previsous post:


>1) There seems, based on my research (which concerns especially the
"armed 

>struggle" wing of the movement) a kind of master narrative of the
awakening 

>process (within, say the New Left), and there are certain common
themes that 

>appear in so many of the biographies I have tracked.  Core features
are: etc."




This is a sanitized and perhaps idealist view that leaves out the nitty
gritty reality of what was happening. I agree with the observations but
they don't go far enough or include enough, especially on issues that
continue to scare people today. Like drugs and sex.


While the media did play an important role both in the rise of the
subculture of the 60s and the rise of the anti-war movement, there was
a huge creative outpouring unleashed by sex, music and drugs. Some of
this could be traced to the beginnings of a youth subculture market
with disposable income that was growing rapidly and not yet
controllable. Others have pointed out the suburban drabness of the 50s,
the machine man and the IBM future we were supposed to embrace. These
and the forces alluded to in the above post coalesced to create a sense
of freedom, a vision of how things could change and we grabbed the bull
by the horns and created. 


A Dionysoian unleashing of creativity ... the birth control pill freed
us from sexual repression; a surge in garage bands blasting music
allowed us to dance and push lyrics unsanctioned by the status quo; and
finally LSD made the ancient mystic traditions and spiritual depths
available to everyone ... couple that with those of us who gained
political consciousness (I came from a racist, right-wing hillbilly
family and supported Goldwater until confronted by the contradictions
of the ideals of democracy and the reality of racism, hence don't fit
the writer's model for becoming politically active.) . The result -- a
volatile mix for social change. 


While I never saw eye-to-eye with the Yipees, they had a point and this
writer needs to modify his theories accordingly. The cultural changes
were just as important as the political and in some cases went hand in
hand with them. The New Left's enthusiasm and spiritedness was in start
contrast to the somber, plodding old left from the darkest days of the
cold war. Unfortunately, we were overwhelmed by the forces of reaction
that bent our cultural contributions into harmless cultural
entertainment. Nevertheless, the cultural changes played an important
role in releasing a youthful enthusiasm for change and we might be able
to learn something from this. 


best, Don Monkerud