Comparing and Contrasting Cultures from the 60s to Today
Joseph Parish
In this rant, we will see how popular culture has changed between the 60s and the 70s. We often at first believe we see drastic differences appearing however, if we give it a second glance, we soon discover that there are not as sweeping differences as we first suspected. The similarities of both eras engulf the youth of our country, a period of great creativity and expressions of freethinking. The 60s were the turbulent age for our society as changes were rapidly taking place on a number of topics. Fashion was basically a shock treatment for the eyes as the clothing ranged from the elegant array of fashions wore by Jackie Kennedy to the mod look with its go-go boots and the short miniskirt. We found bell bottom jeans, long skirts and the peasant dresses that were being worn by the hippy culture to be somewhat different.
Like the fashions from the past have influenced today’s clothing styles we also see that the music from the 60s has edged on those tunes of the new millennium. We can find that the spirit discovered in the 60s music is still present in today’s hit chart lists. Today we see that there is not just one genre of music, but a complete host for the ear to choose from. The performers from yesterday are still active in our musical character, building upon the old and accepting the new at the same time. It is becoming a careful blend of both styles in the “now” music.
We find that from racial disparity, civil disturbances and the vastly different opinions from one coastline to the other is actually no different than the 60s. We had youths who were adamant about removing American troops from Vietnam while today’s youth wants us out of the Mideast. The young men and woman of the 60s at first appear more inclined to express their disapproval with violence than those of today, however, when we take into consideration the BLM thugs, the racial bigots both black and white, and the host of anti-police groups we encounter similar disfranchises. It would be totally impossible to provide a valid characterization of the 60s and the modern day without expending a considerable amount of type. Although there were some changes over the years, I feel that they were essentially similar. It was a different face in a different time with the same goals.
