All Shook Up

CH. 4
Amusing facts starting now:
-Elvis Presley fans earned an average grade of C in high school, and Pat Boone fans earned an average grade of B. Those who took honor classes, wore proper clothes, donated blood, also known as the "good kids" listened to pop or classical music. 
-Rock n' roll music was thought as "dangerous" due to its beat which made the body want to dance and have sex.
-Boys' working wage at age 18 was $16.65, while girls earned about 2 or 3 dollars less. Still though, that is incredibly high compared to now a days! It'd be awesome to get that now:)
-Teenagers spent plenty of their leisure time spending money and buying clothes, sports equipment, records, etc. So, in the consumer world, teenagers had become their own "group".
-The Nelson family was different in real life, than the family they portrayed on TV.  The father was an incredibly hard worker and also demanding father. Ricky smoked marijuana, wore leather jackets, and was a shy teenager. 
-Many teens wanted their parents to still play a role in their life and be there to guide them, and on the contrary they also wanted their own freedom. Teenagers did not want parents to rule their lives, but still wanted them to stay in their lives for support. 
-Frozen dinners became a hit, therefore having dinner at the dinner table with the family became less common. After the frozen dinner was eaten, teenagers would most likely rush out or go to their rooms. 
-The United States was the only country in the 50's that added "teenager" to their dictionary and considered them a completely separate group from the adults, and children as well. 


It is tough to argue with the fact that the 50's was an era mostly "run" by teenagers. The previous generation had gone from childhood straight into adulthood, so it is not a surprise that a generation gap between the parents and their new so called teenagers existed in the 50's.