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The counterculture
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John Lennon’s Assassination: The Mark at the End of an Era “If everyone demanded peace instead of a new television set, then there’d be peace” - John Lennon (Magness, 2). Most people know of John Lennon from his days with the Beatles, but many are unaware of his contributions for a better tomorrow. John Lennon was the trademark of his time during the 1960s counterculture. His influence spread world wide because of his music, and later because of his advocacies towards peace. John Lennon believed in revolutionizing the world into something better. He fought for race relations, for feminism, and against the war in Vietnam. Many thought that because of John Lennon, society was slowly but surely headed in the right direction. After the tragic …show more content…
The Beatles and John Lennon were a heavy influence on this generation. Bands like The Doors and Jefferson Airplane were also greatly influential to the children of the counterculture. This music was more than just something to dance to, it was a common language. The youths who were entranced by this musics were recognized as hippies. They would call themselves flower children and associate with beads, ethnic clothing, and tie-dye. But the 60s were not just all about the flower children, contrary to popular belief the 60s was a decade of drastic change and progression. Minorities, women, and the new generation challenged the establishment. There was a huge spike in non violent racial protests led by Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and violent ones lead by the Black Panthers and Malcolm X. Vietnam war protests led by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) would widen the credibility gap. Feminism was also taking the spotlight. The second wave of feminism started in the 60s and went on for the next two decades promoting equal rights for women. The counterculture all together made about only 10 percent of the population, but the media broadcasted it on such a grand scale that people believed it was everyone’s child who wore the rounded glasses and tie dyed shirt. The media coverage of the counterculture goes to show its impact on America.
John Lennon’s
The 1960’s was a happening decade. It was a time when many people came together for a common good and stood against injustice. The 60’s is often recalled as the era of the peace sign, one ridden with hippies, marijuana and pacifism. While true of much of the era, some of the movements calling for immense social change began as non-violent harbingers of change and later became radicals. The reason for this turn to radicalism, as seen in the case of the Students for a Democratic Society, and as suggested by the change between this organizations earlier Port Huron statement and the later Weatherman Manifesto, is due to the gradual escalation of the Vietnam war.
“He helped shape the agenda of the sixties – socially and politically, no less than musically” (“John Lennon”). John Lennon was extremely influential to the world during his lifetime, and mainly during the sixties. He fueled many movements with his strong willed beliefs in peace and happiness. The actions and music of John Lennon drastically altered how many people viewed the world around them during the sixties and throughout his entire life.
The 1960's was a decade of tremendous social and political upheaval. In the United States, many movements occurred by groups of people seeking to make positive changes in society.
The documentary “Sixties: Years that Shaped a Generation” illustrates a period in United States history defined by cultural movement. Several citizen led campaigns were developed to challenge long established American institutions and traditions. This age of defiance, cultivated a counter culture which stood against social injustice, racial inequalities, and the war in Vietnam.
During the sixties and seventies there was an influx of social change movements, from civil rights, gay rights, student’s rights and feminism. In the early sixties the US was experiencing
The movement started after the assassination of President Kennedy, led to protests against the Vietnam War, civil rights movement, usage of psychoactive drugs, sexual liberation, a new taste in music, such as the rock genre from bands like The Beatles, and more. This generation in the 60’s began the ideas of peace, love, harmony, freedom and community. They were associated with energetic, vibrant colors and spreading peace signs such as, “Make love, not war”. The movement originated in San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, and many other prime cities. Later, they went on to spark new beginnings in other countries such as Canada and England.
During the turbulent era of the 1960s, youth excelled boundaries and expectations to adequately improve the world. Throughout this time, many individuals were trying to juggle the conflicts between racism, sexism, and the turning point in the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive. This battle occurred in 1968, and was a watershed moment in the Vietnam War that ultimately turned many Americans against bloodshed. “The total casualties – dead, wounded, and missing in action – had grown from 2,500 in 1965 and would top 80,000 by the end of 1967” (Willbanks 6). Destruction from the poignant fighting convinced rising numbers of Americans that the expense of United States’ commitment was too immense. The Anti-War movement gained momentum as student protesters and countercultural hippies condemned this kind of violence. As a result, many American citizens attended a three-day concert, Woodstock, because they desperately needed a place to be rescued from the brutality and turmoil. A young member of “The Beatles,” John Lennon, created music that was essential for the success of antiwar uprisings, as well as Woodstock attendees who justify the purpose of attending. Woodstock abruptly became a compelling icon; a turn of events where even all of the world’s calamities could not conquer the notions of peace, harmony, and cultural expression driven by young Americans to assert their voices as a generation, by genuine music and proclaims made by Woodstock celebrators.
...vision industry as a gold mine for money. Advertising catered directly towards the hostile youths and hippies in order to appeal to the people. The counterculture deeply influenced society today by erasing the blatant disregard of the views of youth in earlier times. The counterculture became a presence in society that could not be ignored.
The article “From counterculture to Sixties Culture” clearly demonstrates that the hippie movement was not just founded on pure rebellion from what their parents had prescribed. The article reveals that the 60s culture was a product of many factors including the youths reaction to the Vietnam War, the outpouring of self expression on college campuses around the continent, the constantly dynamic civil rights, and especially the rejection of the counterculture by the mainstream society.
During the sixties, Americans saw the rise of the counterculture. The counterculture, which was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, was embraced by the decade’s young Americans. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and freer country. One of the most powerful counterculture movements in the sixties was the civil rights movement.
The Hippie Movement changed the politics and the culture in America in the 1960s. When the nineteen fifties turned into the nineteen sixties, not much had changed, people were still extremely patriotic, the society of America seemed to work together, and the youth of America did not have much to worry about, except for how fast their car went or what kind of outfit they should wear to the Prom. After 1963, things started to slowly change in how America viewed its politics, culture, and social beliefs, and the group that was in charge of this change seemed to be the youth of America. The Civil Rights Movement, President Kennedy’s death, new music, the birth control pill, the growing illegal drug market, and the Vietnam War seemed to blend together to form a new counterculture in America, the hippie.
All four theories, realism, liberalism, Marxism and constructivism, could be seen in Lennon’s music. He knew the world around him was full of people who followed realism and Marxism, because of the continuous violence over possessions; however he held mostly on to a constructivist view point with a liberalist heart, by desiring peace and trying to help people around him see peace without violence in this lyrics. He believed that his music and lyrics could change the mind of people from, revolution with violence (Marxist) and war thought as the human nature (realist) to people’s ideas being able to change the social reality with peace made by no violence (liberalist and constructivist).
American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests with their alternative lifestyles and radical beliefs or drop out of society completely.
As many already know, John Lennon was part of the ever-so popular group, the Beatles. During the time he spent with the group, his “voice” and stance on the world was practically obsolete, as it was overpowered by
When people hear the term hippie, they think of men and woman in loose clothing with flowers weaved in their hair. Although these men and women did in fact wear these things, they left a significant impact on society. Hippies were a part of the Counterculture movement, which basic ideals were to reject the ideas of mainstream society. The movement itself began with the protesting of the Vietnam War. Eventually, the movement was more than just protesting the war. Hippies promoted the use of recreational drugs, religious tolerance; they also changed society’s views and attitudes about lifestyle and social behavior. The Counterculture movement was the most influential era in the 20th century because the people of this time changed society’s outlook, and broached the topics of drugs, fashion, and sexual freedom.