What an interesting insight! I had an older lady tell me that a lot of what she is seeing today was the same thing she saw in the 60's and 70's. Everyone should be kind and love one another, question the establishment, government is bad, rallies in the park, a protested war (even if it's late in the game)....and now trying to make weed legal. I'm not old enough to know whether or not this is a true statement, but from what I have learned I can see she has a point. What do you guys think?
Interesting answers ladies! Keeping them coming! :)
These things crop up every few years, it really comes in waves. The difference now, is we have social media that makes them larger b/c so many more people can connect, spread the message and get involved.
they should just legalize weed and everyone, in general , would be much mellower. :-)
I was born in 1963.
The protesters of the 60s were mainly protesting a war. Most were young--under 30. Peace and love are natural offshoots of anti-war protests.
Occupy is much broader than that. This time the protest is more about the acceptance, over time of the daily reality (not that war isn't a daily reality when you're in O.) of a huge population of people. Senior citizens are choosing food or medicine, sick people are choosing medical bills or death.
Every generation has some type of protest, war, anger at govt.
The one question I have yet to ask some of those who grew up during that era...Is the fear the same??
Was there the sense of urgency, back then that we feel now?
Did you feel that the end was near for everything?
I have alot of questions on the difference between the two movements.
My dad was an Active Vietnam Protester. He is also a Vietnam Vet.
He says the two are Totally different, and although this one is very Empowering, It is actually scarier.
the injustice is bigger. It effects alot of people.
and if we do not find some way to fix it...could very well be the rise and fall of the american dream.
I think this one is alot stronger of a message.
We are being attacked by an enemy that is hunkered down 108 stories up or 56 stories up in a Sky Scrapper. They are using money as the weapon.
the hippie Ear is giving us the Strength to move forward with this.
It is making us realize Social movements can be very effective.
The people standing down in the war zones taking Pellets from Police officers are in My mind just as much an American Hero as the guys and gals going over Seas.
They are taking fire in what most war zones call Friendly fire.
It is not right.
So if you agree with the movement. thank a Hippie for helping guide the way to what a PEACEFUL MOVEMENT CAN ACCOMPLISH.
I CAN NOT SAY ENOUGH...THIS IS A PEACEFUL MOVEMENT.
We dont start the violence. but will defend ourselves when the Bullets start flying!!
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All these things come in cycles, and I understand what she's saying, but having lived through the 60's and 70's it doesn't feel the same to me...unless everyone starts not trusting those over 30, lol!
Honestly, though, aside from the "love one another" attitude it was an angry time, police and firefighters were called pigs and disrespected, I don't what to go back to that.
History always, has similar phases and fads.
In various manifestations.
Human nature is human nature.
Although I wasn't old enough in the 70's to have experienced it myself, I believe the hippies were more about social revolution (women's lib, free love, etc). I think what we are seeing now is that people are angry that the elected officials who are supposed to represent us, aren't, but rather they are bought and paid for by corporations to look after the corporations' interests before the interests of average citizens.
So, yes, we are in an era of social activism, but I think this time rather than fighting to change our way of life, we are fighting to uphold the American dream.
Minus the drugs, good music and the innocence. I don't think so. I agree there is a wave but the 60's. Nah.
Differences so far
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Well... I don't know of Occupy people beating others or blowing stuff up. At least not yet (ROTC people on campus were beaten constantly BY hippies; bats, pipes, fists, curbs... soldiers returning home didn't have it as bad, but were still treated pretty abominably). But give it time and we may get our own homegrown terror groups and 'okay people to hate'.
Corporations now, instead of the govt then.
All ages now, younger generation mostly then
Trying to enforce social contracts now, Breaking social contracts then
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Similarities
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Human Rights
"negro" rights -> "gay" rights
"separate but equal" -> civil unions
draft -> no healthcare (both about dying when you shouldn't have to)
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In general though, every generation (30 years +/- 10 years) since... FOREVER (well, honestly, since the advent of agriculture which created a stratified social structure, so about 8 thousand years, so only the past 10% of human history, but you get my drift)... has had their minor or major rebellions. The timing picked up with the industrial revolution... but it's all the major and minor shakeups that have happened since we first stratified society.
We just don't study them all. Give me a generation, any generation we have documented, and I'll give you your "hippies".
I believe Occupy is more against unbridled corporate greed and many see government as a possible instrument to regulate that (how, who knows). Seems very different to me from protesting a war (Vietnam) that the government was fighting at the time.
