Philosophy
With the passing of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, it seems a good time to ask about the living legacy of the 60s. What appealed so much to many of us who were not there was not only the peace and love that were supposed to serve as guiding principles, but the sense at that time that the culture was starting with a clean slate. The term revolution conjures too many images of violent overthrow, and while in some sense the term is appropriate, in many ways it was just a point in time where social structures and ways of being could be formed anew. Because of the size of the baby boom, because of the advances in technology, because of the way it had been rebuilt since the Depression and WWII, the culture seemed plastic in a way that it usually is not. It seemed reasonable to believe the world could, in fact, be changed by popular will and the movements of the time attempted to do just that.
How much did they succeed? How much and in what ways has the culture changed because of those years? As a guy with a ponytail who gets not a second glance, there surely are some things that are now a normal part of American life and thereby invisible to us that had been radical and absent from American social life. What?
- Summer Solstice And The Cultural Meaning Of "pagan"
Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and a holiday for Pagans. The term "pagan" has both a denotation -- it refers to pre-Christian religions which tended to be polytheistic and to contemporary religious views that are more...
- Lucy's Cultural Legacy
This weekend was Lucille Ball's centenary. There was a big celebration up in Jamestown, New York, Lucy's hometown. Included a series of performances by prominent female stand-up comics, including Joan Rivers and Paula Poundstone. Lucy was a ground-breaker...
- Viagra As The Ultimate Baby Boomer Irony
When the baby boomers arrived, their sheer size allowed them to dominate the nation's demographic. In overthrowing the World War II generation's hold on popular culture, they idealized youth. "Hope I die before I get old," was more than a random...
- Sex And The Left
Been thinking about sex lately. There were a load of "Summer of Love" retrospectives over the last few months because of the 40th anniversary and lots of talk about hippie lifestyles. What struck me as interesting was the number of ways that the counter-culture...
- Modern Day Peter Pans: Social Retardation Or Ironic Undermining Of Social Constraints?
Crystal, a former student, sent me this article from the Washington Post on the recent trend towards recreating childhood activities and treats for adults. From adult kickball leagues to gourmet cupcakes to companies that arrange recess for corporate...
Philosophy
Back to the Garden
With the passing of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, it seems a good time to ask about the living legacy of the 60s. What appealed so much to many of us who were not there was not only the peace and love that were supposed to serve as guiding principles, but the sense at that time that the culture was starting with a clean slate. The term revolution conjures too many images of violent overthrow, and while in some sense the term is appropriate, in many ways it was just a point in time where social structures and ways of being could be formed anew. Because of the size of the baby boom, because of the advances in technology, because of the way it had been rebuilt since the Depression and WWII, the culture seemed plastic in a way that it usually is not. It seemed reasonable to believe the world could, in fact, be changed by popular will and the movements of the time attempted to do just that.
How much did they succeed? How much and in what ways has the culture changed because of those years? As a guy with a ponytail who gets not a second glance, there surely are some things that are now a normal part of American life and thereby invisible to us that had been radical and absent from American social life. What?
- Summer Solstice And The Cultural Meaning Of "pagan"
Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and a holiday for Pagans. The term "pagan" has both a denotation -- it refers to pre-Christian religions which tended to be polytheistic and to contemporary religious views that are more...
- Lucy's Cultural Legacy
This weekend was Lucille Ball's centenary. There was a big celebration up in Jamestown, New York, Lucy's hometown. Included a series of performances by prominent female stand-up comics, including Joan Rivers and Paula Poundstone. Lucy was a ground-breaker...
- Viagra As The Ultimate Baby Boomer Irony
When the baby boomers arrived, their sheer size allowed them to dominate the nation's demographic. In overthrowing the World War II generation's hold on popular culture, they idealized youth. "Hope I die before I get old," was more than a random...
- Sex And The Left
Been thinking about sex lately. There were a load of "Summer of Love" retrospectives over the last few months because of the 40th anniversary and lots of talk about hippie lifestyles. What struck me as interesting was the number of ways that the counter-culture...
- Modern Day Peter Pans: Social Retardation Or Ironic Undermining Of Social Constraints?
Crystal, a former student, sent me this article from the Washington Post on the recent trend towards recreating childhood activities and treats for adults. From adult kickball leagues to gourmet cupcakes to companies that arrange recess for corporate...