Selling Divorce to the West

Stream Summary

This stream analyzes the cultural shift in Western societies during the 1960s, focusing on how Hollywood films glamorized infidelity and divorce, contributing to rising divorce rates across English-speaking countries. The host examines several influential movies from the era, arguing that media portrayals normalized divorce and undermined traditional views of marriage, ultimately shaping societal attitudes and behaviors.

• Simultaneous cultural shifts in English-speaking Western countries
• Hollywood’s role in glamorizing infidelity and divorce
• Analysis of specific films: "The Apartment," "Darling," and "Divorce American Style"
• Changing attitudes toward marriage and family
• Portrayal of divorce as positive or humorous in media
• Impact of media on real-life divorce rates and family structures

Sources

• The Apartment (1960, directed by Billy Wilder) – Official IMDb page
• Darling (1965, directed by John Schlesinger) – Official IMDb page
• Divorce American Style (1967, directed by Bud Yorkin) – Official IMDb page
• The Dick Van Dyke Show (referenced for cultural context) – Official IMDb page
• Statistics on divorce rates – No verified link available.
• The host’s book and donation links (mentioned in outro) – No verified link available.

Key Points of Wisdom

• [00:01:03] "One thing these English speaking countries had in common is that they were all bombarded with Hollywood movies glamorizing infidelity, swinging and divorce for a decade straight, right before the uptick in divorce rates took place."
  Context: On the influence of media on cultural change.
• [00:02:27] "The whole decade is filled with movie after movie, where marriage is cheapened and divorce is as casual as changing jobs."
  Context: On the normalization of divorce in 1960s films.
• [00:07:07] "The darkest part is the way in which they depict the effect on children as actually being a positive thing. Children love divorce."
  Context: Critique of media portrayal of divorce’s impact on children.
• [00:08:39] "Their art is not imitating life, but instead Americans' lives and the lives of English speaking countries everywhere have wound up imitating their art."
  Context: On the reciprocal relationship between media and society.

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