Countercultures Of The 60’s Essay, Research Paper

In the turmoil of the 60?s, America was at war with Vietnam. But

more evident was the movement among the young people taking part

in the protests and displays. Many people were against this was,

especially the youth, an unfair was the was seeing many of our youth

being killed and drafted in America. The mass exhibitions world wide

against the Vietnam war saw millions of young people become united.

Counterculture: Groups or movements existing within an

modern society and in any country which find themselves in

opposition to governing and accepted mainstream ideas, values and

the approved and sanctioned forms of self expression. They were

against mainstream political thinking, emotions, and styles.

In the 60?s, the first of the baby boomers became teenagers.

Since they grew up during the cold war, many of these young people

felt as if they were living on the edge of destruction. With the threat of

nuclear war , everything was blamed on the elders of this generation

for creating the world which they must live in. This was called the

generation gap. The difference in attitudes between people of

different age groups.

The ?hippies?, a name given to them by Micheal Fallon, sought

after a new lifestyle, even more, a lifestyle that was against the war.

They believed in communities rather than normal traditional family

environments. A common practice was sharing living quarters,

without regard to sex or martial status with the availability of the birth

control pill. Many coffeehouses had a ?pad?- a room with a few

mattresses on the floor and sleeping bags where anyone who wished

could crash for a night or two. Small groups began retreating to the

country, where they formed communes, communities that shared

property in common.

?How does it feel,

To be without a home,

Like a complete unknown,

Like a rolling stone??

Bob Dylan, ?Like a Rolling Stone,? 1965

Music was perhaps one of the main items of communication

and connection within the young generation. Woodstock was a rock

festival that took place near Woodstock, New York, on August

15-17,1969. It became a symbol of the 60?s counterculture and a

marker in the history of rock music. Rock and roll was an international

phenomenon that combined African American music with the

elements of popular white music. Many attended this event. 120,00

were expected to attend, but instead, 400,000 arrived. Most were

between the ages of 16 to 30 years old. As the youth banded together

many hippie heroes appeared such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles and

many more. The Summer of Love in San Fransisco saw over 50,00

flower children. But yet, the war still raged on.

On of the most controversial symbols upon this ear was the

hair. Long hair on a young man was the ultimate symbol of being a

rebel. Many school officials debated the length. Could it curl over the

collar or not? Slogans began to show up saying such things as ?Make

America beautiful—give a hippie a haircut— After time, long hair for

men and woman became generally accepted.

The symbols of the counterculture-the long hair, peace signs,

the uncustomary clothing-the security and status of being a part of a

group was what kept the youth satisfied. All in all, many members

were concerned about their own inner adventured rather than social

reform.

As quoted by Charles Shaar Murray, Crosstow Traffic: Jimi

Hendrix & Post-War Pop

?If the sixties were truly ?about? anything.

It was the notion of a decisive shift

Of power away from its traditional centers

And towards people who had been historically excluded

From any significant degree of control

Over their own circumstance and history

From rich to the poor, from old to the young,

From right to the left, from the whites to the blacks?