What would you do if you had to live in 1950s America?

[Randoman01]

You receive a knock at your door. Opening up, a man in a very out of fashion suit and hairstyle walks in and introduces himself as "Rob", insisting you write it in all capital letters and tells you have important news. Taking a seat, he informs you that in one week you will be forced through a time vortex to live in a standard suburban American town circa 1952. Your life will continue there from that point, and you can never return (although if you live long enough you might see the present day as an old man/woman)

As you reel from the shock, he informs you of further rules.

You will receive a fully paid off and furnished suburban house to live in, large enough to start a family but small enough that it wouldn't be unusual if you didn't.
You will be given a job that is the closest approximation possible of your current one. For example, a person in IT now will be given a job working on the very basic computers of the time.
You get one small suitcase to pack anything you want, technology can be brought but electronic items cannot have a total modern price value over 300 USD.
If you are economically dependent on someone else, they will come as well but will be mind wiped into thinking they always lived in that era.
If you are not American, you are given an excuse of having recently immigrated.
What can you do to adapt to your new life? Do you face any special challenges from 50s culture and/or technology?

 

[RJ 17]

First of all: I'd call the cops on "ROB" because I don't want to be kidnapped and taken anywhere - especially America in the 1950's - against my will.

If it happened anyways, I'd just kill myself. 1950's America sucked, especially since things like Racism were still full-blown and wide-spread.

If suicide isn't an option, I'd take my 360, a 20 inch flat-screen HD tv, an HDMI cable, a recharable battery pack, and a wireless controller, give it all to some random science guys for reverse engineering, and jumpstart the TV/Gaming industry.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Probably be the coolest guy evar. Parkin' cadillacs and making out by a cliff style.

 

[IndomitableSam]

Well, I'm a white unmarried woman librarian... So I would in essence not change much at all. Being an unmarried librarian was pretty acceptable in that era. So the only thing I'd miss is current fiction and my video games. I'd probably throw my Wii into my suitcase and a few games as they're not worth much now. Harvest Moon/Rune Factory games probably for the bright happy relaxing. If I could buy stuff it'd be a 2DS and HM and RF games, probably.

Otherwise I'd pack as much birth control as I could, too. And contacts, probably. Possibly fluid, but I'd also probably just take a list of the ingredients and make it myself if I could.

Not sure otherwise. Wouldn't be a bad time for me to live, really. If people could deal with an agnostic opinionated single white woman.

 

[Treeinthewoods]

I'd fit right in, wouldn't be a problem.

I'd take the chance and get involved in the early civil rights movement and also make sure I was available to attend Woodstock.

My thing I bring back to the past is a comprehensive sports almanac just like Biff did in Back to the Future, that tiny house won't be mine for long. And my stock picks would be beyond stellar if I may say so myself.

 

[mecegirl]

Nope. Never. Not happening. I'd probably get lynched for mouthing off to some White person who felt the need to treat me like I'm subhuman.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I'm Australian, but I can definitely see the appeal of hanging out at the diner, drinking a malted milkshake with my gal before hitting the drag strip in my Ford Thunderbird convertible and then out for some swing dancing (earlier era, I know).

My "exotic" accent would probably get me some action.

 

[davidmc1158_v1legacy]

Well, what I would take back with me would not be electronics, but books. Almanacs, accounts on the changes to the stock market, etc. With those I would probably be able to keep a reasonable income available to me.

The only problem is, I teach college-level history classes and have a moderate liberal bent to my personal philosophy. As such . . . . . Why hello there, HUAC? Some questions you wanted to ask me? Why am I not surprised?

Captcha: Better with lunch

Um, no Captcha. Somethings still aren't any better, even if you have a good lunch with them.

 

[Vault101]

Being something of a feminist I'd probably get a lot of weird looks and tsk tsking

To be fair thoug lh not all of the 59,a was completely white washed in that regard

I'd write a buch of sci fi novels called mass effect with a good ending XD

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

First of all: I'd call the cops on "ROB" because I don't want to be kidnapped and taken anywhere - especially American in the 1950's - against my will.

If it happened anyways, I'd just kill myself. 1950's America sucked, especially since things like Racism were still full-blown and wide-spread.

If suicide isn't an option, I'd take my 360, a 20 inch flat-screen HD tv, an HDMI cable, a recharable battery pack, and a wireless controller, give it all to some random science guys for reverse engineering, and jumpstart the TV/Gaming industry.

Yeah that was my knee-jerk reaction too.

I'd rather kill myself than live in that era, especially in America at the time. Considering I would be a woman working in the audio realm I'm sure I won't do so swimmingly. With all that delicious sexism and all.

OT: I would bring all the books I can, video games I need to finish and the means to play them, and hole myself away.

Maybe create a recording studio and have it be so awesome that it is a go-to place for such things. Gotta be a rebel somehow.

 

[Tom_green_day]

I'd bring back all the Ian Fleming novels and start filming them right away. Then I'd simply let the money roooooll in.
Maybe I'd even play Bond. And of course the theme song wouldn't be hard to re-create.
I'd also bring the CDs/ Vinyls of famous artists and release their songs as my own years before they could. Again, money money money.

 

[Tenkage]

eh do my job, relax, maybe listen to some nice lounge music, maybe watch real feminism start and help them out, rather then seeing the disgusting and completely corrupted modern day feminism (you know Tumbler feminism where its ok to say you want to kill a man for being white and straight, and yes I've seen posts of woman serious about that *Sigh*)

I guess I'd miss my video games but I'm sure I'd be able to be entertained in this world

 

[Casual Shinji]

I would finally be able to wear a fedora. YEAH!

