How did the '60's kids end up so messed up?

2/13/09 | sldghmr300

[sldghmr300]

Why did the 60's Generation get it so wrong in so many areas of life?

[sldghmr300]

Growing up in the 50's brought a definitely skewed vision of life for the kids who's futures were molded at the hands of their parents generation (the Greatest Generation) and the world events that shaped the actions/reactions of the institutions touching each and every child. The move from a local/state/US-centric view of life to a new world view and the growth of an entire generation of young people dominated by a generation of very conservative parents and grandparents (who grew up during the depression) created a generation of rebels, as most children reject the teaching of their parents, that went too far in that rebellion. How did it happen? Since I am not a child psychiatrist/psychologist, I can't offer guarantees of accuracy, but see if you don't ask the same questions I did when I reviewed these observations. When we were kids, during the school day, once a month or more, we had nuclear drills. Where I went, we had to, on command from a loud siren, stop, drop, get under our wood and metal desks, on our knees in a weird type of fetal position and cover the back of our heads with our hands so the radiation from the atom bomb would not burn through our hands and damage our brains. The Russians put nukes 90 miles from our shores, satellites above us and missiles in submarines. Well, I wonder where those children's phobias found an outlet. Perhaps the peace movement/nuclear freeze movement... We had bomb shelters around town and had to know where it was, how to get there, and what was there to eat and drink and how many beds. If our parents weren't in the military, most of our neighbors were or had been. The other neighbors were the older, childless couples who lived through the depression. Both groups were VERY strict on the one hand and like every parent, wanted their children to have more than they did. Our parents gave us latitude, but demanded strict adherence to rules. We could leave the house in the summer time, no watch, no phones, no cell phones, no parents, play all day without our parents able to see or hear us and make it home by 6 for dinner. Everyone of those neighbors watched out for us and when we stepped out of line, we caught hell (corporal punishment) from the neighbors and no one thought twice about it. What mental trauma over the years was wrought from the discipline of the parents and the neighbors? Perhaps, a generation of nor rules, liberal philosophy and personal self interest? I'd say that generation developed neurosis and fear that fed a lifetime of undiscipline, selfishness and a severe lack of responsiblity.

[lesko]

An old-timer here at work is convinced that the Beatles ‘started all this sh**’.

[darkangel82]

Paragraphs are your friend. The 60s caused damage that has never been fully repaired.

[IGOTMINE]

Dr. Spock played his role.

[txnativegop]

They never really had to work or watch their parents have to work hard just to make ends meet like their parents did.

[Troll_House_Cookies]

*sigh* sad to say the boomers were handed the world on a silver platter and when we look around today we see the smoldering remnants of what the greatest generation and their parents (the depression era folks) worked so hard to build.

[WVKayaker]

All you need is love...

[LottieDah]

I find it had to believe myself that the “Greatest Generation” spawned some of the biggest, whiniest, loser, cowards on the face of the earth. Was it the Beatles? Who know? They were even corrupted by Bob Dylan.

[1010RD]

The damage of the sixties was started long before the sixties. It just came to a head because the damagers had taken over the schools and the media the decade before.

[durasell]

The much heralded “greatest generation” wasn’t so good at raising kids?

[WayneS]

That’s as good a theory as any.

I, personally, have decided to blame Elvis.

[WayneS]

We may have a WINNER!!!!

[Doctor Raoul]

The 60s kids smoked all the paragraph marks? None left?

[anniegetyourgun]

Discernment is called for - now more than ever. Read the signs.

[WayneS]

That is an interesting observation.

[Darkwolf377]

They became convinced they could remain children forever.

As they got older, they refused to admit that is just a dream ALL children have, and that ALL children in the past have arrived at the doorway to maturity, and going through that doorway is as important to one’s emotional maturity as emerging from the womb is for the whole person.

They held on to their childish things—the things they read, and watched and listened to were not given up for deeper things, tougher things. When challenges appeared, they saw them as obstacles to be avoided...and so they did avoid them, and did not gain the insight and knowledge that leads to wisdom.

Instead they thought “We can just keep refusing to grow up, and the world will have to just deal with that.”

They were wrong.

[JPJones]

In the '60's At US universities, "The Classics" from ancient Greece, Rome etc. were replaced with Nietze, Freud, and Leary.

Oh yeah... there were alot of drugs used by them too.

[WayneS]

Hey, man, wanna buy a 1/4 “O” of Carriage Returns? Cheap?

[duckman]

Robert Kline’s, 70’s recording ‘Child of the 50’s’ album is pretty good at describing life during that decade. I remember the air raid drills and hiding under the desk until the all clear signal was given. What a blast./p>

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Everything was too easy.