Where They Have Gone

I always figured when the long hair turned gray or disappeared altogether it would get ugly. Nobody ever expected the counterculture of the late 60s to age gracefully. Some have done remarkably well; myself included if I may be so bold. It doesn't take much these days to figure out that the values of that era are long gone. True, there is a peace movement, and certainly the use of recreational drugs continues, but make no mistake, we live in a mean spirited time.
I'm hopeful that will change. With age and experience comes a different kind of hope. Cycles bring things back around. I'm certainly not waiting for any return to the way things were, that's not what I mean. I'm talking about perspective and what we can take from the past.
Lots of talk lately about the failures of the 60s. A friend of mind recently explained to me why he's voting for Obama. "Boomers have had two chances at the presidency; both have fucked it up, wouldn't you agree?" Hard to argue with that. Between Clinton's wandering eye and Bush's wandering mind, I think it's safe to say they didn't exactly REPRESENT well. Yet there are those from my generation who are supporting Obama because he represents everything that the 60s were about. They further add that there is something in the air and it's moving forward. To borrow a phrase from back in the day..."You know something's happening and you don't know what it is, do you...Mr. Jones?"
Yes, something is happening here, and even if it isn't all that clear yet, I submit that one thing is. I believe that the values and sacrifices and vision of the late 60s didn't go away. They're all over the place. They've filtered into classrooms and medical buildings. They make their presence felt in the workplace and in the board room. Some of the brightest figures burned out early. That's always the case. Too bad Janice or Jimmy couldn't have gone farther down the road. The most violent proved to themselves how limited their methods truly were. They self-destroyed; some sooner, others just a little later. But for most others, I argue they becme the difference they wanted to be. Ask them. See what they say.

Comments

Kalirati said…

I hate the phrase "the failure of the sixties." As if that sense of urgency could be sustained after we pulled out of Vietnam. I have been touched by many people who believe in questioning authority and creating positive change.The sixties did not die, but like the Nile branched down into many fine tributaries to feed an ocean.

March 5, 2008 at 9:58 PM

Writing on the Wall

The first time I saw graffiti that was memorable was in a middle school bathroom. As 6th graders I often walked home with friends by the middle school we'd soon be attending. A stop by the boys bathroom near the boys gym placed me face to face with a piece of graffiti that immediately madame and my friends laugh uncontrollably. On the wall above the urinals, was penned a short poem that read" This is a Teepee to take a pee pee, Not a wigwam to beat your tom tom 14 year-old humor at it's best. The laughter my friends and I experienced was cathartic. Being bottom of the barrel Freshmen could have dire consequences in the boys bathroom. Those unpleasantries would come later, but for the moment, we were ecstatic and proceeded to read all the g...

The Quality of Optimism

I've returned to The Book of Qualities, by J Ruth Gentler once again to meet the needs of one of the senior students in my little Writing From Memory class I'm currently teaching in my local community center. This little volume personifies various concepts and personality traits. The particular student "in need" seems to be fixated on writing about her past relationships. Apparently, there were many. I'm OK with that. I only hope that she picks a few qualities that are as revealing about herself as those that might describe her Ex's. There is much to be learned by writing about a quality. The aforementioned book seems to have survived well over the years. I first encountered it and its author way back in the late 1970s. I took a journal writing workshop from her. Then, a few years later, her book came out and I introduced these writing exercises to my students. 11th grade Juniors seemed to do the best with it. ...

Mr. Greene v. Mr. Brown

I want to tell you about something. Something I've carried inside myself for a number of years now. Perhaps if I were a different kind of person I wouldn't need to talk about it. I'm not. My need to tell it is stronger than your need to hear it. Because, however, there are a number of teachers and former students of mine who may read these meanderings from time to time, I need to tell this story all the more. About 7 or 8 years ago I was asked if I would allow a university PhD. candidate to observe an English class. At first I decided against it because I was scheduled to have a student teacher placed with me the second half of the semester in question. After some urging, however, at the request of a respected colleague, I agreed. Soon I was committing to extra meetings, signing documents and explaining to the class in question who the young woman who thoughtfully pounded away on a laptop in the rear of the classroom three times a week was. I knew that the topic of ...

Daily Blues & Views

Search This Blog