Counterculture - Research Paper - 3195 Words

Counterculture of the Sixties in the USA Causes and Effects by Johanna K. Weisz Preface If the Sixties was the decade of rebellion in America, the preceding two post-WWII decades were characterized by social conformity and trust in the system. â€Å"In that era of general good will and expanding affluence, few Americans doubted the essential goodness of their society† (Haberstam 10). However, this trust in the system changed radically in the Sixties. Many of the numerous youth born during the post-WWII baby boom became teenagers who questioned the cultural values of their parents and refused to assimilate into the established social and moral system. They created their own counterculture that was in opposition to the established†¦show more content†¦Technical appliances were more and more common in almost all households. â€Å"By 1960 there were 440 commercial VHF stations, 75 UHF stations, and 85 % of U.S. households had a television set† (Golden Age, 1930’s through 1950’s). The young generation had grown up with commercials and had money to buy material goods, many of them disposable, as expressed in a Bethlehem Steel advertisement from 1963: Why do major airlines serve soft drinks in cans? For the very same reason you’ll switch someday soon†¦convenience. Cans take less space†¦easier to store. Cans weight less†¦easier to carry. They chill faster. Rugged, too. And no deposits, no returns! Convinced? Pick up a dozen of your favourite soft drinks†¦in convenient cans. (Heimann n.p.). Criticism of consumer society and environmental concerns contributed to the rise of the counterculture. The New York poet Diane di Prima describes her fears of â€Å"widespread ecological destruction† (Charters 559) in her poem â€Å"Revolutionary Letter #16†, written in the late 1960s. The following extract illustrates that the young generation’s environmental concerns were part of the counterculture in the Sixties: [†¦] every large factory is an infringement of our god-given right to light and air to clean and flowing rivers stocked with fish to the very possibility of life [†¦] (Charters 559) Young people were longing and searching for an alternative life-style that wasShow MoreRelatedCounterculture - Research Paper3180 Words   |  13 PagesCounterculture of the Sixties in the USA Causes and Effects by Johanna K. Weisz Preface If the Sixties was the decade of rebellion in America, the preceding two post-WWII decades were characterized by social conformity and trust in the system. â€Å"In that era of general good will and expanding affluence, few Americans doubted the essential goodness of their society† (Haberstam 10). However, this trust in the system changed radically in the Sixties. Many of the numerous youth born during the post-WWIIRead MoreThe Existence of Different Types of Cultures1092 Words   |  5 Pagesincludes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Tylor, 1958, p. 1). Culture is learned through enculturation and commonly shared by the members of the society. In this paper, three types of culture are briefly discussed which include dominant culture, subculture and counter-culture. 　　 　　The first type of culture is dominant culture. Quite often, the dominant culture is reflected as orthodox and universal in society. TheRead More The History Of Lsd And Its Effects On The American Counterculture1458 Words   |  6 Pageson to set up his own research clinic in New York, where he continued his experimentation of LSD. Throughout the 1960s, Dr. Leary was one of the most well know activists for LSD use in America. He traveled around the US, going to concerts and speaking about the spiritual benefits of LSD. Through is philosophical speeches and active participation in LSD experimentation; Dr. Timothy Leary helped lead the American counterculture movement of the mid sixties. The counterculture movement was born atRead MoreThe Purpose Of This Essay Is To Provide An Argument For1952 Words   |  8 Pages2013), but it did not just lay the groundwork for future laws when it came to cannabis it stared an entire counterculture. â€Å"The Counterculture and Drug Scene In the late ‘60s, amid the growing counterculture and drug proliferation, marijuana use becomes a mainstay of the hippie lifestyle. A fierce debate emerges over whether to legalize the drug.† (MOORE, 2013), and this counterculture would lead to some very possive laws concerning cannabis in the latter future, but also would lead to some veryRead More Ginsbergs Howl: a Counterculture Manifesto Essay4130 Words   |  17 PagesGinsbergs Howl: a Counterculture Manifesto Allen Ginsberg dives into the wreck of himself and of the world around him to salvage himself and something worth saving of the world. In this process, he composes Howl to create a new way of observation for life through the expression of counterculture. Protesting against technocracy, sex and revealing sexuality, psychedelic drugs, visionary experience, breaking the conventions of arts and literature; all basic characteristics of counterculture are combinedRead MoreArgumentative Essay On Ishmael1391 Words   |  6 Pagessave the world. After throwing away the newspaper, the narrator seems upsetted by the advertisement for a teacher seeking a pupil interested in saving the world. He had lost hope after failing to find such a teacher in his youth as part of the counterculture. Although certain it is a scam, he decides to go to the address. He walks into a building to find only a gorilla behind a window of glass. The gorilla speaks telepathically after a few moments of fearful sil ence and caution telling the narratorsRead MoreDominick10 Tb Ch08 1 1005 Words   |  5 Pagesrecord  companies  desires  to  increase  profits.   Ans:  T            6.  Although  some  American  recording  artists  were  prominent  during  the  1960s,  the  music   scene  became  dominated  by  the  British  Invasion.   Ans:  T            7.  Heavy  metal  music  emerged  as  rock  became  part  of  the  counterculture.   Ans:  T            8.  Downloading  ring  tones  is  big  business  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Billboard  magazine  even  has  a  chart  listing   the  most  popular  ring  tone  downloads.   Ans:  T            9.  The  music  industry  can  be  divided  into  three  main  segments:  Ã‚  production,  distributionRead MoreNuclear Weapons Of Mass Destruction1057 Words   |  5 PagesKarla Ximena Leyte Though Paper #3 Weapons of mass destruction and their ability to challenge security and create large-scale obliteration have become the most significant threat in international politics, causing vast concern of the consequences that may arise if they were to emerge in the hands of dangerous non-state actors. Chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons not only possess the ability to end the life of many but also pose negative effects on the environment and global economy. WhileRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1436 Words   |  6 Pagesand more progressive with marijuana. Quite recently, a few states have went forward and legalized marijuana for recreational use, and even Canada has taken its first step towards marijuana legalization. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan organization that provides information about the issues, attitudes, and trends changing America, as of 2015, the support for marijuana is finally outpacing the opposition. In 2012, the Nation al Survey on Drug Use and HealthRead MoreHow the Hippies Counterculture Transformed Music Essay2277 Words   |  10 Pagescharge when young adults voiced displeasure over the country’s entrance into the Vietnam War and the use of nuclear weapons. One group within this movement was coined the â€Å"hippies†. This paper will discuss the beliefs of the hippies of Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, California and illustrate how the hippie â€Å"counterculture† transformed into an evolution of music, in the making of protest songs and the new â€Å"psychedelic† sound. It will elaborate on the musicians who found fame in responding to the call