Letters to the Editor
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Kids
What other cohort of 18-25 year olds in history achieved the cultural impact of the kids in the 60s? Cultural disintegration or wondrous flowering, lets not forget the 60s was about kids. I mean, how high a standard of accomplishment can we really hold them to?
I worry that the youthful excesses were and are used by the by the right to gin up fear of protest and "liberalism" and this angers me because it holds the kids of 60s to too high a standard. There is no slack cut for the poor judgment of youth.
If the kids of the 60s failed to get it perfectly right, then EXCUUUUUSE them.
If the 60s fails to live up to some arbitrary standard of accomplishment, maybe the adults of that era bear more responsibility than the kids.
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The 60s Had Meaning
Born, 1947. Small, Indiana farm and manufacturing town. Scots-Irish Protestants on Mom's side; stone maniac Irish Catholics on other. The latter, lifelong Democrat. the former, sometime Democrat. Enlisted in the U.S. Army, June, 1965, day after I graduated from H.S. Was in South Korea, mechanized infantry unit, Nov, 1965. Volunteered for Vietnam, January, 1966. In Vietnam Aug-Nov, 1966. Severely wounded. One + year in Army hospitals. Permanently 70% disabled: gunshot wound; malaria; PTSD. Began drawing VA compensation 1969. Among the first Vietnam vets to publicly, in writing, declare the Vietnam War unwinnable, summer, 1967. Ejected early from the Army Hospital for writing the letter. Was a thorn in the side of my company commander (basic training outfit) because I told the new recruits the truth about Vietnam. Played Grateful Dead; Rolling Stones; Beatles (psychedelic stuff); Ravi Shankar; burned incense in the Supply Room. Purple Heart and Combat Infantry Badge.
A hippie. Did lots of psychedelics, hash, marijuana, drank. Had deep spiritual experiences on Acid which I consider valid even today. Raised a Catholic, but unlike Barack Obama, when my priest that I had beloved made comments about "Buddhist Barbeques," in relation to self-immolation and railed from pulpit, left the church. Have studied Zen, Taoism, Buddhism for 40 years. Am a Quaker and Clinton supporter.
Was in SDS. In the wing where we former combat vets talked about picking up arms and taking the revolution INTO THE STREETS with weapons, and our skills as combat soldiers.
No shit, Sherlock. In the generation raised by WW I and WW II and Korean War vets. Many served. Was in the first generation to decide WE could make our own decisions and judgements about the necessity of war.
If anyone wants to minimize just THAT ... fine. But that was THE PRIMARY basic step needed to move our nation away from perpetual war. 26% of us were against Iraq at the outset. Now, even though called traitors, commies, slime balls, etc., the NATION is against the Iraq War. That's an INSIGNIFICANT process? Who is this jackass who discounts the monumental movement of change.
Abortion - went through two. One when no abortions were allowed in Indiana. Had to go to NY state. THAT's insignificant and didn't affect our national experience?
Lifestyle changes. Long hair; drug; communes; massive demonstrations in the streets? Those are insignificant? Changes in Art. Changes in race relations. White Power; Brown Power; Black Power; Red Power; Handicapped Power; Gay and Lesbian Power; violence/non-violence?
The Feminist Revolution, which STILL is the major form of discrimination, as evidenced by the vilification of Clinton by the Obamistas?
Could there be any relation to the word "c..t," reemerging in recent films, when millions of us thought such overt and brutal sexism had been wiped out of movies? Isn't it interesting that the spewed hate coming from MSNBC and others, as well as the Obama campaign, is appearing when the word "c..t" used by Jane Fonda, to discuss the Vagina Monologues was the holy shit oops thing to so many, but the use of the word "c..t" in the first five minutes of "Michael Clayton," goes unnoticed? I'd bet there are five or six movies I've seen in the last two years using that word at least once.
No connection to rap mysogyny? Rap routinely calls women "b.....s" but there's no connection with that attitude (not too mention to sexist abomination women are subjected to as objects in rap) but that doesn't influence the vilification of Senator Clinton by Obamistas?
Wow!!
Sexual revolution. That didn't change America and the world?
Wow!!!
How many others? Spirituality v. religion? Wow! No permanent effect there?
More possible to be a Muslim in America now than then?
Seeing non-violent and peace loving political candidates assassinated? That had no effect?
B.S.
Notions like "health care for all?" Another bleeding heart liberal twist?
There are millions and millions of us who were in the streets, and have forever been altered by the sixties.
Finally, first Grateful Dead show, April, 1969. Blew my mind. Never been the same since.
Sat on stage with the Dead; met Jerry. Forever altered the view that I could do it my way, and be more happy, than to do it their way, and become cynical. Shoot. 2 + Dead shows; 6 Dylan; Jimi Hendrix; Airplane; Quicksilver; Canned Heat; Donovan; Mahavishnu Orchestra; Tower Of Power; Sir Douglas; Neil Young. Those guys influenced me and still do. They set me free (the Dead), in '69, when I heard that sound and my brain boinked.
See Deadbase X for my critique of that show.
The 60s blew the world apart. We may have settled, but looking over this incomplete list, we sure as hell haven't "settled for less." And we often become focused on the "we" part to include "that of the least among you ...you care for me." Liberal ideas. Wow?? Buddha and Jesus both agreed on that.
Sober and clean, 25+ years.
If you are a kinesthetic learner, the 60s were mind blowing.
Thank God I was born in 1947.
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Square but cool in the 60s
It's important to understand that most who were young in the 60s were just "regular" people living "regular" lives--going to school, working--the usual. We knew about the craziness only because it was all over the news, not because everyone was participating. Most of us did not attend Woodstock, did not have the free time to do the crazy things that the media claimed everyone was doing. We graduated college, went to work, led "regular" lives without drugs. Most everyone was square. It's a myth that everyone was a stoned, hippie, flower child in the 60s. I'm 61 and was "there" and square.