Activism and the Nineteen-Sixties - Essay Example

Activism and the Nineteen-Sixties Reflecting on the 1960’s, one’s thoughts are immediately diverted to the large-scale war protests, particularly those that occurred on university campuses. It was a time of a great awakening among the collected consciousness of the nation in terms of sex, drugs, rock and roll, art and, perhaps most importantly, the way society views the meaning of patriotism. The Vietnam War divided the nation along ideological battle lines. The older generation, the ‘establishment’, was of the WWII period and operated under a nationalistic perspective. They believed that to be a true patriot was to blindly follow the authority of the governmental powers that be, to support your ‘country’ even when you thought it was wrong. The young college protesters, the ‘new generation’, the counter-culture redefined this notion of patriotism. They believed that to be truly patriotic was to question the decisions of government and openly dissent when it was judged to be wrong. The philosophical chasm was wide and emotions ran deep on both sides. Those that protested sacrificed much. They suffered the scorn of their parents who couldn’t understand why their children were rebelling against the very foundation of their parents’ beliefs thus causing what was referred to as the ‘generation gap.’ Some war protesters were killed by soldiers of the National Guard as was the case at Kent State and South Carolina State. The protesters and draft-dodgers were thought of as anti-American by the mainstream citizenry who regarded their actions as nothing short of treasonous. This attitude makes one wonder what the ‘greatest generation’ thought they were fighting for during WWII. They fought to defend freedom on foreign soil but were very much opposed to the constitutionally guaranteed right to peacefully assemble in their own country. The war protesters of the 1960’s had the courage to act upon their political and philosophical convictions unlike those who are opposed to the Iraq War today. The two conflicts are eerily similar on many fronts yet the public reaction has been very dissimilar. Then as now, those opposed to the war are characterized as unpatriotic or as not supporting the troops, both of which, of course, are patently ridiculous concepts. The major difference is that the draft personalized the conflict for many more Americans. More families had a personal stake in the Vietnam War as opposed to the war in Iraq which only affects a small segment of the population. Today, the incentives to protest are less while the consequences are the same. Being scorned and spit at on campus is easier to confront than are bullets and bombs in a snake infested marshy jungle thousands of miles from home. Today’s parents are asking themselves what their parents asked a generation ago, where did we go wrong? Why don’t our children have the courage to stand up for their beliefs as we did? People are dying for an illegal, immoral war, again, but few are marching in the street. A supplemental theory as to why anti-government activism isn’t as widespread is that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 brought about a fresh wave of patriotism across the nation and a ‘with us or against us’ mentality which has been constantly reinforced by the Bush administration. Still, it can be argued that there is more reason to protest today than during the 1960’s. Today, anyone can be arbitrarily categorized as a supporter of terrorism simply by voicing opposition to the government’s activities and be detained for an indefinite period of time without benefit of legal representation. The eradication of habeas corpus, justifications for the use of torture tactics and illegal wiretapping are but a few of the erosion of freedoms that has occurred in this country during the past six years yet freedom-loving Americans sit on their hands and close their collective eyes to this abhorrent violation of the precepts of a free democracy laid down by the Founding Fathers. Now, more than ever, throngs of angry citizens should be marching in the streets demanding an end to the war and restoration of constitutionally guaranteed rights. To paraphrase a 60’s saying, though, ‘what if they gave a protest and nobody showed up.’ Today, we write about our frustrations on a blog but this just doesn’t have the same impact as marching with signs and bullhorns in defiance of decidedly unpatriotic actions by the powers that be. Essentially, the Bush administration and those few that still approve of its actions are hiding behind a cloak of patriotic rhetoric while decrying the most patriotic act that any citizen can perform and that is to question the government. America would be ‘Britain West’ today and not a sovereign country of its own had the Founders not questioned then rebelled against the government. Why don’t more people realize this fact? It was in all the history books. Freedom is not free, it takes constant vigilance to maintain, but where are the voices to ensure the freedoms that many died to protect are not lost in a wave of patriotic fervor, the irony of the situation is mind-boggling. I am opposed to the war and the recent losses of freedom but what have I done? Mostly just whined about it and increased my level of hatred toward those that would give away the freedoms unique to this great nation. Unfortunately, I, like many others who are disgusted with the present circumstances, are apathetic because we are not personally affected. This is untrue because the loss of freedom and loss of worldwide respect affects us all. Still, I, like so many others, shamefully are not infected with the activist spirit of those in the 60’s who deserve to be classified as at least a great generation and praised for their demonstration of real patriotism. Read More