By Megan McArdle
Nostalgia used to be something produced and consumed on an artisanal scale. You could rifle through the attic and stare at glassy-eyed daguerreotypes, or huddle around the fire on a winter evening and let grandpa tell you ‘bout the fine, hardworking folks he fought with at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Once or twice a year a big historical novel or biopic might make you wistful for the days when men were real men, women were real women and children died of scurvy.
Today nostalgia is mass-produced, and I fear it is getting out of hand. I follow five Facebook pages devoted to mid-century kitsch, a few more dedicated to vintage appliances and influencers who specialize in old recipes or costumes. I heartily urge this pleasant pastime upon all my readers. But I also urge you to remember that these delightful snapshots of history are not the whole thing. The inability to put history into perspective is not just deforming our perception of the past; it is deforming our politics.
Yes, you might (if you are like me) yearn for a gorgeous 1950s Chambers range with its retro-space-age design. Its sturdy cast-iron construction and superior insulation meant that the food continued cooking long after you turned the gas off. You should also note that few people today are so strapped for cash that they will go to great lengths to economize on a few minutes of gas.
That fortresslike construction unfortunately left little room for trifles such as ovens. A 1952 Consumer Reports rating lists the oven dimensions of a Chambers range as 12 by 19 by 19 inches, which was typical for the period, while modern ranges frequently offer twice the cubic footage. It lacked contemporary features such as self-cleaning or automatic ignition. Oh, and it cost $439, roughly 20 percent of the median annual income in 1952. One of the cheapest models Consumer Reports tested was $129.95, about $1,500 in today’s dollars – or about two times what you’d pay if you ran down to Home Depot and selected a basic Whirlpool or GE model. As a share of income, the difference is even more dramatic: A basic gas stove cost almost 6 percent of median income in 1952, vs. about 1 percent today.
Or take travel nostalgia, a perennial favorite among lower-tier white-collar workers. As we cram into cattle class and contemplate our grim bags of stale pretzels, we salivate over those old ads featuring steak dinners or cut-to-order charcuterie being served to grinning passengers dressed to the nines. We forget why those passengers were dressed in their Sunday best rather than their sweatpants. Air travel was extremely expensive, so it was an elite experience that people dressed up for. (In the 1950s, my mother was required to wear a hat and gloves just to pick people up at the airport.)
In 1951, Trans World Airlines would fly you from New York to Los Angeles for only $110 – almost $1,400 in today’s dollars, for an 11-hour trip on a noisy propeller plane. That’s one way. Today American Airlines, which bought TWA in 2001, will sell you a round trip for $427 that goes nonstop in half the time. The food was in part compensation for the cost and experience – the quality of the food matters more if you are going to be stuck in your seat for an entire day, which is why long international flights still offer better food and amenities than short domestic hops.
That goes double if you are tempted to romanticize the bygone glamour of ship or rail travel, with wood-paneled dining cars and bunks to sleep in. Those amenities existed because people took a long time to make journeys we now cover in a few hours. You’re apt to be more interested in the quality of the dining experience – and more willing to pay a premium for nice surroundings – when that’s all you have for days on end. Especially if they distract you from the soot that tends to blow everywhere when your trip is powered by a steam engine.
Old things were better in certain ways, but they were not better, period, unless you ignore critical dimensions such as convenience, safety and cost. Dreaming of the past while imagining all the drawbacks away is … well, a dream.
While dreams are fine, in their place, I’m afraid we’re not doing a great job of keeping them there. Those fantasies belong to the realm of pure imagination, along with fairies, elves and Powerball tickets. But my social media feed is filled with people who seem to take them seriously, including the vice president, who has a thing for old refrigerators, and the president of the United States, who wants to tariff our way back to the McKinley administration. We can’t go back to those days, but more importantly, no one would want to, if they actually understood what it would cost.
Megan McArdle is a Washington Post columnist and the author of “The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well Is the Key to Success.”
Hence then, the article about from the desk of nostalgia needs a reality check was published today ( ) and is available on Ukiah Daily Journal ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( From the desk of… Nostalgia needs a reality check )
Also on site :
- Mountain lion spotted in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood
- Sydney Sweeney gives first look at forthcoming lingerie brand, Syrn, in black lace
- Trump Briefed on Intelligence Saying Iran’s Government Is Weaker