HIUS 161: Essay 2

This week’s texts centered around postwar expression and activism in California. From the development of artistic movements that criticized tradition to the fight against systems of oppression, these works reflect a variety of experiences in California at the start of the Cold War.

Both Sarah Schrank and the documentary focused on artists' perspectives, particularly those in modern movements. In Painting the Town Red, Schrank discusses the modern art movements that arose in Los Angeles and how they battled conservative and traditional city officials to have their work displayed. They were accused of having connections to communist movements, and in general, much of the traditional art community rejected new themes and abstract styles. This kind of work was important because it expressed a variety of viewpoints following the war, from the horrors of serving in the war to issues with redlining and segregated housing in Los Angeles. By suppressing the voices of these artists, the city hoped to quell the unrest sparked by their messaging.

This is exactly what is seen in the documentary as well. In And When I Die, I Won’t Stay Dead, we see how Bob Kaufman and other Beat poetry enthusiasts are repeatedly harassed by San Francisco police for ethnicity or criticism of law enforcement, neither of which is a valid reason for detainment. The documentary also describes the purpose of this movement. The Beat poets, like the modernist artists in Los Angeles, sought to challenge the rigid, traditional society of the 1940s and early 1950s, urging people to embrace personal freedom and expression and to move away from conservative norms.

This new shift to personal freedom, however, did not come without resistance. As amusement parks like Coney Island sold ideals of sexual freedom and fantasy, a new push came to reject these new ideas and return to tradition. In A Rage for Order, Eric Avila describes the rise of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Disney’s goal was to clear out all modern expressive ideals and focus on structure and order, as represented by the system of lines and crowd control within the park. Rather than focus on ideals of sexual freedom, the park emphasized its characters and a more family-friendly image. This shift, while innocent in nature, demonstrates that there were two sides in the 1950s culture, some pushing for modernity and a new wave, while others hoped to quell it and maintain the norms.

Beyond art and entertainment, the aftermath of World War Two and its policies had a massive impact on many communities. In Many Facets of Brown, Scott Kurashige discusses the clash between the African American and Japanese communities following the end of Japanese internment in early 1945. Despite attempts by both groups to maintain peace, issues with housing and job security increased tensions. African Americans tried to find jobs after much of the wartime funding was cut, while the Japanese tried to return to their homes, many of which had been reclaimed or reused after their internment. This conflict was fueled by the lack of support from cities like Los Angeles, which were unable to secure the housing and funding needed to accommodate their newly bolstered populations

In addition to growing tensions between minority populations, racism and segregation in the city continued and even grew as the Ku Klux Klan made a return. Lynn Hudson describes the particularly tragic story of the Shorts family, as they dealt with racism and violence while attempting to break the color line in their neighborhood. Klan membership, in addition to support from law enforcement, meant that many communities in California and the rest of the country were unsafe for African Americans and other minorities, forcing them to live within a certain boundary. Hudson emphasizes not only the tragic deaths of the Shorts but also the attempted cover-up by Los Angeles law enforcement and government, as it demonstrates the influence of racism in politics and the support for segregation and the Ku Klux Klan.

Rachel Buff then ties many of these ideas together and brings them back to our present day. In Deportation Terrors, she describes the beginnings of the raids by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or I.C.E. Going back to the early 2000s, she argues that the department has always been used as a tool by the government to oppress certain groups. Similar to the attacks on artists and activists for their political and social views, undocumented immigrants, pushed to the U.S. due to political turmoil and violence at home, were persecuted and made to fear the government that should protect and support them.

Furthermore, this week’s readings explored the modern and progressive movements of the 1950s in the art and social communities, as well as the pushback they faced from large corporations and the government.