POLITICS AND
ECONOMICS
THE “ME” DECADE: LIFE IN THE 1970S
THE SEARCH FOR FULFILLMENT
• Watergate, Vietnam, a Poor Economy…people
wanted to get on with their daily lives.
• Writer Tom Wolfe called the 1970s the “me” decade
because Americans became self-obsessed with
individual satisfaction
• Popular books of the decade:
• I’m OK, You’re OK
• How to be Your Own Best Friend
• Looking Out for Number One
THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
• Young people were unsatisfied with the religion of
their parents and sought fulfillment through secular
movements and activities that became known as
the New Age Movement
• Some New Age Movements extolled the powers of crystals
and gemstones
• Some believed in reincarnation.
TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION
• Gurus: mystical leaders
• Transcendental Meditation: spiritual movement of
daily meditation and silent repetition of spiritual
montras to achieve peak intelligence, harmony,
and health
• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi—the Beatles helped him gain fame
when they embraced his practices
CHANGING FAMILIES
• In the 1970s more women were joining the
workforce
• Smaller families became the norm
• 1976: all time low in birthrates
• Parents and children spend less time together
• Divorce rate doubled
CULTURAL TRENDS IN THE 1970S
• Popular culture in the 1970s reflected many of the
changes taking place in society.
• Television in the 1970s
• The Mary Tyler Moore show
• Unmarried women with a meaningful career
• All in the Family
• Confronted potentially volatile social issues with a bigoted, blue collar
worker Archie Bunker
• Music in the 1970s
• Disco
• Softer sound, longer songs, new dances
• Fads and Fashions of the 1970s
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T-shirts with personalized messages
Mood rings
“CB” radios
Fitness/Aerobics
Skateboarding
ESSAY QUESTION
• Describe five fads of the 1970s.
ESSAY QUESTION
• Describe five fads of the 1970s.
• The softer sounds of disco music replaced rock ‘n’ roll as the
music of the 1970s youth. T-shirts bearing personalized
messages, skateboards, and mood rings were also popular
with 1970s Americans. Mood rings changed color,
supposedly to match the wearer’s changing mood. CB
radios in vehicles became popular. These systems allowed
drivers to talk to each other within a range of a few miles.
Many truck drivers used them to warn each other of police
speed traps. Soon average drivers purchased them, mostly
for entertainment, as they talked to each other in CB jargon
and code words. Fitness was another trend, especially
aerobics. It was a way to stay fit while having fun and
interacting socially. Running also attracted fitness enthusiast
in the 1970s.
ESSAY QUESTION
• Describe the beliefs and activities typical of the
New Age movement.
ESSAY QUESTION AND ANSWER
• Describe the beliefs and activities typical of the
New Age movement.
• Disenchanted with the conventional religions of their parents, some
young people sought fulfillment through the host of secular
movements and activities that made up the New Age movement. New
Age enthusiast embraced the idea that people were responsible for and
capable for everything from self-healing to creating the world. They
believed spiritual enlightenment could be found in common practices,
not just in traditional churchgoing. They tried activities like yoga,
martial arts, and chanting to achieve fuller spiritual awareness. The
New Age movement took many different paths to transform individuals
and society. Some New Agers extolled the power of crystals and
gemstones to improve life; others touted astrology. Some were inspired
by the Eastern belief in reincarnation, which taught that people could
be reborn many times until reaching greater perfection. Awareness of
former lives was supposed to bring knowledge of the true inner self.