Permanent Impact Of The Counter-Culture On Today's American Society

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"What is not illusionary is the reality of a new culture of opposition. It grows out of the disintegration of the old forms, vinyl and aerosol institutions that carry all the inane and destructive values of privatism; competition, commercialism, profitability and elitism…It's not a "youth thing" by now but a generational event; chronological age is the only current phase". The previous quote was written by Andrew Kopkind in Rolling Stone on the Woodstock festival observing that a new culture was immersing from the roots of the adult American life (1960's 198). Words such as "counter-culture", "establishment", "non-violence", "free-love" and "Woodstock" were not even in the American vocabulary until the war against North Vietnam started in 1965 (Bexte). The counter-culture was a social movement between the late 1960's and early 1970's including generally young people who were opposed to the mainstream values of traditional American culture and life. The people who participated or started this whole movement were called "hippies" who were mainly white, middle-class families' children under 25 years old (1960's 193). Hippies gathered mostly in the Haight Ashbury district in San Francisco (Our Century 5). They were mostly college students or graduates and usually, hippies were the ones who opposed the old American values, culture, politics, the Vietnam War, racism and were concerned about civil and student rights. They wanted to change the things that they did not agree with and also create a new generation, expressing their individuality. Moreover, by moving away from the society, they felt free about using drugs, creating new trends and music (1960's 195). It was not just about hippies, drugs, new trends and rock music, but it was t...

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...ter-culture emerged by a generation of young people called "hippies". They shocked the American Society and created the big movement themselves. They revolutionized the society with changes in family structure, strict and established values, music, politics, anti-war movements and created drug and alcohol abuse for the next generations. Those all had a long-term impact on the American society. People were stunned with those young people's concerns, protests, screaming voice to get noticed about war and civil rights. The negative and the positive affects of counter-culture can be seen today across the nation. Counter-culture formed a generation who made a huge difference in people's lives in the sixties and still does today. The hippies grew and are now the parents and the leads of the American Society. As long as they are carrying these values, the impact will remain.

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