My own historic pespective

[susandennis]

fj, this morning on Google+, asked "I want to hear from some historians specialising in the USA whether it has ever gone through a phase of feeling so "We're fucked!" before." He got me thinking...

From my perspective the late 60's/early 70's were a major We're Fucked time.

I was mostly in my 20's and in my world, we just finished sending my male friends, against their will, to Viet Nam to be killed in a stupid stupid stupid war that was not even called a war. It was a world where our own National Guard shoots students.

Our president, future president, our hope to lead us to civil rights for all - shot dead by whackos - it could happen anytime anywhere to anyone.

The year I graduated from college - 1971 - was generally thought to be the worst year ever in history for college graduates to try and find jobs.

And we had plenty of time to conjure on this as we waited in lines to buy gas for our cars. Oh and that gas price was escalating at a frightening pace. Heard throughout the land - gas prices are going to kill our economy and, if gas gets up to $1 a gallon, I'm going to park my car and stay home.

Our and our president is a crook. So we force him out.

We felt not only fucked but fucked with no hope.

It's interesting to think back and remember the feeling and realize how very wrong we were.

Comments

[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

I was thinking similar thoughts the other day. I remember how fucked up things were in 1968, and in the early 70s when there were oil embargoes, the big inflation thing, an d all that other stuff. it does give one a sense that everything, both good and bad, is temporary.

All the news fit to depress you

[jblindsight.livejournal.com]

I recently read a book called the Devil and the White City. It's about a mass murderer and the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. (It's a strange combination, but the author makes it work. The book is a good read.) I was surprised to learn that the Fair was held during a serious Depression. The only Depression one ever hears about is the Great Depression of 1930's. I should very much like to take a class on economic history from the 1800's on, if there is such a thing. Most people have never heard of Wobblies.

I also read a book about early Christian saints, many lived as hermits. They too, were convinced the world was ending.

If you want to read more informative and less dramatic news, I highly recommend the Christian Science Monitor. They do a wonderful job with in depth coverage of both national and international news. Between that and the Atlantic, I survive.

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

Ah, you and I are from the same time period. I think that the big difference was that the government had not spent every last dime from every last funding source (including the social security trust fund) on war making programs. So, while we were broke as citizens and couldn't be too sure what the next day would bring, the government wasn't. It was just hording the cash. This was back when the 48% federal income tax rate applied to most of the working class. Since then we put in a string of republicans who felt that it was noble to cut taxation to the quick whilst concurrently increasing spending to historic levels. Some how spending without income was better than generating income to cover what we spend, aka tax and spend. Our generation group found all of this insulting to our intelligence and after spending most of our life being poked, prodded and experimented with decided to withdrawal from society, thus the blossoming of the drug scene, communes, the hippie culture, etc. We would do most anything to escape the reality over which we had no control. The now generations are far too quick to point out the failures of the baby boom generation, but neglect to recognize that although we remained in the background, we cleaned up a lot of crap that was handed down to us, have only put two presidents in office and one of those put the country on the best financial footing it has ever been on, took care of our elders and did what we could to ensure that the generation that followed would have what they needed to survive. Unfortunately the me generation has wasted it all and wants to put us on the top of the mountain to die. (I'll step off of stump now.)