Compare And Contrast The Social And Cultural Changes Of The 1970's
The 1970s in many ways were a continuation of the 60s, there were confusion, civil disorder, and growing violence. Many more Americans aligned themselves with the protesters against the ongoing war in Vietnam. The fight for equality for African Americans, Women, Native Americans, gays and lesbians continued. The criminal actions of President Richard Nixon significantly diminished the American citizen’s abiding faith in their government and political leaders. The multitude of social issues that relentlessly plagued the 60s and automatically continued into the 70s was responsible for creating the cultural transformations of the 70s.
The cultural changes of the 70s were too numerous to discuss all of them thoroughly. Therefore, the one to be discussed
will be the hippie counterculture/subculture. It was a social movement that defined a generation (baby boomers). The precursor of the hippie movement was the beat generation that originated in the mid-50s, in New York. They completely estranged themselves from the rest of society into a small underground movement. The beat generation rejected American ideas of morally correct and social behavior, while avoiding materialism and experimenting with drugs sexual liberties. By the early 60s segments of the beat, generation began to tackle political issues, and these individuals moved from New York to California, and the hippie movement was born (Foster). The most influential era of the 20th century was the counterculture movement. They radically transformed society’s moral outlook on the subjects of drugs, fashion and sexual freedom.
Hippies were often referred to as Flower Children because they used art and folk music in all of their forms of communications. Music was the mass medium they favored above all. They used their music to comment and voice their subjective opinions on all political and social issues, notably the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Hippies promoted peace and love, and they were antiwar (Foster).
The strategy used by the protestors to oppose the war was nonviolent demonstrations, sit-ins and the burning of draft cards. A large segment of the hippie movement was very active in the early days of the civil rights movement. The lessons learned in the civil rights movement worked with the antiwar movement. The Vietnam War and the military draft were the most prevalent aspect of the campaign. The burning of the draft cards was their way of vehemently opposing the draft and how it functioned. The administering of the draft was grossly unfair because the overwhelming majority of the draftees were from the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, and some students were unable to maintain their student deferments, that insulated them from the draft (Rodney P. Carlisle, 2008). This new generation has proven to be more outspoken than previous generations; they refuse to accept the indisputable views and mixed opinions of the pre-World War Two generations. The hippie/baby boomer, counter-cultural generation developed their values and standards and rebelled against the pre-war attitude of their parents. They viewed the post-WW Two leaders as self-serving and not honest individuals (Theresa Richardson, 2012).
The baby boomers of the 60s had a tremendous impact on society and continued to hold a commanding position in the 21st century. They have chosen to fight for political equality, social, economic, and justice for the disadvantaged (Networks).
The cultural changes of the 70s were too numerous to discuss all of them thoroughly. Therefore, the one to be discussed
will be the hippie counterculture/subculture. It was a social movement that defined a generation (baby boomers). The precursor of the hippie movement was the beat generation that originated in the mid-50s, in New York. They completely estranged themselves from the rest of society into a small underground movement. The beat generation rejected American ideas of morally correct and social behavior, while avoiding materialism and experimenting with drugs sexual liberties. By the early 60s segments of the beat, generation began to tackle political issues, and these individuals moved from New York to California, and the hippie movement was born (Foster). The most influential era of the 20th century was the counterculture movement. They radically transformed society’s moral outlook on the subjects of drugs, fashion and sexual freedom.
Hippies were often referred to as Flower Children because they used art and folk music in all of their forms of communications. Music was the mass medium they favored above all. They used their music to comment and voice their subjective opinions on all political and social issues, notably the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Hippies promoted peace and love, and they were antiwar (Foster).
The strategy used by the protestors to oppose the war was nonviolent demonstrations, sit-ins and the burning of draft cards. A large segment of the hippie movement was very active in the early days of the civil rights movement. The lessons learned in the civil rights movement worked with the antiwar movement. The Vietnam War and the military draft were the most prevalent aspect of the campaign. The burning of the draft cards was their way of vehemently opposing the draft and how it functioned. The administering of the draft was grossly unfair because the overwhelming majority of the draftees were from the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, and some students were unable to maintain their student deferments, that insulated them from the draft (Rodney P. Carlisle, 2008). This new generation has proven to be more outspoken than previous generations; they refuse to accept the indisputable views and mixed opinions of the pre-World War Two generations. The hippie/baby boomer, counter-cultural generation developed their values and standards and rebelled against the pre-war attitude of their parents. They viewed the post-WW Two leaders as self-serving and not honest individuals (Theresa Richardson, 2012).
The baby boomers of the 60s had a tremendous impact on society and continued to hold a commanding position in the 21st century. They have chosen to fight for political equality, social, economic, and justice for the disadvantaged (Networks).