Absences in VL

[BekkerA at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/6/98 6:48:08 PM, lupine at ncia.net wrote:

>Questions for those just a little bit older than I;    

*Ah yes, probably a little bit older than thee.  
 
>what would the 60's and early 70's have been like if the US had not gotten
>involved in Vietnam?  

*Like today. Many issues, many divergent views. Much emphasis on material
progress.  (imo, the music would have been similar to what it was. Music had a
life of it's own.)  :)  

>How much was the Movement about the war or was it
>simply triggered by the war?  

*"The Movement" was triggered by the war.  "A" movement would have been
triggered by the very existence of the boomer generation.  This would be a
social movement more than a political one. 

>And if the latter, would the Movement have come together without the war? 

*"The Movement?"  no.   "A" Movement?   Maybe, but much smaller, somewhat
fragmented,  leftist, environmentally aware, civil rights oriented, university
educated. Not powerful.  Similar to Great Britain?

"The Movement" fused the disparate movements already fomenting (civil rights,
woman's issues, environmental concerns) and added a "silent majority" (rah), a
large, previously non-vocal group.  When "The War" ended "The Movement" fell
apart into it's separate factions.  The fusion happened over a period of time.
What started on the university campuses ('63) culminated after about 8 years
('71) in the sewing circles and corporate board rooms.  

My own experience is one of a small town where more men were lost per capita
than any town it's size in the US.  Major newspapers wrote articles about the
way this town was torn apart.  Many a youth/parent relationship was torn  by
the trauma of impending "orders."  On the one hand it was a sad and scary
time. On the other hand the music, the artwork (Yellow Submarine) the freedom,
gave it a life which was lovingly referred to as "The Movement."

TRP de-romantacizes the times. But it's hard for many of us to do likewise,
because in order to escape the dark side, we lived in the romance *at the
time.* 

Members of "The Movement" ranged in thought from openly advocating the violent
overthrow of the US government. (Death to the fascist pig...) to  working
within the system toward a systematic withdrawal of troops.  There was no
other unifying force.

opinions from an aging boomer:  
bek