Youth Culture in the 60's
During the decade of the 1960's, the United States began to fully celebrate youth culture in a way that had only begun to brew in the 1950's. Youth culture began to rise and was thrust into mainstream America because what was occurring was a widespread rebellion against the mass society occurring in young, college students. It was a rebellion against the 1960's politics of the United States, the Vietnam War, and the culture of the older generation in general. However, this rebellion occurred exclusively among American youth that came from white, middle to upper class, and affluent families and were given the privilege of attending college. While the sense of alienation and estrangement was certainly present in the entire generation, rebellion was only able to occur among youth that were so spoiled with affluence that they had the ability to rebel without any inhibitions. The 1960's were a time of an approaching revolution for the United States, and it can be credited, in a large part to, American youth. The youth rebellion of the sixties was lead by college students that felt alienated, estranged, and distant from their parents, the American dream, and the older generation. These students rebelled against mainstream cul
While the sense of alienation and estrangement was certainly present in the entire generation, rebellion was only able to occur among youth that were so spoiled with affluence that they had the ability to rebel without any inhibitions. Though the University of Berkeley shown in Berkeley in the 60's is completely different from the Berkeley featured in The Graduate in a sense that it is a quieter university that shows no protesting students whatsoever, the notion that an affluent upbringing is completely essential in order to resist that affluence is illustrated in the film. The students that were dissatisfied by the American dream in which their parents had in store for them were completely middle to upper class whites that came from affluent backgrounds. Their version of the American dream deviated from living in American abundance; it revolved around being concerned about how they will be remembered as American war heroes. This lead to a resentment of their privileged, sheltered upbringings. The entire trip home, it is obvious that Benjamin is dreading returning home to his parents and to a lifestyle in which is feels totally alienated from and ultimately resents. Aside from Benjamin, the occupants of the party are his parent's friends. Until I felt that I was just a dancer too. However, the significance of the sixties youth culture is not solely in the rebellion itself, but in the fact that it was exclusively college students whom were doing the rebelling. Robinson, however she becomes a sole representative for the ideals of the older generation and he realizes just how disassociated he really is. This is certainly illustrated in the documentary film, Berkeley in the 60's . This is certainly evident in Michael Herr's Dispatches, in which the soldiers fighting in the war are completely estranged from the war. However, the ugly realities of the Vietnam War shattered this version of the American dream and ultimately left these young men estranged and alienated from the mainstream culture. Years of thinking this or that about what happens to you when you pursue a fantasy until it becomes experience, and then afterward you can't handle the experience. They were so spoiled by this privileged upbringing that they had no idea what it felt like to be oppressed, and therefore were completely able to rebel and held no inhibitions to start a revolution to change their political consciousness.
Common topics in this essay:
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