Revolutionary Road: The Slowlane in the '50s

[IrishSpring600]

MJ mentions Revolutionary Road in The Millionaire Fastlane .

Frank Wheeler puts his suitcase in his car while his wife watches from inside. Both with a blank expression watch each other as Frank rides to work. He parks his car at a train station with hundreds of other workers, dressed in a suit and holding a suitcase. Some are wearing hats, like him. He then checks in to work where he finds his companion dilapidated at his desk.

Back then, there wasn't any internet. Reaching out is not as easy as it is today. Watching the beginning scene, I feel grateful I live in 2016 with an opportunity to make money online. How was one able to take advantage of The Fastlane in the '50s?

 

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[beatgoezon]

MJ mentions Revolutionary Road in The Millionaire Fastlane .

Frank Wheeler puts his suitcase in his car while his wife watches from inside. Both with a blank expression watch each other as Frank rides to work. He parks his car at a train station with hundreds of other workers, dressed in a suit and holding a suitcase. Some are wearing hats, like him. He then checks in to work where he finds his companion dilapidated at his desk.

Back then, there wasn't any internet. Reaching out is not as easy as it is today. Watching the beginning scene, I feel grateful I live in 2016 with an opportunity to make money online. How was one able to take advantage of The Fastlane in the '50s?

Really strange that you mentioned this movie all of a sudden... A friend was just rereading The Millionaire Fastlane and he decided to watch this movie since MJ mentioned this in the book, and I just watched this on Friday...

One of the most depressing movies I've ever seen.

Yea man you have a great point that 2016 give you the opportunity for online business.

There were opportunities back in the 50's for Fastlane as well, though I've never read too much on the topic. It would be interesting to learn more about how people pursued opportunities in the 50's.

As for the movie, very strange confidence that you brought it up at the perfect time

 

[IrishSpring600]

Really strange that you mentioned this movie all of a sudden... A friend was just rereading The Millionaire Fastlane and he decided to watch this movie since MJ mentioned this in the book, and I just watched this on Friday...

One of the most depressing movies I've ever seen.

Yea man you have a great point that 2016 give you the opportunity for online business.

There were opportunities back in the 50's for Fastlane as well, though I've never read too much on the topic. It would be interesting to learn more about how people pursued opportunities in the 50's.

As for the movie, very strange confidence that you brought it up at the perfect time

The movie is so depressing everytime I read "slowlane" I flashback to the movie and know if I get a job and have $120k down the line, 10 years from now, I'll be in suburbia very settled with a miserable housewife and our lives both lacking excitement.

Time's running out...

 

[vinylawesome]

One word; Plastics.

 

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[The-J]

The 50s were abound with opportunity.

If you were lucky enough to have Japanese contacts, or you just had an interest in Japan and wanted to do some deals with Japanese countries, you could have been a millionaire fast. Japan was starting to build its manufacturing base and was a place to outsource labor to. Taiwan and South Korea were just starting up, too.

As far as American business, manufacturing plastics was an excellent way to make some money.

Many people became millionaires after starting record labels and radio stations in the 50s.

Inventing wasn't as easy, but direct mail was a lot more responsive (and much cheaper) back then. Using direct mail techniques for a product you created could have made you rich.

And lest we forget just how F*cking cheap real estate was back then.

The financial markets didn't become so robust until 1986, though. Buying stock wasn't super easy. However, there were still plenty of companies you could have invested in, such as motor companies and technology companies like Xerox or IBM.

Was it easy? Nope. But the opportunity was there.

EDIT: I forgot a few things.

Television. By the 60s, nearly every family would have a television in their house. Producing television programs could have made you millions. Or, better yet, selling your products using commercials or infomercials on television.

Franchising. Franchising was a model that was nearly unheard of until the late 50s when Ray Kroc founded a little burger shop called McDonalds. Franchising made many people millionaires.

 

[Bigguns50]

And lest we forget just how F*cking cheap real estate was back then.

A former employer and friend of mine took advantage of the White Flight that started in the mid 1950's in Detroit. Whites were running out of the City and the blacks were running in.

For the 1st 2 yrs, he flipped (before that term was even around) 1,000 houses a year. He would buy houses not even knowing how he would pay for them. He started by borrowing from a loan shark.

He made millions and I'm pretty sure it would be considered Fastlane back then. He's a pretty amazing man.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Holy sh*t -- I just rewatched this movie and totally forgot how relevant it was.

My GF never saw it.

During the movie she kept looking at me wide-eyed and stunned.

Then she says, "Holy shit, it's like you wrote this movie."

If you want to feel the suffocation of doing what society thinks you should be doing, you must watch it.

 

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