GOOD VERSUS EVIL AS DEFINED THROUGH TELEVISION AND FILM
One might argue that without evil good could not exist. I think that evil exists in a way to force the good to evolve, to become stronger, to be better prepared for what lies ahead. Film and television of the 1950’s paralleled an apprehensive time for society. The United States was fresh off World War 2, but with tensions rising in the USSR another possible war loomed overhead. Another storm brewing was the threat of Communists taking over the country and infiltrating the government. Tensions were high and people were largely on edge. As with any conflict there is an inherent good and evil. The good and evil paradigm has existed as far back as the written word. People flock to the stories of good versus evil to watch or see the hero prevail time and time again. The 1950’s were no exception to this.
To understand what was on the minds of the youth of the 1950’s compared to the youth of today, using the tool of film and television can be beneficial. In the 1950’s, Westerns and Science Fiction dominated the silver screen. Westerns told a very black and white tale of good versus evil where good always won. There was no gray area and no middle of the road characters. It was all good or all bad. Those extremities paralleled the mental state of the 1950’s. It was not a time of calm and complacency. People were constantly on edge for fear of the Korean War. They flocked to these films to get reassurance that the good guys always win, and that no matter what, the United States would come out victorious. The Science Fiction genre told tales of Earth constantly being invaded. Sci-fi films of the 1950s were the primary vehicles through which American audiences confronted feelings of dread and despair associated with the threat of Cold War annihilation (Adilifu 157). The 1953 film, Invaders from Mars, draws the connection between the fear of communists taking over and the fear of the reported effects from the Korean War. In Invaders from Mars, the loss of respected authority figures to the Martians was a direct parallel to authority figures in the United States who were announced to have been Communists agents. Another aspect of the film was the Martian’s ability to use mind-control while simultaneously reports of brainwashing ran rampant during the Korean War (Vizzini 2008). People needed to see these acts on film and then see the hero triumph in the end.
To understand what was on the minds of the youth of the 1950’s compared to the youth of today, using the tool of film and television can be beneficial. In the 1950’s, Westerns and Science Fiction dominated the silver screen. Westerns told a very black and white tale of good versus evil where good always won. There was no gray area and no middle of the road characters. It was all good or all bad. Those extremities paralleled the mental state of the 1950’s. It was not a time of calm and complacency. People were constantly on edge for fear of the Korean War. They flocked to these films to get reassurance that the good guys always win, and that no matter what, the United States would come out victorious. The Science Fiction genre told tales of Earth constantly being invaded. Sci-fi films of the 1950s were the primary vehicles through which American audiences confronted feelings of dread and despair associated with the threat of Cold War annihilation (Adilifu 157). The 1953 film, Invaders from Mars, draws the connection between the fear of communists taking over and the fear of the reported effects from the Korean War. In Invaders from Mars, the loss of respected authority figures to the Martians was a direct parallel to authority figures in the United States who were announced to have been Communists agents. Another aspect of the film was the Martian’s ability to use mind-control while simultaneously reports of brainwashing ran rampant during the Korean War (Vizzini 2008). People needed to see these acts on film and then see the hero triumph in the end.
Film today continues to reflect the inner psyche of the youth. If you look at the top grossing film of the current year, the top five accurately reflect where the youth of today are. The Dark Knight Rises holds the spot for number two on the list. In The Dark Knight Rises, a terrorist leader threatens the civility of Gotham City and the Dark Knight must keep his beloved city safe (http://boxofficemojo.com). A connection could be made to that of Osama Bin Laden, the main terrorist our nation faced, and how the Navy seals, our form of the hero, rose to the occasion and destroyed Bin Laden. Another example of a modern film depicting today’s youth is the number 3 highest grossing film, The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games, a film with a strong sense of good versus evil, is set in “Panem, the name for North America after a catastrophic civil war. Panem is divided into twelve districts, all of which are presided over by the Capitol. As a symbolic act of penance for their past rebellions, each district is required to send a young ‘tribute’ to the annual Hunger Games, a televised tournament in which the competitors are required to fight to the death” (Fisher 1). A strong connection can drawn from its target audience, the young adults for “the film and the novel have no doubt resonated so powerfully with its young audience because it has engaged feelings of betrayal and resentment rising in a generation asked to accept that its quality of life will be worse than that of its parents” (Fisher 1). In 1983, one out of five college graduates were under-or-unemployed. Today, over half of college graduates are unemployed (www.policymic.com). Today’s youth are graduating college highly educated but unable to obtain employment. With an unstable economy there is an ever uncertainty about the future and everyone’s sense of security. The evils of financial debt are rapidly increasing, while the good guys, the ones who went to college and have worked hard, are struggling and often uncertain if they will even able to survive the future.
