Fass uses Flappers to demonstrate the problem of youth, and shows how flappers were associated with sex, frivolity, licentiousness and the general lack of regard for order characterized by most young people at the time (Fass, 260).
Fass does not however suggest that total disorder reined supreme, pointing out that many students for example took heed of traditional social norms including the prohibition of drinking, where students recognized "a clear code of limitation on drinking" and respected them by and large (Fass, 316). However this held for only the early part of the 1920s, and social order did again begin to shift away from propriety as "youth's behavior and attitudes reflected a common unofficial standard among adults" (Fass, 316).
Most striking in this work is Fass's knowledgeable account of youth during the 1920s. The author doesn't simply make blatant statements and assume the to be correct. Rater the book appears well researched and more documentary of the events and social changes that were actually occurring during the 1920s. The book is intriguing and a worthwhile read for anyone interested in delving into the social culture of the 1920s and learning how youth's help shape and change modern culture as we know it today.
While many traditionalists of the time may have viewed youth behavior during the 1920s as indecent and problematic as Fass points out, much of the behavior exhibited then might be considered quite hip and normal today. Fass makes an interesting point noting the differences between traditionalist and progressive attitudes toward youth behavior. Today more people would likely side with progressives, feeling that the behaviors adopted by youths more reflected acceptance of...
These very changes began occurring during the 1920s. Youth was probably less of a problem than the traditionalists living during the time felt, but rather more of a reflection of the current state of chaos that simply existed as part of the cultural norm. Youths are much more likely to embrace change and 'go with it' than older individuals set in their ways. This undertone seems to carry through within Fass's work even if not directly stated.
Conclusions
Fass's study of youth culture during the 1920s clearly reflects the changing societal values and culture occurring during the time. Youth becomes a 'problem' for many perhaps solely because youth began to demonstrate the inevitable changes occurring within society as a whole. Time and time again history has shown that people look for someone to blame when change occurs that disrupts what is considered the 'norm'.
Fass's study provides objective evidence of the varying opinions traditionalists and progressives had of youth and the changing social order at the time. Whereas one party viewed youth as the cause of societal problems, another viewed youth as merely a reflection of the changes occurring and accepted those changes albeit with some resistance. The book is an interesting testament to the effects of change on society and American youth as a whole.
References
Fass, Paula S. 1977 The Damned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920's. New York: Oxford University Press.
