I love the counterculture movement of the 1960s. It is my favorite period in history. So many things were happening. And people were fighting for their right to determine how they live. They wanted to choose what to value. No longer just accepting the status quo.
The Beat Generation of the 1940s and 1950s is what lead up to the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Jack Kerouac defined the “Beat Generation” for Random House Dictionary as, “Members of the generation that came of age after World War II, who, supposedly as a result of disillusionment stemming from the Cold War, espouse mystical detachment and relaxation of social and sexual tensions.”
“…they broke all the rules–of writing, artistry, decorum, dress, talk, music, vices. The Beat Generation sought nothing less than a clean break from the past…staking out the moral and political high ground against world communism.”
No wonder I view these people as my people. I did not realize that the counterculture of the 1960s stemmed from the fight against communism. But I suppose this makes complete sense on why I identify with the Beat Generation and the counterculture of the 1960s. I always wondered who my Jack Kerouac or Alan Ginsberg were? Where is the counterculture of my generation? I was born in the early 1980s, but I identify more with people who came of age during the 1950s and 1960s. Who are the Ken Kesey and Andy Warhol of the 1990s? And where are they? What about the Hunter S Thompson’s and Neal Cassady’s?
Do you realize that all the counterculture figures I look up to are men? I love Martin Luther King Jr. and there is no way you cannot include him in the counterculture movement, even though he took a different avenue. I did not realize I the counterculture figures I look up to are men, until this book pointed out that women were not really included in the counterculture movement as leaders. But throughout history women have rarely been included. So maybe this explains why I didn’t even think about it. Because it is the constant and not the exception to the rule.
“Despite his aristocratic lineage and manners, Burroughs’s work reflected his often-sordid life as an addict and a homosexual… Burroughs was best known for his graphic, sometimes surrealistic depiction of heroin addiction(Junky, Naked Lunch), gay prostitution(The Wild Boys, Queer), criminality(The Soft Machine, Nova Express), and other outlaw activities. His writing was colored by his dystopian visions of a future world police state.”
Google defines Dystopian as, “Dystopian” describes a future or imaginary society characterized by widespread suffering, fear, and dehumanization, often under oppressive control such as a totalitarian government, environmental disaster, or technological tyranny. It is the opposite of “utopian” (perfect) and serves as a dark reflection of real-world trends, with dystopian fiction often criticizing current societal or political issues through exaggerated, pessimistic scenarios.”
Well, if the current world is not the opposite of utopian, I am not sure what it really is. But during the Beat Generation writing about these things was something that got people put in jail. Censorship was a real thing. Many books from the counterculture were published in Europe years before they were published here in the United States because of censorship and the fear of it. If it was not for this counterculture movement we would not have the free speech, we are supposed to have today.
Google definition of counterculture. “a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.”
If you are apart of this revolution, you are apart of the counterculture. If you want freedom to be human on a gene and cellular level, without others making this decision for you, you are counterculture. Because the prevailing social norms and status quos allow for others to determine how human you are on a gene and cellular level. I don’t know about you all, but I never want someone else to decide what is going to happen within my own body, let alone my own home. Because isn’t your body your home? We are supposed to have a vote in things. I believe that is what democracy is, right?
Google definition of Democracy, “a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.”
So, maybe we don’t really get a vote in democracy. Maybe we just get a vote in who gets to make the decisions. When you look at our government this way, it makes more sense. We get to vote on who decides how human we are on a gene and cellular level. But in a world where everyone has a price that seems pretty scary, right?
On this revolution I found my counterculture people who were born to change the world with me. I always thought they would be artists and writers. But it turns out they are farmers and world leaders in this covert war my family has been waging on the world for generations. I have found my people. And I hope you all are my counterculture people too. Because I would like you all to have a vote too. I am not sure what kind of government system that would be called. But I believe we should all get a vote. Too many things are decided for us. I hate it when other people get to determine how I live. I am sure you all do too. If feels shitty when people who don’t know you or value you get to make decisions about how you live your life. Or what is available to you. Ignorant people surround me everyday for lifetime. They create the Truman show I live in. And everyday in doing so they are making decisions for me that are not in my best interest. So believe me, I can’t wait till we all get a vote. Because I deserve a vote on my own life too.
I am proud to be a member of the counterculture. And I hope one day to just get to be a member of a world culture. A culture is just a group of people who come together with shared beliefs. We need to create a worldwide culture with some foundational beliefs. And the very first one needs to be that no other group gets to decide how others live. We all are equal and get to choose our own adventure. As long as we do not attack or hurt others in those endeavors. I guess we need to not only end communism, but we need to colonialism as well. People need to stop trying to conquer each other and work on themselves.