Woodstock! Forty Years ago; August 17, 1969…

[amicus]

It is no accident that the hippies at Woodstock called their philosophy the "counter-culture." It was a culture defined in terms of what it was against. The hippies were against property rights and capitalism--so they trampled neighboring farmers' fields, destroyed property, and stormed through the festival's ticket booths without paying. The hippies were against any "inhibitions"--or standards--concerning sex and nudity; many acted on these views, taking off their clothes and engaging in orgies of indiscriminate sex. They were against moral responsibility--their crude motto was: "if it feels good, do it." They were against civilization and favored a primitive, tribal lifestyle--and they proceeded to look and act like savages, smearing their bodies with mud and immersing themselves in a mindless, wriggling mass of 500,000 people.

Above all, the hippies were against reason. They arrived at Woodstock with no thought of how they would feed, clothe, or shelter themselves for the next three days. The organizers of the concert had failed to provide adequate food, water, or latrines, and when it rained, the entire venue was turned into a wallow of mud and excrement. With complete oblivion to consequences, many hippies took unidentified drugs passed out by strangers, leading to "bad trips" and overdoses. These are not examples of mere youthful foolishness; the hippies deliberately sought to blank out the future and evade the long-term consequences of their actions. "Now is all there is," they chanted.

http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5411&news_iv_ctrl=1021

Nothing much has changed over those forty intervening years, now has it?

Of course, the “Hysterical” History Channel, offers a different perspective, oh, Duh…

Yeah, I know, but diversified opinions are welcome here, right?

Amicus

 

[jomar]

Well, if your not a liberal in your twenties you have no heart, and...hmm, the rest escapes me.

It is always interesting to see opinions and spin.

If I remember correctly, without googling, they tried to have another Woodstock around 2000 or so and it was a disaster. It was a huge commercial venture and the attendees ended up rioting and trashing the place. Price gouging may have been an issue.

 

[Austin8]

Well, if your not a liberal in your twenties you have no heart, and...hmm, forgot the rest.

It is always interesting to see opinions and spin.

If I remember correctly, without googling, they tried to have another Woodstock around 2000 or so and it was a disaster. It was a huge commercial venture and the attendees ended up rioting and trashing the place. Price gouging may have been an issue.

I remember that Jo, I think your right, by the way

 

[amicus]

If you're not a liberal in your twenties you haven't got a heart; if you're not a conservative in your forties you haven't got a brain."

~~~

I found the quote but not the source or the original....

That is somewhat why I refer to modern left wing liberals as 'juvenile', the young believe everything is possible and that they will live forever. Age and experience and perhaps a little more focused thought in terms of what is real and what is fantasy.

Amicus

 

[TE999]

Now those 'hippies' of yesteryear (the ones that lived) are in their late 50's-early 60's and want National Health Care...until they're eligible for Medicare.

 

[amicus]

Seems like a lot of them camped out here... and then tried to put up a fence; imagine that!



Ami

 

[jomar]

~~~

I found the quote but not the source or the original....

That is somewhat why I refer to modern left wing liberals as 'juvenile', the young believe everything is possible and that they will live forever. Age and experience and perhaps a little more focused thought in terms of what is real and what is fantasy.

Amicus

Young brains are different, it's true. Invincible youth.

On the other hand, I find myself watching other driver's more carefully these days and hope I don't end up as that old guy who overreacts to other's minor lane fluctuations.

The quote is often attributed to Churchill. The rest of it is, of course, "...if one isn't a conservative by thirty they have no brain." Though by one account I read Churchill arrived in politics as a conservative young man and over the course of time became a
liberal.

ETA: Missed your quote on the full quote.

 

[Handley_Page]

From the perspective of someone who was over here and would like to have been over there, I have to question that Ayn Rand nonsense. What did he (she ?) want; an orderly queue of compliant enthusiasts ?
Balderdash!
If I recall the event (as reported and filmed), there were few deaths and a few births. The police had little to do, by & large - given that there were half a million people there.

It was a shared experience; almost messianic in its impact.
Then the music died, strung up by the ropes of commercialism and greed.

And then of course was the Isle of Wight concert, but that was already too late.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The whole 60s THING was antithetical, like Halloween.

I lived through it.

Real people are content with one day of Halloween, but the Ususal Suspects and Bedwetters tried their best to make Halloween the axle life revolves on. But it wont work, and thats the germ of their angst and unhappiness.

 

[Liar]

Then the music died, strung up by the ropes of commercialism and greed.

As if it wasn't, by and large, since at least Elvis.

 

[amicus]

From the perspective of someone who was over here and would like to have been over there, I have to question that Ayn Rand nonsense. What did he (she ?) want; an orderly queue of compliant enthusiasts ?
Balderdash!
If I recall the event (as reported and filmed), there were few deaths and a few births. The police had little to do, by & large - given that there were half a million people there.

It was a shared experience; almost messianic in its impact.
Then the music died, strung up by the ropes of commercialism and greed.

And then of course was the Isle of Wight concert, but that was already too late.[/QUOTE]

~~~

In light of your recent generous act on my behalf, I am loathe to critique, but you express the lament of a generation and berate someone I have long admired.

"The Day the Music Died", seems to me someone already satirized American Pie, (apple pie and hot dogs), trying to preserve that false sense of purpose that drugged, shared event inspired.

There are many of that generation that grew up, put aside the drugs and promiscuity and anti-cultural attitude, and went on to contribute to the wider society that is America.

And of course, some that did not, the continual whiners and Bohemians that infect the world of art and music with their trivial pursuits.

There is another Thread, heralding that many of the 'boy bands' were Gay; that should be tempered by the number of Name bands who's lead members died of drug overdose or spent a lifetime in rehabilitation.

All in all, the Woodstock generation, was a 'lost' generation, producing nothing and leaving no evidence of their existence, not even a genetic trail.

Amicus

 

[Handley_Page]

Ave, Amicus.

I have to confess a degree of ignorance about Ayn Rand, et al. I tried to read your quotes and even various bits on the Web, but I found it very difficult to read. Whether this is my own ignorance (likely), my education level (possible) or his/her readership (mightily expert), I don't know. I was left with the feeling that I disagreed with what I could read and could not think why.

As to Woodstock, perhaps we in the UK were treated to a slightly different concentration, or a lower alcohol level. Of course, there was a drug culture of some sort, but it was more found in the newspapers than in the hospitals of the time.

I got the impression that it was as much a clash or ideals (cultures?) as anything else. On the one hand you had the "Free everything and get back to nature" crowd whilst on the other it was the "don't be bloody daft, just enjoy the music" mob. Meantime, the Government just sat there smiling and keeping the Police at readiness; just in case. (Note: Our government at the time had some serious worries of it's own; like being broke.)

I salute you

 

[oggbashan]

Woodstock was in the wrong country and too late for me.

I had already been attending open air rock concerts in the UK for several years. I had my favourite tent which was ex-US army. It could be used for two raincapes. I had an Australian slouch hat for my head, size 13 ex-army boots for my feet, an ex-commando rucksack full of alcohol and other useful items.

I went to one event in the pouring rain. Two young ladies shared my rain cape, dancing to the music. One of their well-endowed friends broke her bra's back fastening by rocking too hard. I used my sewing kit to mend her bra while she was still trying to wear it. I had difficulty because she wouldn't stop jigging to the music until my sewing needle accidently pricked her.

I enjoyed her exuberant thanks.

Og