60s/70s Student Activists/Hippies Vs 2010's Millennials

[Luther Blissett]

As the world's oldest millennial I have some feelings about this. Read "Days of Rage" about the SLA, Weather Underground, Panthers, etc. - basically left-wing terrorists in the early 70s. It covers what led to this and why: essentially it was all a protest against police brutality and terrorism aimed at black Americans throughout, well, all of history. I really had no idea how prevalent bombings were — all these anecdotes about legitimate bomb threats, bank bombings, multiple bombings on some days, people going right back to work after bombings — which seems just insane. While some of the people involved come across as "brave" insurrectionists against pig anerikkka, most seem quite unwell mentally, and not very smart to be honest. They certainly suffered from lack of democratic communication means, a dearth of information, and less worldliness than leftist activists working today.

By contrast, most of the people with whom I organize are younger than me (college leftist chapters and mostly twentysomethings), but they mostly eschew the whole iphone thing (most could not afford a smartphone, which certainly provides them with a degree of nimbleness). Not only are they all intimidatingly smart, but I would say they have a more accurate view of the future afforded by accurate knowledge of history and a healthy imagination.

I could probably stretch this out for some time. See the "old economy Steve" meme for more information.

[semper occultus]

a dearth of information

I'm very ambivalent about whether the sheer volume of data / (mis)information availbale now is empowering or actually overwhelming and deadening compared to what people had to whet their brains on in days of yore

[Luther Blissett]

Reading accounts of anti-war activism / anti-terror countermeasures in the 60s and 70s, one gets the sense that they could have benefitted immensely from various tools and tactics: encrypted communications over great distances (they actually travelled ALL THE TIME to various chapters to talk in person [I still don't really understand how the cost of living worked. If I tried a Symbionese lifestyle today I feel like I'd starve. Just another privilege of older generations I guess.]), the ability to communicate freely with Syrians, Egyptians, Greeks, etc., access to reference materials anywhere, ability to share tactics or debate with other groups, awareness of what affects oppressed groups in marginalized forgotten zones at home and around the world (we would never have known what's happening in Standing Rock until after they were all killed or jailed), etc. I think it has to help with organizing.

[semper occultus]

..see what you mean..hence the underground press I suppose..and samizdat behind the iron curtain...

[Luther Blissett]

I'm lucky enough to have a few copies of local (some even advertise my neighborhood pizza shop) New Left publications during that time in the early 70s from between media trials when there was a little more freedom of the press. It's interesting to contrast the level of discourse with that of activists' today.

[PufPuf93]

The 1960s and 1970s had the underground press that featured antiwar, politics, civil rights, and counterculture culture and the arts.

Some examples were the Berkeley Barb, San Francisco Oracle, East Village Other, LA Express, etc. Most urban areas and college towns had some version and there was a semi-organized cross-pollination and sharing of content.

I suppose that the internet now fills a similar role but is more shotgun than focused in nature.

[Luther Blissett]

What I have observed about that focus is a certain degree of repetition with some fresh ideas now and then. There is some value in that, but I am always hard-pressed to observe plans for the later part of the 70s decade or ideas for the 80s. Today you see that a lot.

[PufPuf93]

What I have observed about that focus is a certain degree of repetition with some fresh ideas now and then. There is some value in that, but I am always hard-pressed to observe plans for the later part of the 70s decade or ideas for the 80s. Today you see that a lot.

Focus perhaps was not the precise term.

What I was trying to say is that there were fewer voices as the underground press was a narrow conduit so the rhetoric came from fewer authors and ideas transmitted were not as broad in scope.

The internet and social media is a platform for myriad more voices, perceptions, and choices (and this is productive and hopefully for the good). There was not the degree of rat fucking and what we now call trolling. COINTELPRO and black ops did exist but targets were more specific then as the movements were limited.

Antiwar people were against the Vietnam War in the immediate but also against military empire in general.

Civil rights and free speech were for revolutionary change.

In 1970 most would not have imagined the sea change in modes of sexual and gender expression that have occurred.

On the other hand, race relations have not made the same progress.

In 1970 most liberals would not have predicted the adverse changes in distribution of wealth and income and decline in social justice.

While the student activists and hippies (and I would include civil rights activists and feminists and nascent environmentalists too) of the 60s/70s had the under ground press, the general public got information from 3 network TV channels and local and regional newspapers. But TV journalism was much better then.

[brekin]

Word.
The leviathan that killed the dream of the 90's.
The internet, the 90's version of copious bad acid.

The internet was ok in the 90s. When it was used by people to communicate in ways they never could before. There is no internet anymore. there is the www and facebook and some other kardashit. 9/11 was the leviathan that killed the 90s dream tho.

Yes, I think the internet, cell phones, Bush stolen election, 9/11, War on Terror, Iraq War, pretty much wiped out the seemingly momentary gains of the 90's.
Vietnam seemed to create an anti-war movement, whereas War on Terror/Iraq War seemed to mute it. I guess the lesson learned was Gulf of Tonkin needed to happen in Manhattan.

Culturally, right now I feel like we have the political conservatism and race relations of the 50's, sexual wantonness/exhibitionism and weed of the 60's, inflation and economy of the 70's, nihilism and vapid pop culture of the 80's, go go tech enthusiasm of the 90's and d.i.y. craftiness, & ever the fresh War on Terror of the 00's.