The 'No Sir' Nation

After looking through last week’s reading material, I couldn’t help but make the connection between an outbreak in teenage rebellion and the stern enforcement of a plethora of militant rules. The post-WWII environment bred militant authority figures that led teenagers to rebellion; it was one extreme behavior counteracting another. America was just coming out of the deadliest conflict in human history and the attitudes and demeanor possessed during wartime was translated to everyday society; it was like a social wartime crisis resulted from the ending of an extremely devastating period in American history. It isn’t hard to understand that at the immediate end of the war society didn’t instantly mold back into a place of peace and happiness.

The broad enforcement of militancy is seen in teenagers’ testimonials of their parents being “too strict”. In the article “Teenagers” from the Baltimore Sun, “A solid 98 percent of teens say that juvenile delinquency can be controlled by parents who love their children and guide them competently”. Those same teens later complain in the article that their parents are too strict on them as opposed to just supervising or guiding them. The conclusion to this finding is a feeling of limited freedom on the part of the teenagers, causing a massive outbreak of teenage rebellion.

Militant authority is not only seen at home in the 1950s, but also amongst all other societal components. An article from Stanford cites some of overbearing rules and stereotypes enforced on teens in school and amongst other components of society:

● Boy's hair touching the ears wasn't allowed, punishable by expulsion from school.

● Most girls weren't allowed to wear pants, and boys weren't allowed to wear blue jeans. Even Stanford University prohibited the wearing of jeans in public during the 1950s.

● The new slang - hipster talk - bothered most adults. It was part African American, part beatnik and part street gang... an offensive combination in the eyes of the status quo.

● There was alarm about teens dating and "heavy petting." Any talk about sex was taboo and could be punishable.

● Many parents were worried about their daughters adoring black rock musicians, fearing the possibility of racial commingling.

● Hot rods were considered dangerous. All it took was a few fatal accidents and the other 99% of the custom cars and hot rods were considered a menace to public safety.

● Dancing to rock'n'roll music was often banned, with school and teen dances shut down.

When looking at the nature, number, and severity of rules imposed upon America’s teenage population in post-war circumstances it isn’t hard to understand the source of the massive outbreak of teenage rebellion.