Film portrayed the harsher light of what was going on in the world while television kept reality a little more lighthearted, more hopeful even. The sitcoms on television in the 1950’s wanted us to see what life was supposed to be. That life inevitably was going to be ok. That home was safe. The advent of sitcoms like Leave it Beaver, Father Knows Best, and The Donna Read Show portrayed the “idyllic view of what the perfect family life should look like” (http://www.ushistory.org). These shows portrayed what was defined as “normal.” It was the ideal schools, neighborhoods, family life, and jobs (Bradley 1998). The shows highlighted families that talked everything out. The youth admitted their wrong doings and everything ended in a hug and a laugh. It encompassed an idea of togetherness. With the threat of war looming overhead, the youth needed a place to go to feel safe again. Television identified home, and family, as that safe place. Today the youth watch sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory were an out of work actress could work a restaurant job and afford an apartment in Pasadena, California. Or where six people can live in New York with ease as seen on Friends. It’s one thing this generation wants. Ease. Security. Friends. A typical one bedroom apartment in Pasadena can cost an average of $1400-$1600. A New York apartment can average even more than that (http://www.apartmentguide.com). The youth of today also flock to shows like The Voice and American Idol, where they can inherently cheer on the metaphorical good guy that they so desperately want to see win and triumph over the cynical and berating judges.
Film portrayed the harsher light of what was going on in the world while television kept reality a little more lighthearted, more hopeful even. The sitcoms on television in the 1950’s wanted us to see what life was supposed to be. That life inevitably was going to be ok. That home was safe. The advent of sitcoms like Leave it Beaver, Father Knows Best, and The Donna Read Show portrayed the “idyllic view of what the perfect family life should look like” (http://www.ushistory.org). These shows portrayed what was defined as “normal.” It was the ideal schools, neighborhoods, family life, and jobs (Bradley 1998). The shows highlighted families that talked everything out. The youth admitted their wrong doings and everything ended in a hug and a laugh. It encompassed an idea of togetherness. With the threat of war looming overhead, the youth needed a place to go to feel safe again. Television identified home, and family, as that safe place. Today the youth watch sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory were an out of work actress could work a restaurant job and afford an apartment in Pasadena, California. Or where six people can live in New York with ease as seen on Friends. It’s one thing this generation wants. Ease. Security. Friends. A typical one bedroom apartment in Pasadena can cost an average of $1400-$1600. A New York apartment can average even more than that (http://www.apartmentguide.com). The youth of today also flock to shows like The Voice and American Idol, where they can inherently cheer on the metaphorical good guy that they so desperately want to see win and triumph over the cynical and berating judges.
Whether it was the 1950’s, or the 2000’s, one thing holds true: the youth have always had something to worry about. We often think the youth of earlier generations had it easier, but upon research we come to understand that even they had struggles just as we do today. The one thing that has consistently gotten the youth through these rough times has been the music, film, and television mediums. Everyone needs a chance to escape their reality even if for only the three minutes of a song or two hours of a film. From music we find peace and passion to keep fighting. From film we see our struggles on the big screen and see ourselves as triumphant in the end. Television aims to show us how simple it all really could be. Music, film, and television offer the youth, regardless of the decade they lived in, one thing: hope. To ultimately answer the question of “What’s on the minds of youth today?” we can look at the past and look at the future to get a possible answer: uncertainty, but mixed with the ever-undying sense of hope. Hope that the good guy will always prevail and that evil will never win.