TMC
08-31-2022, 09:27 PM
https://www.looper.com/988484/times-the-jetsons-were-eerily-correct-about-the-future/
BY MERRI PALMER/UPDATED: AUG. 31, 2022 2:16 PM EDT
The Hanna-Barbera cartoon series "The Jetsons" is considered the single most important piece of 20th century futurism (Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/50-years-of-the-jetsons-why-the-show-still-matters-43459669/)). Set in 2062, "The Jetsons" aired one season of 24 episodes in 1962, then built generations of new viewers through reruns until its enduring popularity inspired two more seasons, which aired from 1985-'87. The show managed to condense 1960s hopes and fears for the future into funny, kid-friendly 25-minute episodes about a nuclear family living in a nuclear world.
The American populace lived with nuclear threat, rapidly accelerating technological advancements, and shifting social structures that left many afraid for the next century. However, "The Jetsons" depicted a lighthearted, colorful, and still deeply human alternative to total annihilation and hell-in-a-handbasket takes. The show inspired yearning for homes high up in the sky, flying cars, and robots in the American psyche, and it's difficult to tell what came first: did "The Jetsons" accurately predict the future, or did we shape the future based on "The Jetsons"?
It may be too late to separate cause from effect, but it's the perfect time to take a look at some of the many ways in which "The Jetsons" was eerily correct about the future.
BY MERRI PALMER/UPDATED: AUG. 31, 2022 2:16 PM EDT
The Hanna-Barbera cartoon series "The Jetsons" is considered the single most important piece of 20th century futurism (Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/50-years-of-the-jetsons-why-the-show-still-matters-43459669/)). Set in 2062, "The Jetsons" aired one season of 24 episodes in 1962, then built generations of new viewers through reruns until its enduring popularity inspired two more seasons, which aired from 1985-'87. The show managed to condense 1960s hopes and fears for the future into funny, kid-friendly 25-minute episodes about a nuclear family living in a nuclear world.
The American populace lived with nuclear threat, rapidly accelerating technological advancements, and shifting social structures that left many afraid for the next century. However, "The Jetsons" depicted a lighthearted, colorful, and still deeply human alternative to total annihilation and hell-in-a-handbasket takes. The show inspired yearning for homes high up in the sky, flying cars, and robots in the American psyche, and it's difficult to tell what came first: did "The Jetsons" accurately predict the future, or did we shape the future based on "The Jetsons"?
It may be too late to separate cause from effect, but it's the perfect time to take a look at some of the many ways in which "The Jetsons" was eerily correct about the future.