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

TheRightToArmBears

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Dec 13, 2008
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I would start a rock band obviously! You've got ten years to get your act down before the sixties roll around and you can beat Cream, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles etc. to it and go down in history. I'd be able to buy a fucking sweet 50's Precision bass, so I'd probably bring back my pedals, or maybe some tab books.
 

Mossberg Shotty

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Well I'm an attractive white male, so I would probably do pretty well for myself. But then everyone I met would be a racist, or a chauvinist and that could get tired after awhile. Not to mention everyone would be wearing flat caps.
 

Arkenangel

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Mar 8, 2011
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Yeah, this only seems like a semi-decent idea for white, cishet males; for everyone else, you have to hang up your basic rights at the door. I'm sticking in the present, kthx.

Also, medical advances would be sent far, far back - if you got cancer, it would be a death sentence.
 

Scarim Coral

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Oct 29, 2010
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Since the rules never mention a looking up past (well soon to happened) events, I would tried my best to look at the past stock exchange and used that to my advantage so I have more money!
Anyway I'm not too sure what to think of it. I suppose once I gone cold turkey for the lost of my internet, games and anime and etc, I suppose I cna used this time to actually start exercising since I got nothing better to do in that time period oh and also trying to fine a woman to date but the convesation will be dull.
 

Roxor

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I'd be dead from seizures in a few days if I got stuck in the 1950s.
 

Mint Rubber

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Dec 27, 2011
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If I were to find myself suddenly stuck in the 1950s, in a suburban neighbourhood, I would do the following:

1) Ignore the little girl who wants to play.
2) Look for a nearby house where a weird old lady lives by herself.
3) Listen to the old lady's ramblings for clues.
4) Find an abandoned house with an ominous aura around it.
5) Look around said house for several strange objects that make specific musical pitches when touched.
6) Listen very carefully until you hear a faint melody in the air.
7) Input the musical notes by touching the objects.
8) ?
9)
Trigger chinese invasion.
 

Bat Vader

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Mar 11, 2009
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I would kidnap Rob and force him to give up all he knows about time vortexes and the obvious technology he is using to send me back in time. After I got my hands on it I would force him to rewire it so I could jump to and come back from any time at will. After that I would send him back to the 1500's because why not and then go on a spree of either meeting all my heroes who died before I was born or put money in a bank in the 1950's and let it gather interest.
 

MHR

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Apr 3, 2010
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Well I'm a young white straight male with a look like the Meatloaf greaser from rocky horror picture show. I'd buy a motorcycle and live the life. I'd bet on things I already know the outcomes to to win easy money. Life would be enchanted.

The worst of it might be that I might be bored for a while though since there's no video games. I love me mah vidya gaemz. I guess I'd actually read a book or something.

Mint Rubber said:
Ha
 

Olas

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Dec 24, 2011
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It seems like there would be a lot of ways I could exploit this to my advantage, the stock market being an obvious choice though most of the companies I know about won't exist for decades.

I'd also be worried about changing something and possibly causing myself to never be born or some other time paradox.

But those things aside I'd be okay, I mean I'd probably go through internet withdrawal or something but nothing serious, plus I'd get to live through lots of huge historical events, without the fear and uncertainty of not knowing how they'll turn out like the Cuban missile crisis.

So what would I do? Well I'd probably try to become a famous musician since I have hundreds if not thousands of songs in my head that haven't been written yet. I could also become a story writer and write Star Wars or Harry Potter long beforehand. Even if my versions go nowhere I can always sue for trademark infringement when the originals are made later.
 

CommanderL

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Boo8er said:
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?

Well hello there fellow spacebattler
I would must likely die a painfull and fast death or become a huge dictator
 

Thaluikhain

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Olas said:
I could also become a story writer and write Star Wars or Harry Potter long beforehand. Even if my versions go nowhere I can always sue for trademark infringement when the originals are made later.
I've often wondered if that would work. If either was released even 10 years early, would they have been as popular? Did the world have to be ready, have a Star Wars or Harry Potter shaped hole waiting to be filled?

Secondly, what the results of a different marketing campaign would be?

...

(On a related note, it is actually illegal to travel to an alternative universe, find out what books are popular, bring them back and publish them under your own name?)
 

Squilookle

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I wouldn't know wether to shoot myself in the head to prevent from being transported to one of the last timeplaces I'd ever want to be stuck, or to just up and go just to be Harrison Ford in American Graffiti.
 

