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American Economy 1950s Consumer Culture Thesis

Thus, a couple -- Tom and Betsy Rath -- are stuck in the middle trying to find real meaning in it. Living in suburban Connecticut, their three children are addicted to TV and show no real interest in the life around them. Tom is the epitome of the discontented businessman, who is forced to work to pay for the new middle class suburban life. Despite his hard work, he finds it hard to pay for his life, a staunch contrast to the free living seen in the Seven-Year Itch. Betty's acceptance of Tom's affairs, which shows the passive and supportive role of the wife in the 1950s no matter what the husband is to do -- he is her life support, for she is a stay at home wife. In the...

Thus, the film is a testament to what 1950s America should have been doing all along instead of becoming obsessed with consumer culture and the need for money to buy the latest must haves.
References

Moffatt, Mike. (2009). The post-war economy:1945-1960. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved December 12, 2009 from http://economics.about.com/od/useconomichistory/a/post_war.htm

Simbajon, Carlo. (2009). Economic status of the United States in 1950. Economics. Retrieved December 12, 2009 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Economic-Status-of-the-United-States-in-1950&id=1565016

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References

Moffatt, Mike. (2009). The post-war economy:1945-1960. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved December 12, 2009 from http://economics.about.com/od/useconomichistory/a/post_war.htm

Simbajon, Carlo. (2009). Economic status of the United States in 1950. Economics. Retrieved December 12, 2009 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Economic-Status-of-the-United-States-in-1950&id=1565016
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