States made tremendous sacrifices for their country. Bell Telephone is using this advertisement to represent their mission and sacrifice in helping the United States achieve victory. At the same time, Bell wants it's customers at home to realize they are not forgotten and service will be available promptly. The advertisement concludes with an apology from Bell for the lack of service at home as a result of the enormous demand abroad.



The second image (Harper's Magazine, Vol. 215, No. 1290, p.2 - November, 1957) displays the "Seven Ages of the Telephone" and promotes Bell Telephone Systems as a vital part of life beginning in early childhood. At this time, in 1957, several years after World War II, Bell Telephone is back on the map domestically and appears to be commanding a strong audience. The advertisement begins as a child is born, progresses through adolescence and teen years, and finishes with marriage, family life, and becoming a great-grandparent. Whew! I believe there are several ways this ad could be used to promote Bell's services: 1) To demonstrate Bell Telephone's critical importance to Americans of all ages and sexes, 2) As a way of predicting Bell Telephone's role in the lives of Americans for years to come, and 3) To show that Bell Telephone has successfully made the transition from a war-time communications provider to an easily accessible everyday mode of communication for Americans.



The images from Bell Telephone advertisements are different as they promote Bell's services in two distinct environments. One, behind enemy lines - essential for survival and victory in war. The other, in the household - essential to holding the family unit together. These images depict how companies in the United States decided to represent themselves during and after World War II. During the war as a patriotic fighter and afterwards as a consumer friendly provider of services.

- EAP

Buckley Dies

This article (see link) is quite appropriate given that Buckley authors one of this week's readings.

Interracial Marriage implies Communism?

This column in the National Review looks at Obama's family history and asks whether there is communism in his past.

Economist Calls for Return of HOLC

February 24, 2008
ECONOMIC VIEW
By ALAN S. BLINDER

From the New Deal, a Way Out of a Mess

During the Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress dealt with huge impending foreclosures by creating the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation. Now, a small but growing group of academics and public figures, including Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, is calling for the federal government to bring back something like the HOLC. Count me in.

....
It is said that history never repeats itself. But sometimes there are sequels. Now is the time to re-establish the Incredible HOLC.

Putin's Iron Grip on Russia Suffocate His Opponents

More on Putin. This is really interesting-

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/world/europe/24putin.html