He neve mentions 1969, but if you were an adult in 1977 you would know that the Vietnam War had just recently ended, and defeatism was the order of the day.
I mentioned 1969, because it seemed to fit the "screaming hippie" description much more than 1977 does. I wasn't an adult in 1977, but I wasn't a toddler, either ... I remember the Bicentennial much more than the end of the Vietnam War (most of our people were out earlier in the 70's, anyway), and I don't particularly recall "defeatism."