Kevlar Eater

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I'd shoot myself in front of ROB on the day he wanted to send me to 1950s America. If my grandmother's stories are to be taken into account, it was a *really* bad time to be black, and that's all I'll say on the matter.
 

bauke67

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Apr 8, 2011
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I'd bring my phone and sell it for a ridiculous amount of money first of all.
Then I'd start sending Tolkien letters to get a move on finishing his universe.
After that I'd just live a normal life while attending shows of all the great bands I like now before they even become popular and things like that.
I saw someone say something about joining the civil rights movement, it'd probably cool to be in on that.
Also I'd take care to not in any way interfere with the cold war so as not to cause the end of the world
 

Dandark

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If I got sent to hell1950s America then I would sell the house he gave me and use the money to move back to Britain which would be much better even if it is still in the 1950s. Then I would just get on with life I guess, as long as it's not in America.
 

Olas

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Dec 24, 2011
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thaluikhain said:
Olas said:
I could also become a story writer and write Star Wars or Harry Potter long beforehand. Even if my versions go nowhere I can always sue for trademark infringement when the originals are made later.
I've often wondered if that would work. If either was released even 10 years early, would they have been as popular? Did the world have to be ready, have a Star Wars or Harry Potter shaped hole waiting to be filled?

Secondly, what the results of a different marketing campaign would be?

...

(On a related note, it is actually illegal to travel to an alternative universe, find out what books are popular, bring them back and publish them under your own name?)
I'm pretty sure there are no laws pertaining to time/alternate universe travel, at least not according to any current governing body of Earth. Hell, even outer space ownership is pretty ambiguous and undefined.

That being said I think it's fairly obvious that this is immoral. Oh well, it's not like I'm screwing over the little guy here. Surely the immense talents of Lucas and Rowling could just create some OTHER famous masterpiece to propel themselves to fame and fortune, right?
 

Dragonbums

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Oh yeah that's great! I get to live in a world that's still highly racist against black people, and sexist towards women! Not to mention the pressure for marriage!

Nice to know that my life will all amount to nothing from now on.
 

Eynimeb

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Jun 15, 2012
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People keep telling me I look Native American, so I'd probably not have much of a life at first.

Assuming I don't die or get sent to jail for not being white...

I'd bring with me scientific data, medical knowledge, blueprints, as much of the accumulated knowledge of the past 60 years, as well as data on stock movements, currencies, political events; anything that could be used to get a major leg up, also of course locations of oil wells that are undiscovered at the time.

For the first few decades, I would play the markets with foreknowledge, while investing a portion of my money into my own business, which would not actually sell anything at first, instead merely building up. Once the production base has been built, I would storm the world markets with goods half a century ahead of their time (though circumstances may limit just how advanced things could be made at the time.) Virtually every aspect of every market except energy could be cornered, the amount of money made could be insane.

At that point, assuming that'd all work, I'd try to prevent wars, provide billions in funding to social rights groups. Really, the sky is the limit. By that point though, the timeline will have changed so much that foreknowledge will be useless, entirely new wars and market movements will happen...
 

putowtin

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Jul 7, 2010
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Vault101 said:
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
ninja'd!

Fine I'll write a tv show called "Lost" that doesn't tip everyone over the edge with its ending, my follow up will be called "How I Met Your Mother"

However OT I'd be happy, I'd run a dinner and love seeing the bands and artists who's music I love! (Currently listening to the Ink Spots!)

CAPTCHA: make haste, nope make a milkshake!
 

fenrizz

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Feb 7, 2009
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Eynimeb said:
I'd bring with me scientific data, medical knowledge, blueprints, as much of the accumulated knowledge of the past 60 years, as well as data on stock movements, currencies, political events; anything that could be used to get a major leg up, also of course locations of oil wells that are undiscovered at the time.

For the first few decades, I would play the markets with foreknowledge, while investing a portion of my money into my own business, which would not actually sell anything at first, instead merely building up. Once the production base has been built, I would storm the world markets with goods half a century ahead of their time (though circumstances may limit just how advanced things could be made at the time.) Virtually every aspect of every market except energy could be cornered, the amount of money made could be insane.

At that point, assuming that'd all work, I'd try to prevent wars, provide billions in funding to social rights groups. Really, the sky is the limit. By that point though, the timeline will have changed so much that foreknowledge will be useless, entirely new wars and market movements will happen...
Sounds like my plan, although more fleshed out.
I did not think of the undiscovered oilfields and the production capabilities.

Precious metals and minerals would also be nice to have.
Maybe some lost trasures that was found after 1960, would be nice for the start up cash.

Should end up as the richest man of all time pretty damn quick and with that kind of money one could relativly easily become president.
And from there who knows?
I always did want to forge a migthy empire.