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Which of the following was a concern about leisure in the late 1800's?

A: There were no "professors of play"
B: Traditional social activities and casual play were no longer available.
C: Adults and children did not know how to productively use leisure time
D: All of the above were concerns

1 Answer

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Final answer:

In the late 1800s, leisure time concerns included the absence of structured leisure guidance, a decrease in traditional leisure activities, and a general unfamiliarity with how to spend leisure time productively. Industrialization affected the kinds of leisure activities people could access based on their social class, with the emergence of conspicuous consumption in the middle class, as discussed by Thorstein Veblen.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the late 1800s, concerns about how people used their leisure time were multifaceted. The correct answer to which concern was prevalent about leisure during this period is D: All of the above were concerns. There were indeed no 'professors of play' to guide structured leisure activities, traditional social activities and casual play were diminishing, especially in urban areas due to social upheaval brought about by industrialization, and people often did not know how to productively use their increasingly available leisure time, as society was just starting to embrace leisure as a valuable time for rest and rejuvenation away from the demands of work.

As cities grew because of the Industrial Revolution, the gap between the affluent and the poor expanded, affecting access to leisure options. For the working poor, inexpensive leisure activities like amusement parks and baseball games provided respite, while the middle and upper classes could enjoy more varied and culturally enriched forms of entertainment. Thorstein Veblen's critique in The Theory of the Leisure Class highlighted the growing trend among the middle class towards consumption and comfort, which he termed 'conspicuous consumption,' reflecting a shift in leisure practices more broadly.

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