In his Raw Story commentary (May 2, 2022) Them Hartmann wrote:
The America I was born into and grew up in as a kid was a very different place from today. In the 1950s the country was firmly under the control of straight white men:
- Blacks (and other minorities, varying by region) were confined to certain parts of town and were routinely beaten, arrested, or even killed for stepping into whites-only areas.
- In 1951 only about 15% of Blacks were successful in registering to vote in all of the former Confederate states.
- With few exceptions, the only minority faces seen in media were those portrayed as either buffoons or criminals.
- Abortion was illegal, and in many states you could go to jail, even if you were married, for possessing birth control of any sort, including condoms, in your own home. IUD’s and birth control pills did not exist.
- Schools, restaurants, hotels, and most private businesses were racially segregated.
- Women (even white women) couldn’t sign a contract, get a credit card or open a bank account in their own names without the signature of a father or husband.
- Immigration into America was regulated to maintain the country’s racial balance.
- Gays and lesbians were routinely beaten, imprisoned, raped, and murdered with no consequence to their tormentors
- Police had carte blanche to terrorize and kill minorities of all types.
They are the good old days that the Republican Party now yearns for, and. It goes without saying that they would prefer it if the country was still predominately populated by white folk, but they will settle for a one party dictatorship headed by Donald Trump or his ilk. Just sayin’ — wfw
For What It's Worth 