One expression of the general discontent was the student movement and the hippie revolution. Theodore Roszak’s The Making of a Counter Culture is perhaps the most lucid account of those turbulent times, but there were many others. There were other issues besides to keep the fires burning – the Free Speech Movement and Flower Power, the Columbia and Watts riots, the Wounded Knee incident and civil rights, lest we forget; but without Vietnam they would have all come to naught. The defining moment of the Vietnam issue was Kent State, where innocent students and bystanders were shot dead by the National Guard. Ever since, the Left has been on the rise and its exponents plentiful.
We see Jane Fonda (Hanoi Jane, to some) and Tom Hayden, SDS, Mario Savio, and Joan Baez, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn (and Paul Goodman on the more responsible side), the rise of alternative press (The Village Voice, in particular) and magazines like The New Republic or Ramparts. Even politicians are not immune to the signs of the times. Robert F. Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern all run on the anti-Vietnam platform and become the darlings of the Left. Even Mohammad Ali, a sports figure, becomes an instant icon. And there’s always rock ‘n’ roll. It's no longer a party. It's a movement.
What was it about Vietnam which so energized not only the young, but the rest of the country? Imagine Lyndon B. Johnson, the main force behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964, electing not to run because of the pressure; or Richard Nixon squeaking by Hubert Humphrey (the Establishment’s answer to the more radical McCarthy and McGovern) and negotiating for a truce with Vietnam. Gerald Ford was just an episode, a throwback to the Nixon era; so was Reagan, the voice of reaction. Carter and Clinton were the true representatives (again, the Bushes excluded). Now there is Obama, and the Left marches on. But it all goes back to Vietnam. Unless you understand Vietnam, you have no clue as to what the Left is about or its impact on present-day politics.
The same with the Right. Its origins are obscure by comparison; less pedigreed, relegated to the voice of reaction. There was a power vacuum, and it had to be filled. Thus, we saw the emergence of such terms as the Silent Majority (1969), then the Moral Majority (1978), and eventually the Christian Coalition or the Christian Right (1980). But from the get-go, it was a party of default, always on the defensive, always reactionary, to offset the growing power and influence of the Left. Throughout its many evolutions, throughout its many accretions, Vietnam remained the dividing issue, if not de facto, then as a symbol.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Cindy D
Roger,
Wow! I read it. It was pretty amazing. Now I'll have to think a lot.
Exciting ideas.
2 - Roger Nowosielski
Thank you, Cindy. It blew my mind to once I got into it. Never gave it much thought before. Things are way clearer now. Baronius and Dan Miller steered me in that direction, and I'm thankful.
Roger
3 - Dan(Miller)
Roger,
Good article! I don't agree with everything you say, but then I don't necessarily agree with everything I say.
I will withhold further comment until after Part II appears.
Dan(Miller)
4 - Roger Nowosielski
I am glad, Dan. In a sense, I was conflicted about breaking it up into two parts, but the alternative was equally unattractive. As it is, I don't want to reveal all my cards, although I fail to see how some of you astute individuals will fail to see where I'm going with this.
Roger
5 - Cindy D
Roger,
Did you come here as a child or adult?
6 - Cindy D
(i'm trying to figure out why flower power is distinguished from hippie)
7 - Cindy D
And I know I might sound picky. But,it's not. I can't really understand something if I don't attend to every word as carefully as I can.
8 - Roger Nowosielski
No distinction, Cindy, just alliteration.
Re: your other question, I had a delayed adolescence. But I ain't disclosing my age. Let's just say I was coming of age; and it was the best of times.
Roger
9 - Cindy D
lol
well i know we have the same birth day within days.
mine is Nov. 15
10 - Cindy D
age shmage. my husband is 67
11 - Roger Nowosielski
Well, so you're a Scorpio?
Let's just say I was in a PhD program in 1971 (NYU and the New School) and had a privilege to be exposed to the best minds of the latter 20th century - philosophy, sociology, mathematics, you name it.
12 - Roger Nowosielski
"People in power have been noticing your accomplishments for a while -- they approve."
That's the horoscope, by the way, if you believe in any such thing.
13 - Cindy D
wow new school cool.
you an astrologer?
SDS is active again, i'm sure you know, right?
14 - Cindy D
you should have attached the soundtrack to ohio to your article. (sorry, only i do things like that)
i had to go dig it up.
15 - Roger Nowosielski
New School was great, especially for its interdisciplinary seminars: Chomsky on linguistics and politics (he was young and handsome then), Leontieff, a Noble Prize Winner in economics, things like that. And so was NYU - it was a seat of learning then and great fun.
No I'm not an astrologer, just thought I might throw that in from Yahoo homepage.
Why O-hai-O? Are you there?
16 - Cindy D
NO WAY!!!! you took classes with Chomsky?
17 - Cindy D
He's still handsome now.
18 - Cindy D
lol :-)
19 - Cindy D
you know about looks...
they depend on the person. that's what i've found.
whoever i have ever loved was always the most beautiful.
sort of like a person is something then that makes them look wonderful.
20 - Roger Nowosielski
His hair was jet black, like a shoe polish; and he'd comb it back, like Tyrone Power!
No, just sat on a couple of seminars.
21 - Cindy D
haha nah, not an astrologer. i was a card carrying skeptic. now i am a skeptic without a card. michael shermer was very disappointing when he decided capitalism is some sort of expression of evolution.
and he only though he used to believe in the supernatural
22 - Cindy D
he teaches some classes for Zcom u know. there is this seminar thing. maybe i'll do it one day
chit..know what happene to me today? an amazing thing
23 - Roger Nowosielski
Re #19,
But I grew up with an image of movie starts when there were still heroes: Gable, Power, Robert Taylor, not to mention the leading ladies. Even Bogart had charisma.
Who is Michal Shermer? NG, by the way, was a Wicca. She dropped a curse at my feet. Read all about it in my novel. But I shouldn't be telling you what's ahead. In due time.
24 - Cindy D
I just bought a book. literally on wednesday. it's called wobblies & zapatistas
it is a dialogue, between a marxist and an anarchist. andrej grubacic is one of the authors (the anarchist). so i get in my e-mail from zmag/zcom/znet the next day--they have a interview with andrej grubacic about the book. okay that's cool.
i go to the site and i see, he has a page on the site. so i befriended him and he accepted. now i can ask him direct questions. how cool is that?
25 - Cindy D
NO! a wicca? how do you imagine i am like a person that could be a wicca? lol that is hilarious