 

[Thaluikhain]

Christ...that'd be awful.

First thing I'd do is read up on the effects of nuclear war, in case my town receives a bucket of instant sunshine.

But...to be stuck in the 50s, before the civil rights movement, when homosexuality was a crime and wider society didn't have an issue with this. They didn't even have the contraceptive pill, did they? They still forcibly sterilised the disabled. It won't be illegal for a man to rape his wife anywhere in the US for some 20 years.

Then I'd look forwards to worrying about being conscripted to fight in Korea or Vietnam. Possibly I get a taste of it close to home when the National Guard shoot up US citizens. Maybe I'd get polio.

Yeah, some of the fashions looked nice. But the myth of the 50s being a great place to live is just that, a myth. Unless you really don't like the idea of having to treat women, PoC, LGBT, non-christians et al with anything resembling equality.

(Oh, I'd get one of those old style pistols like Steyr used to make. When the clip/magazine thing breaks out, I can go to stores and ask to by a clip for my semi-automatic pistol, and be all "No, I don't" when they tell me I mean magazine.)

 

[Plasticaprinae]

Ugh. Please no, Rob, leave.

wait... if im dependant on someone... my mother was born in the 50's, if she was taken back in time with me, would she be born then too? Could I fuck myself over? Would I see myself born?

I would stab Rob when I get old enough. Or save myself.

 

[OneCatch]

Christ...that'd be awful.

First thing I'd do is read up on the effects of nuclear war, in case my town receives a bucket of instant sunshine.

But...to be stuck in the 50s, before the civil rights movement, when homosexuality was a crime and wider society didn't have an issue with this. They didn't even have the contraceptive pill, did they? They still forcibly sterilised the disabled. It won't be illegal for a man to rape his wife anywhere in the US for some 20 years.

Then I'd look forwards to worrying about being conscripted to fight in Korea or Vietnam. Possibly I get a taste of it close to home when the National Guard shoot up US citizens. Maybe I'd get polio.

Yeah, some of the fashions looked nice. But the myth of the 50s being a great place to live is just that, a myth. Unless you really don't like the idea of having to treat women, PoC, LGBT, non-christians et al with anything resembling equality.

(Oh, I'd get one of those old style pistols like Steyr used to make. When the clip/magazine thing breaks out, I can go to stores and ask to by a clip for my semi-automatic pistol, and be all "No, I don't" when they tell me I mean magazine.)

Yeah, this. Not something I'd enjoy in the slightest.
If I had to make most of it, I'd probably spend a few of my remaining days investigating companies to invest in for maximum safe return. Sell house for equity. In a few years I'd become filthy rich because of temporal insider trading, and start up a few charitable foundations to try and alleviate some of these social problems.
Or become a ridiculously successful political advisor by 'predicting' events in advance with a high degree of accuracy, and then use influence to further above causes.

I'd probably move back to the UK sooner or later. Yeah it's all poor and postwar at the time, but just a bit less bigoted than the US.
Also, Blink [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_(Doctor_Who)#Plot]-style letters and photos to nearest and dearest.

 

[fenrizz]

1. Insist that I'd be allowed to bring my fiancee and children.
2. Sell of everything I own, take up the maximum amounts of loans/credit cards I could.
3. Convert everything into 1950 dollars.
4. Aquire a sportsalmanac 1950-2013.
5. Gather a list of all notable stock changes 1950 to 1965 for day trading.
6. Make a list of companies to invest my fortune in. (When to invest, when to buy and when to sell)
7. Buy up property in key locations.
8. Build a huge mansion and live a life of luxury.

EDIT:
Perhaps bring some neat blueprints and start the electronics/computer revolution early.

 

[Ubiquitous Duck]

I would go clothes shopping!!!!

I love the styles of that era so much! I'd be in a sharp suit and hat in no time.

Also, I'd probably leave my job and get one as a detective and pretend I'm playing LA Noire.

 

[M0rp43vs]

I am a brown-skinned muslim asian. Quite frankly, I would seriously consider murdering ROB then and there and quietly hide the body in the name of self-defense(Kidding! Mostly, I'd just seriously maim him). I can't even use "future knowledge" because I don't know jackshit about most American history and yet, even I know that it wasn't a particularly happy time to be alive. I'd most likely get lynched.

I work in pipeline designing right so in this realm, using approximation, I'd probably be working under guys rushing the destruction of the environment and ruining people's livelihood for a quick buck. And then I'd get lynched by those people even though I am just some poor smuck working for his next paycheck like the rest of us. Also because I'm dark skinned.

Though I am tempted, to bring back my guitar and distortion pedal and basically kickstart rock, metal and shred to see how it'd evolve from there. Though most likely, it wouldn't be the right time and the public would complain about it being "noise" and "the devil's music". Then my audience would lynch me for it.

Also tempted to look for Bruce Lee and teach him about Jeet kun Do. Haha, now I am the master. You know, if he doesn't kick my ass in an attempt to test how good the art is. So most likely I would tell him to be careful about aspirin and see what kind of career the guy would have if it wasn't cut short. Hopefully I'd be able to tell him before I got lynched.

For some reason, I really like the word "Lynch". I have no real feelings about the action, I just like how the word sounds. Please don't lynch me for it