Right now, with current events, it’s easy to draw parallels with past historical events. The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia has brought an unease to the Western world that we have not witnessed since World War II into the Cold War era. However, I am not writing this to talk about the Ukrainian war. I am writing this to point out counter culture. This may come as a disappointment to some that I won’t weight into what is happening or what the U.S. and her NATO allies should do. I think we hear enough of that from media..
I want to talk about the similarities between now and the 1950s. But wait, wouldn’t that mean discussing the Ukrainian war? Not necessarily. Think about this: the counterculture the Beatniks brought to America is like the groups standing up and speaking out. I used the word “unease” in the first paragraph. There is a lot of “unease” happening that spurred the Beatniks to discover themselves and discover America. A sort of cultural revolution that shook itself free of what society expected and embraced the discovery that lay before them.
Here we are 70-some-odd years later and America is facing the same issues: unease, rights violations, expectations, and youth unsure of what tomorrow brings. Welcome back, 1950s, America missed you. However, it wasn’t the threat of nuclear war or the horrors of genocide that spurred the counter culture we are experiencing today. A pandemic that the world hasn’t experienced since 1918 is to blame. Is this a generalisation? Probably. 2020 brought about societal changes that upended a lot of norms and highlighted the gaps in American society which were spurred on by “unease”.
Take a moment and reflect on the events of the past three years and look at how fear has played a role in it. Whether you are a liberal or conservative, some aspect of life became upended by the fear of what tomorrow may bring. Will you get sick? Will your party lose the election? Will they get convicted? Will they target me next? Will I lose my freedoms?
The fear of 1950s America is the fear of today. The youth (and adults) are responding in a similar fashion: unplugging and discovering America. They’re discovering themselves because they are tired of the fear and want to find something more. I am on board. Let’s unplug from the fear. Let’s take this trip together and find the beauty again in our humanity, for today is a new day. The world is going to do what the world does. People are going to do what people do. Let’s be the people that search for an understanding of this humanity, again, and be the change this world needs.
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