Well, the Sixties wasn't just about sex, drugs and rock and roll, and that's not what the American public thinks. It was also about sappy involvement with totalitarian causes, mindless anti-American hatred, and loopy enthusiasm for criminal violence and violent criminals (Weatherman, the Panthers). Oh yes, there some "idealists" too, but they were mainly peaceniks, hippies, psychedelic dopers and people who just liked good music. Jay Moore wrote: > FILM REVIEW: 'Rebels' documentary dispels myths of tumultuous sixties > Updated 12:00 PM ET September 22, 2000 > By Leslie Boxer > Michigan Daily > U. Michigan > > (U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- "Rebels With a Cause" is a documentary that > chronicles the emotional and political history of the '60s. It is a film > that focuses on those who were at the heart of the civil rights movement and > the protests against the Vietnam War - the students. The Students for a > Democratic Society (SDS) was a group out for social justice and change that > was initiated on college campuses nation wide. The group was well known for > its involvement in the anti-war movement yet was also instrumental in > voicing the opinions of students for over a decade on a wide variety of > issues. > > The producer/director of the film, Helen Garvey, said the film is important > because "the history of the time period has been distorted by the media and > that distortion is destructive. Everyone believes the myth that the press > puts out there that the '60s was a time of just sex, drugs, and rock and > roll. The reason to make a film like this is to take back our history and > tell the true story." This is precisely what is so wonderful about "Rebels," > it is a narrative by those who lived through the time period and who were > integral members of the SDS telling their own stories in their own words. > > Interestingly, the SDS and the student movement in general have an intimate > connection with Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. SDS essentially > started here, in Ann Arbor, under the leadership of Alan Haber. In 1959, > Haber was hired to work for the Student League for Industrial Democracy, a > relatively inactive organization that was founded in 1905 by Jack London and > Upton Sinclair. Under Haber's leadership, the Student League was transformed > into the SDS and adopted his more activist politics. > > The organization, which started by simply appealing to people on a > person-to-person level, grew out of Haber's networking with other campuses. > He recruited campus leaders and slowly the organization expanded. When the > students began questioning the government's motives behind the involvement > in Vietnam, the organization grew to sponsor a 25,000 person March on > Washington in 1965. > > In addition to chronicling the events of the '60s Garvey feels that her film > offers an important explanation of a time period that is very much alive > today. She sees similar concerns and questions being raised today as was > seen decades ago. > > "The '60s is with us in a lot of ways," Garvey said, "the social > ramifications of the civil rights movement and women's movement have changed > the world. People are being influenced in their daily lives by issues from > the '60s and they are curious as to the history behind these events." > > Moreover, Garvey believes that the same frustrations and desires to improve > economic and social conditions that existed in the '60s are still very much > alive today. She hopes that students as well as adults in their 30s and 40s > will see the film and allow it to empower them to ask questions and > understand the rich history of this tumultuous time period. > > (C) 2000 Michigan Daily via U-WIRE
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