There is a saying that to not remember the past dooms a people to relive those same events.
The '60s defined a generation like no other. It was frightening, horrifying, terrifying and liberating all at the same time. Each individual experienced elements which would affect their outlook and perceptions for the rest of their lives. On a larger scale, our society set a precedent through the '60s experience which could have resulted in a far more civilized world. It is unforturnate that the moronic attitudes of today reflect the fact that no learning took place and thus, our society is doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. Heaven help us.
Women were considered sex object in the work place. It was not unusal for women to have to submit to sexual overtones and worse in order to get or keep a job. This is on top of the fact women were never paid what a man made nor was she given the opportunity to advance like the opportunity given a man. This spawned a group of women attempting to organize for the benefit of women. The National Organization of Women (NOW), headed by Andrea Dworkin, radicalized the relationship between men and women in such a way that "war" has broken out. While gaining some equality in the work place, NOW radicalized women into what is called radical feminism. At the most basic level of relationship, the sexual relationship between men and women radically changes. The Judeo-Christian concept taught women to be submissive to their man. This image was broadcast through television shows of the era as in the Ozzie and Harriet Show, Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best. Dad went to work, mom nurtured the kids and managed the household. The NOW concept stated that all sex was an act of rape. All men were rapist. The small minded thinking conceptualized woman as never wanting sex, therefore, all sex was against their will. Today, this radicalized thinking has hit mainstream society. Men are destoyed in family court as they are consided walking wallets and sperm donors. They are certainly not capable of raising children, according to our courts. It has escalated to the point where male teachers in our schools are routinely accused of inappropriate activity. Males have been vilifed just for being male.
Racism is the ugly tendency of segregating a group of identifiable people and forcing them into a life style different from that of the rest of society. This segregation is displayed in legislation passed by racist legislators and passed along to the street level. Courts make decisions that reinforce the evil that is done to these people. The shunned are isolated from the rest of society and suffer from poverty (a lack of job opportunities) and disadvantage at all levels. All too often, violence is the world the shunned experience. The '60s were a time when great effort was made to equalize these injustices. Many people died in the movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was the poster child for the movement. Today, our law makers still search out groups of people on which to throw the blanket of segregation rules and laws. Sometimes this is done as an emotion reaction to placate the public as a result of a tragic event. Nonetheless, overreaction takes us back to the time when it was considered proper to inflict as much pain and isolation upon a segmented group of people as possible. The lesson of the '60s has not been learned.
Freedom was what people yearned for in the '60s. Hippies protested to be free, making a statement by wearing beads, sandals (sometimes barefoot), bright colored shirts, tie-dyed shirts, and ragged shirts. This innocent effort was called the Hippie Counter Culture Movement. As simply as it started, it turned more series as "the Establishment" fought back. Radicalization took place in the movement in response to the Government's efforts to destroy the movement. President Richard Nixon, through his minion, Vice President Spiro Agnew, lambasted children, students and those perceived to be anti-Nixon. Agnew eventually resigned the Vice Presidency amid a storm of political corruption charges from the Justice Department. The lessons were not learned and today we have the results of people voting away their rights to the point where our society has traveled well done the path to a police state. Hippies are suffering in anquish.
The '60s provided an episode in history in which racism, freedom and human rights were at the forefront of our societal consciousness. So much opportunity to become the enlightened society envisioned by our foremost thinkers. It is obvious we have not learned from the '60s and will be forced to endure the stupidity that is to come. Heaven help us.
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