V. Women and the Consumer LifestyleThe Roaring Twenties: Babbitts, Klansmen, and FlappersI. The Twenties and the “Return to Normalcy”- 1920 – President Waren G. Haring is elected; politically conservative era – swing left side of political spectrum thenback to the right; business friendly decade; wealth and power will once again be admired; labor unions on the defensive; era of tremendous cultural change; 1) An era of political conservatism, rejecting Progressive reform2) An age of conflict – urban vs. rural, “new” vs. “old,” modernists vs. traditionalists- Return to the past: reactionary, when things were better; hold onto to good old fashion values; modernists – believedthat all of this change (urban life, economic growth) a goodthing; traditionalists – older, more religious, more concerned, a lot of populist list, farming life being ideal. II. An Economic Snapshot of the 1920s1) HUGE economic growth overall- Tremendous economic growth; first decade where America becomes a consumer society; Americans become interested in buying stuff because it is fun – act of buying things just cause we want it; want for a consumer lifestyle; modern decade – one that we will be able to recognize. Manufacturing increases 60%; GDP increases 40%. Wages for factory workers only went up 20%. Still have 40% of Americans living in poverty. Sharecroppers are not doing any better since the reconstruction period. Improved standards of living, though some get it better than others.2) exception – agriculture in trouble- Agriculture is doing badly – half a million farmers lose their land – beginnings of corporate ads known as suitcase farmers, headed north to get jobs in the North. - Massive erosion III. The Rise of “Consumerism”1) The automobile – symbol of consumerism- Most produced car on the planet (Model T) - don’t need it but it was the most wanted item of time - 1920 : 10 million cars - 1930 : 26 million cars- Way of escape – go into town, to the lake, commute to work in a car, live in the suburbs, have funIV. A Culture of Conformity?1) Consumerism as freedom2) Consumerism as shallow materialisma) Sinclair Lewis and Babbitt (1924)1- Lewis - From Ohio, writes several novels over his career, rural life; story of a real estate living in a fictional town, man in his 40s married, wife are not getting along sexual and other wise; two ungrateful children, whole family is materialistic, never occurs to him that there isn’t more to life other than makingmoney and looking good, story about failure. V. Women and the Consumer Lifestyle1) “women’s work”- Benefit and curse to women; move into work force; jobs that they are allowed to do are limited, separate from what men can do, women didn’t make the same amountof money a man makes; women’s proper place was in the home; once a women got married she quit; non-white women had limited choices (picking cotton, serving as a domestic) 2) Consumerism and the tyranny of housework- One whole day was left to do just laundry; increases expectations, house is to be spotless since you have vacuum cleaners and washing machines, everything needs to be clean that you can eat off of it. Single women can get a job, you get a job, and you become financial stable giving women options 3) The “New Woman” – made possible by the new consumer culturea) the “Flapper” – wild, free, fun- Lives in the city, young urban, shorter dress, wears makeup (was for prostitute), smokes in public, drinks alcohol, listens to jazz music, has sex outside of marriage, gets in a car and go partying, takes advantage of contraception - Those who were worried see this as disadvantages- Urban values replace traditional values. VI. Backlash against Modernism – The Rise of Fundamentalism and the KKKa) Fundamentalism - a religious reaction against consumerism and modernismi) Flappers – whores, harlots flaunting women’s “proper roles”ii) Babbitts – unspiritual materialistsb) The “new” Ku Klux Klani) Old Klan – stop black men voting – 15th amendment. ii) New Klan – hatred reflects a changed America – immigrants, Catholics, Jews, labor unions, communists: 2no longer southern thing, don’t like flappers (the whole 1920s consumerism ideas) iii) Popular among farmers and small businessmen – those people not sharing in the prosperity of the 1920s and threatened by these new “modern” ideas and people. “Status Anxiety”
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