Beat Generation Influence On American Culture

The term “beat generation” was coined by John Clellon Holmes in his 1948 article, to describe an artistic movement in the mid twentieth century. This movement began as a group of Columbia students in the 40s who wanted to be different and experimented in ways to express their difference. They migrated to San Francisco and grew in size to become a huge influence on American culture, inspiring new art and poetry, a music genre, and two sub-cultures. The Beat Generation, through their determination to not conform to bleak post-World War II societal norms, changed the nature of creative expression, as well as influenced American Culture particularly in the San Francisco area.
World War II sparked a mass fear of Communism: the second Red Scare, a massive witch hunt in which anyone who was different was accused of being a communist. This caused people to want to conform (Chastain). However, this
eventually backfired. The youth grew tired of traditional ideas such as the “Gibson girl” and began to rebel, creating a sub generation known as the “Beatniks”, who “became concerned with changing perception … as well as battling against social conformity and working towards expressing emotions in a new and exciting way.” (Chastain)
The term “Beatnik” came from the combination of the names “Beat Generation” and the Russian satellite Sputnik, because they were supposedly pro-communist. These Beatniks, rather than standing for an idea or belief, were superficial and simply concerned with appearing “cool”. The Beatnik look was very specific: They were often characterized by wearing all black, leotards, berets, and sunglasses. They hand-rolled cigarettes, hung out in jazz clubs, and played the bongo drums, anything that would make them seem cool. Beat writer Allen Ginsberg thought that Beatniks were a sham, and made him and his friends (particularly writer Jack Kerouac), who began the Beat movement, look fake. In his 1959 letter to the New York Times book review, Ginsberg said “If Beatniks and not illuminated poets overrun this country, they will have been created not by Kerouac but by industries of mass communication which continue to brainwash man.” (Ginsberg). Instead of actually being original and embracing difference, the idea that started the Beat Generation, these Beatniks became a brand, a way to be the same under the illusion that they were being unique and different.
The Beatniks would not have been possible without a group of Columbia students and some of their friends from the surrounding area: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S Burroughs, and Lucien Carr.
(Chastain) Allen Ginsberg, who later wrote the controversial poem Howl, later became hugely politically active especially as a protester of the Vietnam War, gay rights, relaxation of censorship, and the legalization of drugs. (Asher). Jack Kerouac went on to write the hugely influential book On the Road, which about his adventures across America. (Asher). William S Burroughs became known for his affinity for drugs, and the book Naked Lunch which was kept from publication until 1962 for obscenity reasons. (Asher). Lucien Carr introduced the other three, but, after killing his gay stalker, David Kemmer, ceased contact with the others. They found a new friend, a “street cowboy” from Denver named Neal Cassady, who became a very important member of the Beat Generation, being mentioned in many famous Beat works, and later becoming the driver of Ken Kesey’s famous psychedelic bus
(Asher).
This group of friends were delinquents who didn’t focus on school, but rather on their own idea of fun. They were “equally obsessed with drugs, crime, sex, and literature.” (Asher), spending a lot of time in the New York gay scene, or high on marijuana or benzedrines (Asher). Despite their unruly behavior, they also began to challenge what was proper in the creative writing world, ignoring rhyme schemes and traditional subject, and creating unique works inspired and fueled by their own errant ways. Unfortunately, their adventurous spirit got them expelled or suspended, and they all ended up leaving.
The original beats left New York for San Francisco in the 50’s, where they became famous after the Six Gallery reading, a poetry reading in 1955 at the Six Gallery in San Francisco (Stzamary). The reading shot the five poets that read into the spotlight and began the San Francisco Poetry Renaissance. The San Francisco Poetry Renaissance was the beginning of the San Francisco Beat movement, which caused a mass flood of writers into the San Francisco area (Asher).
At the center of the San Francisco Beat movement was the City Lights bookstore, run by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It doubled as a publishing company, publishing many Beat works, including Ginsberg’s controversial poem Howl. After publishing Howl, Ferlinghetti was arrested, and the poem was put on trial for obscenity, but it was declared to be not obscene. This ruling allowed other censored world to be freed. (Jederberg) Naked Lunch was also put on trial, but was kept from publication until 1962. (“Boston”)
Apart from literature, San Francisco became a hub for all sorts of aspects of culture..
A new subculture emerged known as the Hippies, many of whom came from middle class families but renounced their bourgeois upbringing under the claim that they were corrupt.
Hippies tended to wear jeans, tie-dyes, and tattered clothing, and their hair long. They sought equality, freedom, peace, and were often were associated with protesting the Vietnam War and advocating for the legalization of drugs such as marijuana (Szatmary). The Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco became the center of Beat culture, particularly the hippie and music scene. It became characterized by its artisticness, music, and the rising popularity of the drug LSD in the Psychedelic revolution of the sixties (Szatmary).
This so called “psychedelic revolution” began with Timothy Leary, an ex-Harvard professor, became a sort of “High Priest of Acid”. He is responsible for experiments with the drug (in which Allen Ginsberg was a participant), and actively encouraged its use under the claim, that it expanded consciousness (Playboy). His promotion of the drug lead to its use not as a recreational activity but as a way of life. It became the center of existence in the Haight, prompting “thousands of kids [to move] to San Francisco for a life based on LSD and the psychedelic thing.” (Wolfe). LSD created a whole genre of music, acid rock, as well as many festivals. It also led to a rise in Zen religions such as Taoism and Buddhism, adoption of Native American culture, and belief in a simpler life.
Ken Kesey, “a glorified Beatnik up on two dope charges.” (Wolfe) was another leading figure in the psychedelic revolution. He and a group of friends formed a band called the Merry Pranksters that drove around the country in a psychedelic bus, driven by Neal Cassady, that inspired musicians such as the Grateful Dead and the Beatles.They were responsible for small gatherings known as “acid tests” in which they gave people spiked kool-aid and observed them (“Ken Kesey”). Excessive use of LSD began to mess people up and cause problems such as psychosis.Kesey was arrested and released on the terms he promote “acid graduation”, in which he would use his “acid god” status to discourage the recently criminalized drug in the Haight.
Acid did, however, produce a genre of Beat music known as Acid Rock. Many musicians, such as The Grateful Dead, The Doors, Big brother and the Holding Company, the Beatles, claimed Beat poets as their inspiration (Szatmary). Acid rock bands would play in the Haight, at festivals with trippy light shows that attracted large crowds and became a characteristic of San Francisco life (Szatmary). Other Beat musicians include Janis Joplin, the influential rebel who died at age 27, Elvis, a rock n’ roll pioneer, and Bob Dylan, who used his music to protest social injustice (Chastain).
The Beat movement also produced visual artists. Beat art tended to be more abstract. and unique than art produced in earlier times. Instead of focusing on portraits, religion, and what was real, Beat artists experimented with color combinations and the portrayal of less common subjects (Chastain). One of the most famous and influential Beat artists was Andy Warhol, a pioneer of Beat art. He used colors and common objects to redefine art.
Apart from influencing art, music, literature, and culture, the Beat Generation inspired a new freedom of expression. The Beats and their fight against censorship and restrictions on creativity allowed people to be much more open about who they were. Without the influences of the Beat Generation, American culture might be much less open than it is today. Of course, many people still aren’t accepted for who they are, but the Beat Generation opened a door for those who wished to express themselves differently than how was accepted. Without the Beat Generation, many aspects of American culture might not be what they are today.