Unfavourable comparisons between America now and in its golden decade of capitalism are understandable. Yet 1950s nostalgists should find comfort in the decade’s cultural endurance. That goes beyond board games. The warm civic-mindedness Americans exude in their mid-century pursuits recalls that confident time. When your columnist’s neighbours at Bengies discovered it was his children’s first trip to a drive-in, they bought them a celebratory ice-cream. That would not happen in a video arcade.
美國(guó)的現(xiàn)在與資本主義黃金十年之間的不利比較是可以理解的。然而，20世紀(jì)50年代的懷舊主義者應(yīng)該能夠這十年的文化承受力中找到安慰。不僅僅是玩棋盤游戲。美國(guó)人在追求中世紀(jì)的過(guò)程中散發(fā)出的熱情的公民意識(shí)讓人回想起那段自信的時(shí)代。在Bengies汽車影院，列克星頓專欄作者附近的觀影人們發(fā)現(xiàn)這是自己的孩子第一次去汽車影院，他們會(huì)買一個(gè)冰淇淋以示慶祝。這樣的情況不會(huì)發(fā)生在電子游戲機(jī)上。
Nostalgists should also consider two cautionary points. First, as per Bengies’ rules, the 1950s was a hectoring time. For all its thrust and novelty, there was usually someone telling you what to do. The suburbs were an experiment in social engineering. Housewives there were bombarded with home economics, their teenagers with “mental-hygiene films”. Americans would not submit to that today because they are freer. (Though it would be good if they would submit to wearing face-masks, as you must at Bengies.)
懷舊主義者們還應(yīng)該考慮兩點(diǎn)注意事項(xiàng)。首先，按照Bengies汽車影院的規(guī)則，20世紀(jì)50年代是一個(gè)威嚇的年代。盡管這家影院的主旨和新穎性，通常都會(huì)有人告訴你該怎么做。郊區(qū)是社會(huì)工程的一場(chǎng)實(shí)驗(yàn)。那里的家庭婦女們被家政轟炸，青少年們被“心理衛(wèi)生電影”轟炸。今天的美國(guó)人們不會(huì)受束于這一點(diǎn)，他們更加自由了。（不過(guò)，如果他們?cè)敢獯魃峡谡志秃昧耍拖裨贐engies強(qiáng)制要求的那樣。）
Second, many Americans were barred from the 1950s cultural treats because of their skin colour. Cinemas were segregated in the South until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. So were many state parks. When Sandy Point, a small beach on Chesapeake Bay, opened in 1952, it was the only one in Maryland available to African- Americans. And they could use only a scruffy corner of it. When your white columnist and his family visited the teeming beach this summer, they were in the minority. It is now a magnet for Hispanic families from Prince George’s County and black ones from Baltimore. Hip-hop and salsa fight it out above the multilingual, multiracial throng. All things considered, 1950s America is better now than it was in the original.
第二，許多美國(guó)人當(dāng)時(shí)因?yàn)槟w色而被禁止參加20世紀(jì)50年代的文化盛宴。在1964年通過(guò)民權(quán)法案之前，南方的電影院一直實(shí)行種族隔離。許多州立公園也是如此。1952年，切薩皮克灣的一個(gè)小海灘Sandy Point開(kāi)業(yè)，它是馬里蘭州唯一一個(gè)對(duì)非裔美國(guó)人開(kāi)放的海灘。而他們只能使用這個(gè)海灘的一個(gè)邋遢的角落。今年夏天，列克星頓的白人專欄作家和他的家人來(lái)到了人山人海的海灘，他們是少數(shù)人。現(xiàn)在，這個(gè)海灘吸引了喬治王子郡的西班牙裔家庭和巴爾的摩的黑人家庭。嘻哈和薩爾薩在多語(yǔ)種、多種族人群中奮力拼搏。綜上所述，現(xiàn)在的人們過(guò)著20世紀(jì)50年代的生活方式要比原來(lái)更好了。
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