A Cycle of Outrage : America's Reaction to the Juvenile Delinquent in the 1950s.

Examining the 1950s debate over the media and juvenile delinquency, this study shows how the development of youth culture and the rise of a mass-media society became intertwined and confused.

the Youth Culture Is On Everyone's Lips Today, As Pressures Build To Ban Controversial Song Lyrics, Reintroduce School Prayer, And Prohibit Teenagers' Access To Contraceptives. It's Not The First Time Americans Have Been Outraged Over The Seuction Of The Innocent.

when James Dean And Marlon Brando Donned Their Motorcycle Jackets And Adopted Alienated Poses In Rebel Without A Cause, East Of Eden, And The Wild One, In The 1950's, So Did Countless Numbers Of American Teenagers. Or So It Seemed To Their Parents. American Teenagers Were Looking And Acting Like Juvenile Delinquents. By Mid-decade, The Nation Had Reached A Pitch Of Near Obsession With The Harmful Effects Of Film, Radio, Comic Books, And Television On American Youth. Experts Across The Land Denounced Mass Culture As Depriving Young People Of Their Innocence And Weakening Their Parents' Hold On Them. By The End Of The Decade, The Obsession Had Ended, Although The Actual Numbers Of Juvenile Delinquents Had Apparently Risen.

a Cycle Of Outrage Explores The 1950's Debate Over The Media And Juvenile Delinquency Among Parents, Professionals, And The Creators Of Mass Culture Themselves. In This Groundbreaking Study, James Gilbert Sees The Attempt To Blame The Media As Part Of A Larger Reaction Of Discomfort Echoed In Recent Debates Over Censorship. The Book Examines How The Central Phenomena Of The 1950's—the Development Of Youth Culture And The Rise Of A Mass Media Society—became Intertwined And Confused And Argues That Young People Ceased To Be A Threat As They Were Recognized To Be A Market.

,bout The Author:

james Gilbert Is A Professor Of History At The University Of Maryland. He Is The Author Of Another Chance: America After World War Ii, Among Other Books.

a Groundbreaking Study Of The '50s Obsession With Juvenile Deliquency

·sheds New Light On The Rise Of The Youth Culture And America's Response To Change

·a Marvelous Exploration...he Deeply Illuminates Our Understanding Of The Contemporary United States.—william M. Tuttle, Jr.

·cultural History At Its Best.—david Nasaw

The youth culture is on everyone's lips today, as pressures build to ban controversial song lyrics, reintroduce school prayer, and prohibit teenagers'access to contraceptives. It's not the first time Americans have been outraged over the'seduction of the innocent.'When James Dean and Marlon Brando donned their motorcycle jackets and adopted alienated poses in Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and The Wild One, in the 1950's, so did countless numbers of American teenagers. Or so it seemed to their parents. American teenagers were looking and acting like juvenile delinquents. By mid-decade, the nation had reached a pitch of near obsession with the harmful effects of film, radio, comic books, and television on American youth. Experts across the land denounced mass culture as depriving young people of their innocence and weakening their parents'hold on them. By the end of the decade, the obsession had ended, although the actual numbers of juvenile delinquents had apparently risen. A Cycle of Outrage explores the 1950's debate over the media and juvenile delinquency among parents, professionals, and the creators of mass culture themselves. In this groundbreaking study, James Gilbert sees the attempt to blame the media as part of a larger reaction of discomfort echoed in recent debates over censorship. The book examines how the central phenomena of the 1950's--the development of youth culture and the rise of a mass media society--became intertwined and confused and argues that young people ceased to be a threat as they were recognized to be a market. The youth culture is on everyone's lips today, as pressures build to ban controversial song lyrics, reintroduce school prayer, and prohibit teenagers' access to contraceptives. It's not the first time Americans have been outraged over the ""seuction of the innocent."". When James Dean and Marlon Brando donned their motorcycle jackets and adopted alienated poses in Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and The Wild One, in the 1950's, so did countless numbers of American teenagers. Or so it seemed to their parents. American teenagers were looking and acting like juvenile delinquents. By mid-deca Introduction: The Social History Of An Idea -- 1. A Problem Of Behavior -- 2. Rehearsal For A Crime Wave -- 3. Controlling Public Opinion -- 4. The Great Fear -- 5. The Lawyers' Dilemma -- 6. Crusade Against Mass Culture -- 7. The Intellectuals And Mass Culture -- 8. Delinquency Theory: From Structure To Subculture -- 9. Mass Media And Delinquency: A National Forum -- 10. Movies And The Censorship Of Mass Culture -- 11. Juvenile Delinquency Films -- 12. Selling Youth Culture --13. Postscript. James Gilbert. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 219-249. Contents Introduction: The Social History of an Idea 1 A Problem of Behavior 2 Rehearsal for a Crime Wave 3 Controlling Public Opinion 4 The Great Fear 5 The Lawyers' Dilemma 6 Crusade Against Mass Culture 7 The Intellectuals and Mass Culture 8 Delinquency Theory: From Structure to Subculture 9 Mass Media and Delinquency: A National Forum 10 Movies and the Censorship of Mass Culture 11 Juvenile Delinquency Films 12 Selling Youth Culture 13 Postscript Notes Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z