Saying that the 1950's was a period of social cohesion is misleading because although it is perceived that there were very few social issues in the U.S., there were actually quite a few, and a lot of it had to do (or at least people thought) with comic books. This period of time in the United States was important; we were just coming out of World War Two and we were about to enter the era known as the baby boom. Contrary to popular belief that this was a time of great growth and prosperity, it was actually a time of great social debate. As if social rights, civil rights, and women's rights weren't enough to handle, comic books were being blamed for the corruption of our youth.
This was the first time in our history that a consumer product had been targeted at a certain group of people, and obviously the American public was quick to point the finger at the comic industry. Up until this point, the main genre of comics were superheroes fighting crime and comedy. As the industry started to target the youth, they started to produce more pure crime and horror comics, which became a big hit, much to the chagrin of parents and critics.
Since the war was ending, the American families were even more inclined to become wholesome people( going to church, keeping family values, etc.). When they eventually saw what their kids were starting to bring home from the convenience store, one could predict that there was going to be an uproar, as the one displayed in the video we saw in class. People and America in general wanted to get away from the war and get back to the good old American way, and the comic books that were being produced were challenging that in a way that was viewed as unacceptable.
This was the first time in our history that a consumer product had been targeted at a certain group of people, and obviously the American public was quick to point the finger at the comic industry. Up until this point, the main genre of comics were superheroes fighting crime and comedy. As the industry started to target the youth, they started to produce more pure crime and horror comics, which became a big hit, much to the chagrin of parents and critics.
Since the war was ending, the American families were even more inclined to become wholesome people( going to church, keeping family values, etc.). When they eventually saw what their kids were starting to bring home from the convenience store, one could predict that there was going to be an uproar, as the one displayed in the video we saw in class. People and America in general wanted to get away from the war and get back to the good old American way, and the comic books that were being produced were challenging that in a way that was viewed as unacceptable.
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