Anti-Traditionality Of American Counterculture In 1960s

Counterculture movement, launched by American youth of 1960s, was a large-scale cultural movement. It is the American youth from middle class family that launched this movement. They opposed and rejected many of the conventional standards and customs of society in a unique way. This movement was not only a rebel against main-stream culture, but also an attempt of setting up a kind of new cultural value system in a state of cultural disorganization brought by economic development. American counterculture had far-reaching influence on American society. This paper will employ youth culture theory to analyze American counterculture movement.Chapter one gives a general introduction to American counterculture movement including definition of counterculture movement, main participants, historical background, some research on this movement home and abroad, comments on this movement and the structure of the whole thesis.In Chapter two, the definition of youth, the relationship between culture and youth culture, and lastly the relationship between counterculture and youth are introduced to provide a theoretical basis for the whole analysis.Chapter three analyses the anti-traditional factors before counterculture movement, including radical thoughts in philosophy and social science and revolutionary attempts in literature and art. In philosophy and social science, Herbert Marcuse, Paul Goodman, C.Wrights.Mills, Norman O. Brown with their criticism on capitalism society and other fierce theories that had determining influence on youth rebellious movement are introduced. Then in literature and art, the influence of Beat Generation, Black Humor, and European Avant-garde on the occurrence of counterculture movement is analyzed. Beat Generation was the first immediate expression of counter-cultural discontent against the social conditions of the 1950s and the forerunner of the open stage of counterculture in the 1960s. Their rebellious spirit is fully reflected in their extraordinary way of life, rebellious writing theme and style. Black humorists, employed absurd form to show absurd theme in their works and exposed frenzy, absurdity, despair and cruelty in real life. Their attitude toward life was the same as that of youth in 1960s. Rebellious literature with its thought of refusing reality and pursuit of love and freedom had great impact on countercultural youth. The youth actually embodied this rebellious thought.Chapter four introduces four manifestations of youth's anti-tradition: indulging in Rock and Roll, drug-taking, open attitude toward sex and setting up communes. The four manifestations represent the youth's basic cognitive pattern on the path to new culture. Rock music was the soul of rebellious culture in 1960s. Rock music, in both its form and its content, was an expression of alienation, group consciousness, and revolt. Psychedelic drugs, especially LSD were the source of energy of America counterculture. Thousands of young people took LSD as a symbol of rebellion and regarded it as a tool to change their lives and the society. During the 1960s, the liberation of sex was regarded not only as a symbol of freedom but as a weapon against the straight society. Communes were the social model in counterculture movement. The constructor of youth subculture held that the power structure in modern technological society was enemy of humanity and enemy of nature. And in its place should be the community which integrates with nature and where the individuals can be organized freely. The youth considered the communes as a different world in which they could elude technological society and the oppression of urbanization.Chapter five is the detailed analysis of the causes of youth rebellion. There were five causes: economic condition, political condition, demographic situation, and educational changes. During and after the Second World War, the US went through a period of great economic leap. Scientific progress and economic prosperity changed the traditional values and lifestyle. Protestant Ethic was replaced by expressiveness and hedonism. On the other hand, the economic boom and the technological innovations resulted in a highly organized society and an increasing social unity. Affected by hedonism, American youth could not longer bear social conformity and pursued new way of life to revolt against mainstream. Born in an affluent society, American youth of 1960s were taught from childhood that America was a land where prosperity, freedom and equality existed. However, they grew up in the tension of political upheaval; They experienced Kennedy Assassination, Vietnam War and Civil Right Movement. Their social ideals began to conflict with social reality. They felt disappointed and tended to search another way of life to revolt against mainstream culture. Youth in 1960s were called baby boom generation. This laid the foundation for their becoming the main force of counterculture movement. The education they received was very different from their parents. Changes in university education and family education lead to the formation of youth rebellious culture.Last but not least, this paper discuses the influences of American counterculture movement on American society. The influences can be divided into two aspects: positive influences and negative ones. As far as positive influences are concerned, it had raised the environmental awareness of the whole society and changed people's Aesthetic Standards. It also brought about some negative influences. Many social problems were caused by drug use and promiscuous sexual relationships. It contributed a lot to the formation of new value and social customs in American society.Because of the great influences it had brought about, American counterculture movement has made American society to relearn the youth. Youth culture is a universal phenomenon, so research on American counterculture movement plays a significant role in understanding the contribution of the youth to the development of society and culture.