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By the 1950s, some intellectuals began referring to the United States as a [BLANK-1], due to its increasingly urban population, the prevalence of shared culture through media, film, and television, growing affluence, and increased access to consumer goods. Most Americans attempted to conform to a specific idea of what an American should be and should do. Some youths bemoaned this conformity, sought alternative options to popular culture, and yearned for something beyond the affluence and comfort of their lives.

Actor, singer, football star, thespian, lawyer, and polyglot [BLANK-1] was a critic of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. In 1956, the House Un-American Activities Committee subpoenaed this man and demanded that he answer whether he was a card-carrying member of the communist party. This celebrity refused to testify before congress. As a Black man he had vocally criticized the United States for its poor record on civil rights. He accused congress of putting him on trial not for his political beliefs but because he had fought for better rights for minorities. “You are the un-Americans,” he told them, “and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.” He had previously had his passport revoked and lost his NCAA All-American football honors because he sang a benefit concert for earthquake victims in China (which happened to be a communist country). Since he could not travel outside of the country, he sang a benefit concert for Canadians at the International Peace Arch on the border of the U.S. and Canada.

Remember the example we used in class about news values? “Walk-on player involved in 12-person brawl in dorm.” Let’s say that happened and the media posted tweets about the incident. Match the framing theory with the tweet.

[BLANK-1] was an American Army General who evacuated the Philippines, vowing to return, before its early fall to the Japanese. He was critical of Chester M. Nimitz’s Island-Hopping Strategy in the Pacific and argued that many individual islands could be skipped over and offered no real strategic value. He oversaw the surrender of the Japanese at the war’s end and served as the de facto governor of Japan in the early stages of the peace process. Later, during the Korean War, he would be fired for insubordination when he publicly criticized President Harry S. Truman.

The 1950s saw increased concerns with sexuality and the American family. One perceived threat to the American family was the periodical, [BLANK-1], which was first published in 1953. It was targeted toward men and most Americans claimed it was lurid; however, it managed to attract a large readership.

The House vs. NCAA case involved how athletes could get compensation from whom?

The Reagan Administration met the AIDS Epidemic in the 1980s with indifference, largely because the disease was predominantly affecting gay men (the initial name for the disease was Gay-Related Immune Deficiency). Homosexuals were thus left to provide their own responses to the epidemic. One pioneer was [BLANK-1], a New York playwright who founded the Gay Men’s Health Crisis – an organization that lobbied for a more proactive response to the AIDS Epidemic.

Small and sleek compared to earlier models, [BLANK-1] was released in 1977 and became the first successful mass-produced microcomputer meant for personal or home use. This revolutionized an industry and made home computing a reality.

Investigative journalists from the Washington Post, [BLANK-1], exposed the corruption in the Nixon White House at great risk to themselves and brought down the presidency by bringing the Watergate Scandal to light.

Following the terror attacks of 9/11, George W. Bush pushed congress to pass [BLANK-1] which granted Bush presidential powers even stronger than those exercised by FDR during WWII. It allowed law enforcement to bypass due process and civil liberties. Federal agents could conduct warrantless searches and wiretaps. Illegal observations of phone communications were later uncovered. The Office of Homeland Security even received details regarding the library books people checked.