Repression and the Obvious Consequential Result

I’m reading “The Catcher in the Rye”, a book I recalled from a Newsradio episode where the characters were all discussing how their parents wouldn’t let them read it; one mother burned down her house to stop her child from reading it. This encouraged me to read the novel, however 5-6 years later I have finally begun to read it.

The 50’s kind of appall me. I just don’t understand how revolutionary ideas would be so tamed by the end of war. Logically the end of war is two steps forward, not two steps back. And a book like “The Catcher in the Rye” published in 1951, should not have been so disconcerting. The book deals with a lot of swearing, but as compared to what is published nowadays, it is exceedingly tame.

The novel deals with growing up, dealing with teenage angst with a character that is relatable for all, someone dealing with depression as a result of post traumatic stress.

Why should mental illness have been so taboo? Why was there such an awful social stigma associated with being psycho analyzed, and why has it caused such a commotion.

However, I think the 1950’s taught us a very important lesson. If you do not deal with an issue, it does not go away, it merely festers. Something to keep in mind with current issues, ignoring them and brushing them under the rug makes the situation worse.

Logically the 50’s repression leads to the 60’s wildness, and the 50’s conservativeness leads to the 60’s liberalness. But that’s a good thing and society has a way of correcting itself from decade to decade, lets see what the 2010’s have in store for us.