Opening chapters: the culture of violence in Vineland

[Michael Bailey]

>  And these are just small pervasive symbols around the plot attempt to build
>  violence centers by the spawn of 60s hippies which holds center stage.
>  Hippies spawned a violent strain or was it just another turn on the (cosmic)
>  Wheel of fortune for America?
>
>   "Anyone, anyone, Bueller, anyone?"
>

robin did a nice job during the AtD reading of bringing in some of
little known forebears of the hippie movement (Nature Boys, etc)
This segues nicely into the surfer roots of Zoyd as well.
I don't think hippies spawned violence.  Insofar as there was a hippie
movement, it was non-violent...and non-political...but rather
spiritual and existential...
at least that's the way I think of it

oh wait, you mean Isaiah 2:4, the spawn of 60s hippies.  Never mind.

>  From D. H. Lawrence: Something like "America's soul is violent"...H. Rap Brown,
>  (Cf. Stokely's dog..."Violence is as American as apple pie".)...
>
>  But in Vineland, as opposed to Cof L49, his other California novel, violence pervades, I think.
>

but it's always a couple levels of simulacra away, isn't it?
except that one gut-punch BV delegates.
part of the drama for me is non-violent people dealing with the
prospect of violence?