In the late fifties and early sixties the advent of rock and roll was new, my grandmother was an old "fuddy duddy" which meant she was out of touch with the times. For some odd reason she could see the descent she attributed to the "new" music.
Woodstock was a tribute to the degradation of society and an uncontrolled youth that could not and did not want to see the fruits of their actions.
I did not support the drug culture that was prevalent at that time, I also did not condemn those who used or smoked the prevailing drugs. That culture was what fueled the music in that upstate New York town, it also was a breakdown in moral and ethical standards.
It was an important part of the "Hippie" movement. The theme of the day was defy the establishment. Sex,drugs and rock and roll!
Unfortunately there was a war in progress and many young people were drafted or volunteered to avoid the draft. Many of these young men, who were participating or were wanting to participate in the drug culture woke up in a war zone some, scared and traumatized, escaped with the use of marijuana, others opted to drink away their pain and sorrow, some stoically just proceeded on.
In short their education was in the school of hard knocks, some excelled driven by the past others just collapsed into the drug world or just dropped out of society. The balance took the traditional route of working for a business or getting caught up in the rat race and working for corporate America.
Those who served were not welcomed back, despite what Jane Fonda says, yes they were called baby killers and had various projectiles aimed at them, many were denied the future they fought for or at the very least what they thought they were fighting for.
In later years many of those who participated in the war or wished they had been at Woodstock became the establishment with two differing mindsets. Most of those who served became quite conservative, those who followed the music scene and/or managed to stay in institutions of higher learning became liberal leaning for the most part.
Now the children of those men are picking up the reins of government, only now the lines are blurred by ignorance and misinformation and there is no clear direction for them to follow.
Why is this so? One of the most profound studies I read in psychology simply put says, all thoughts are processed in short term memory at which point we can sort out fact from fantasy and then goes to long term memory and there is no difference between fact and fantasy until we bring it back into short term memory. So fantasy has no effect on our decision making, I think not.
If I don't get caught then I'm not guilty, we need to pay the financial geniuses that caused the largest financial mess since the great depression, bonuses, so we can retain them. These are not reality thinkers, these are people who cannot separate fact from fantasy and they are in charge.
Can anyone see why grandma was right? All you have to do is read Orwell's 1984 and you will not sleep the sleep of the innocent any longer. The progression was right there in the music and we were too busy listening to the beat and not the words.
Play your video games, immerse yourself in social media, follow that hip-hop-rap environment let your brain follow the beat and watch your future change in who knows what direction. Almost 25% of the music purchased today is rap/hip-hop with a message that makes rock and roll look like church choir music. We are truly on the eve of destruction if we do not change our ways. History repeats itself on on a downward spiral.
There are several points of discussion all leading to the societal breakdown we are experiencing, all deserve more discussion, however most people cannot retain a thought longer than a sound bite, therefore,
Grandma was right!
