“War, what is it good for?”
These hallowed words were first coined by American Motown singer Edwin Starr, and were a sharp reflection of the times, the 1970s being decidedly anti-war in its sentiment, cultural machinations, and overall tone. It seems in the modern era we have drifted far from this cultural revolution: a short stint planetarily as stoic shit-disturbers ready to fight for any cause despite the racial or class divides present, not just for anarchy’s sake, hell no, for a brief slice of time there were activists or self-dubbed pacifist “freedom fighters” with earnest intentions of reformation – devoid of corporate interests. Now, earnest pursuits have been replaced with faux-political leanings and deceptively opaque platforms. If oral, written, and photojournalistic history is to be believed, the 70s was a time of amorphous altruism. A whole generation standing in unison to denounce perceived injustices and wrongdoings around the world. Of course, the Vietnam War was the “big one” and received the majority of attention – but a multitude of civil rights movements coalesced and gained traction during this period, something that cannot be overstated.
Objectively, the 1960s fostered the whole idea of disparate movements coming together under one banner, which extended into the 1970s as an audible reverberation: Ideologically; liberalism was to be all encompassing.
This conclusion was drawn over time by counterculture fringe-thinkers and writers, such as Timothy Leary, Tom Wolfe, Ken Kesey, and Jack Kerouac, as well as establishment intellectuals observing the shift in public opinion that was taking place. It could be assumed that the mind-expansionists of this time period helped fuel the cultural change while documenting its individual effects, anecdotal idiosyncrasies, relevant in-groups, and emergent subcultures. [1] Even the conservative power structure of the time knew a shift in cultural consciousness was occurring – the previously powerful waves of Imperialism cloaked in 20th century “Democratic” expansionism – had crashed and broken against the hard bluffs of attrition that was the Vietnam War initiative. In place of a hard path, there was now a political tight-rope to be walked; and the war machine of the 70s slowed to a crawl in response – embracing peace through reason and intellect – if even for just a moment.
“The American left opposed the war mainly because its members viewed America as the aggressor in the conflict, while praising the revolutionary regime of Ho Chi Minh. Some of the left’s “political pilgrims,” to borrow Paul Hollander’s insightful phrase, traveled to the promised land of North Vietnam to express their solidarity against American imperialism, while many more took to the streets of America to protest America’s “illegal” and “immoral” war. Gradually, the anti-Vietnam War left took over control of the Democratic Party, and many of those who helped create the Vietnam quagmire, like Robert F. Kennedy, joined the anti-war movement for political reasons.There were a few conservative realists who, to their credit, opposed the Vietnam War early on for practical, not ideological, reasons.”
[2] Francis P. Sempa, May 12, 2025 for Modern Age Journal
Funnily, Raoul Duke (Thompson’s oft used pen name) had a different take on The Summer of Love from most of his contemporaries due to its subsequent failings going into the 1980s, as progressive philanthropy was replaced by unabashed corporate greed and a patented 80s vibe – get rich quick or die trying.
“He [Tim Leary] crashed around America selling ‘consciousness expansion’ without ever giving a thought to the grim meat-hook realities that were lying in wait for all the people who took him seriously… All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding for three bucks a hit.”
-Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream, Hunter S Thompson (1971)
This unrelenting pursuit of money was a new American Dream for the everyman. One that espoused individualism through acquisition of material possessions rather than hard work or diligence. This new American ideal ran counter to the stick-to-itiveness that propelled the 1950s economic boom, being much more individualistic and less collectivist. The unwritten rule of the 1980s: succeed by any means necessary – almost seemed a tactical subversion of the ideals set forth during the birth of progressivism. All the intellectualism and psychedelics combined with grass-roots movements, had yielded little more than a new wave of greed and capitalism now unfettered by the ethical constraints of the Baby-Boomer generation. Excellence was no longer measured in genuine accomplishments as dollar amounts outweighed any traditional views on “fair business practises”. Or the (at least partially) abandoned ideal of working hard to get ahead. It could be argued that the individual liberties gained in the 1960s and 70s later allowed for this hybrid of New Age thinking and classical capitalism – a near-blend of bourgeois and anarchic principles.
Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wallstreet’ clearly illustrates what a proverbial Eldorado the stock market was at this time.
And the gauche hedonism that existed alongside.
Need I say more?
“We have seen Weird Times in this country before, but the year 2000 is beginning to look superweird. This time, there really is nobody flying the plane… We are living in dangerously weird times now.
Smart people just shrug and admit they’re dazed and confused.”
–Hunter S. Thompson, excerpt from his non-fiction book ‘Kingdom of Fear’ [3]
Afterword:
This op-ed utilizes the word “Americanism” and does so specifically and generally, as a way to save time. Many observations associated with America may on a case by case basis, also be applied to other First World nations as the US is the epicenter – so in effect – America becomes a stand-in for Western civilization as a whole. Differentiating between Canadian culture and American, or UK and American, is only really necessary when mentioning distinct differences.
This is why OUR enemies shout “death to America”…
(Hell, it’d take too long to list every single country that’s adopted Western or “American” practises.)
Sources:
[1] Contextualizing my statement above:
“The 1960s,” Tim admitted, “was an incredibly volatile decade. I like to think that more happened in the 60s — more cultural revolution, more total reformation, review and social change — than in any decade or even century in human history… I want to tell my fellow veterans of the un-civil wars of the 60s that we can’t go back. I hope
that no one expects me to lead a Charge of the Light Brigade back to Woodstock… It didn’t stop at Woodstock. The game goes on.”
Timothy Leary on the 1960s anti-war movement
Tim Leary Remembers the 60s
By John Bryan on November 17, 1999)
[2]Essays, Conservative Realism and Vietnam
We were warned.
Author: Francis P. Sempa
May 12, 2025
News outlet, ‘Modern Age Journal’
[3] Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child In the Final Days of the American Century
Published in 2005, Hunter S. Thompson (Excerpt, Pg. 40)
Non-fiction
