1960’s and 1970’s Counterculture
Make love, not war. Don't trust anyone over 30. Turn on, tune in, and drop
out. I am a human being — please do not fold, bend spindle, or mutilate.
These and many more became slogans for emerging youth culture — a
COUNTERCULTURE — in the 1960s. The baby boom was entering its teen
years, and in sheer numbers they represented a larger force than any prior
generation in the history of the United States. As more and more children of
middle-class Americans entered college, many rejected the suburban
conformity designed by their parents.
The Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco gave rise to many of the
popular rock groups of the era, including Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful
Dead. This poster advertises a concert held at the Fillmore Auditorium, a
popular San Francisco venue for psychedelic bands.
Never more than a minority movement, the so-called "HIPPIE" lifestyle
became synonymous with American youth of the 1960s. Displaying frank new
attitudes about drugs and sex, communal lifestyles, and innovations in food,
fashion, and music, the counterculture youth of America broke profoundly
with almost all values their parents held dear.
The sexual revolution was in full swing on American college campuses. Birth
control and a rejection of traditional views of sexuality led to a more casual
attitude toward sex. Displays of public nudity became commonplace. Living
together outside marriage shattered old norms.
In addition to changes in sexual attitudes, many youths experimented with
drugs. Marijuana and LSD were used most commonly, but experimentation
with mushrooms and pills was common as well. A Harvard professor named
TIMOTHY LEARY made headlines by openly promoting the use of LSD.
There was a price to be paid for these new attitudes. With the new freedom
came an upsurge of venereal diseases, bad trips, and drug addictions.
Like the UTOPIAN SOCIETIES of the 1840s, over 2000 rural communes
formed during these turbulent times. Completely rejecting the capitalist
system, many communes rotated duties, made their own laws, and elected
their own leaders. Some were philosophically based, but others were
influenced by new religions. Earth-centered religions, astrological beliefs, and
Eastern faiths proliferated across American campuses. Some scholars labeled
this trend as the THIRD GREAT AWAKENING.
Most communes, however, faced fates similar to their 19th century
forebears. A charismatic leader would leave or the funds would become
exhausted, and the commune would gradually dissolve.
One lasting change from the countercultural movement was in American diet.
Health food stores sold wheat germ, yogurt, and granola, products
completely foreign to the 1950s America. Vegetarianism became popular
among many youths. Changes in fashion proved more fleeting. Long hair on
young men was standard, as were Afros. Women often wore flowers in their
hair. Ethnic or peasant clothing was celebrated.. Beads, bellbottom jeans,
and tie-dyed shirts became the rage, as each person tried to celebrate his or
her own sense of individuality.
The common bond among many youths of the time was music. Centered in
the HAIGHT-ASHBURY section of San Francisco, a new wave of psychedelic
rock and roll became the music of choice. Bands like the GRATEFUL DEAD,
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, and the DOORS created new sounds with
electrically enhanced guitars, subversive lyrics, and association with drugs.
Dr. Timothy Leary — seen here in his later years — encouraged people of the
1960s to "Turn On, Tune In, and Drop Out" through the use of psychedelic
drugs such as LSD.
Folk music was fused with rock, embodied by the best-known solo artist of
the decade, BOB DYLAN. When the popular BEATLES went psychedelic with
their landmark album SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND,
counterculture music became mainstream.
It is important to note that the counterculture was probably no more than
ten percent of the American youth population. Contrary to common belief,
most young Americans sought careers and lifestyles similar to their parents.
Young educated people actually supported the war in Vietnam in greater
numbers than older, uneducated Americans. The counterculture was simply
so outrageous that the media made their numbers seem larger than in
reality. Nevertheless, this lifestyle made an indelible cultural impact on
America for decades to come.
What happened to the ideals of the counterculture? Why weren't they able to
sustain their utopian views? In part there views were subsumed by the
greater culture. Moreover, it's one thing to say you want a revolution, quite
another to try to affect one.
America was having problems in the 1970’s. The booming economy
sputtered to a halt. Inflation approached 20% and unemployment neared
10% — a combination previously thought to be impossible. Crime rates rose
as tales of the decaying inner cities fell on deaf ears. A nuclear disaster of
unspeakable proportions was barely averted at the Three Mile Island fission
plant in Pennsylvania.
Many Americans coped with the current ailments by turning inward.
Outlandish fashion and outrageous fads such as streaking, mood rings, and
pet rocks became common. Younger Americans finished their workweeks and
sought escape in discotheques. Controversy surrounding "DECAYING
MORALITY" surfaced with regard to increased drug use, sexual promiscuity,
and a rising divorce rate. As a result, a powerful religious movement turned
political in the hopes of changing directions toward a more innocent time.
The United States celebrated its bicentennial anniversary in 1976 without the
expected accompanying optimism. Instead, while many reflected on the past
laurels of American success, an overarching question was on the minds of the
American people: what had gone wrong?
Across the land, Americans seemed determined to escape from the wars and
social movements of the previous decade. Disillusionment with national and
global action led many to look inward and find solace in discovering more
about themselves.
A magazine entitled SELF sold thousands of copies. Women demanded
respect as equal partners. Fashions veered toward the outrageous and
ridiculous, reflecting the glorification of rule breaking and self-expression.
The sexual revolution took hold from the inner city to the small town.
Therapy sessions mushroomed as Americans in all walks of life searched to
find "the real me."
Many during the '70s wore the "afro" hairstyle simply as a fashion statement.
But to others it signified a shift toward more aggressive expressions of
African American identity.
Every rule of fashion was shattered in the 1970s. Lapels, ties, and collars,
reached record widths. The polyester leisure suit, available in a palette of
citrus and pastel colors, was extremely popular among young males. The
jacket, pants, and vest were often worn with an open collar to display thick
necklace chains nestled in exposed chest hair. Hair was large and long for
both males and females. Afros proved popular. Sideburns were long and
bushy.
Bellbottom jeans and hiphuggers were the rage on many college campuses in
the early 1970s. Platform shoes, which sometimes added as much as a foot
to a person's height, were introduced. Despite the machinations of the
fashion industry, skirts remained short for much of the decade, and the
string bikini shocked or delighted millions on America's beaches. In the late
1970s big name labels become appealing as thousands of Americans rushed
to purchase expensive designer jeans.
The sexual revolution had its roots in the 1960s, but this trend moved from
the college campuses to the average American household in the 1970s. Birth
control was more widely used, and young people experienced more sexual
partnerships with different people. Venereal diseases became much more
widespread.
As women asserted themselves economically, socially, and politically, the
idea of remaining trapped in an unhappy marriage became less and less
appealing. Consequently, the divorce rate soared. An 1974 book entitled THE
COURAGE TO DIVORCE encouraged individuals to put their own happiness
above that of their spouses and children.
Nowhere was the self-indulgence of the 1970s more evident than in the fads
of the decade. New forms of therapy were introduced to help a person find
oneself. DISCO music and the disco scene capitalized on the widespread
desire to forget daily troubles and just have fun. Temperature-sensitive
mood rings were a bogus attempt to display inner feelings outwardly. Public
streaking showed a desire to break society's norms and to show comfort with
one's own body.
The height of the ridiculous was reached in 1975 when an entrepreneur
named GARY DAHL sold common rocks to thousands of Americans
advertised as the PET ROCK. These "pets" were peddled with accessories
and guidebooks, incurring the wrath of cultural critics across the nation who
believed a new low had been reached. Whether Americans were searching for
meaning, escaping from the daily grind, or simply looking for a good laugh,
the 1970s marked the height of self-expression, mixed with a healthy dose of
absurdity and poor taste.