Counterculture

For over 50 years, Barbie has not only existed as a simple child’s plaything, but as a cultural phenomenon; an iconic piece of painted plastic impressed with untold amounts of potential. If you speak to any girl today in her twenties, she will be sure to regale you fondly with tales of the doll from childhood memories. It is easy to interpret how Barbie is marketed, at a foundational level, to promote a societally constructed definition of all things ‘ideally’ feminine, however, what is…

legend due to his popularity in American jazz since the 1920s. Jeffrey Ross Hyman, more commonly known by his stage name Joey Ramone, was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band The Ramones. His image, voice and tenure as the lead singer made him a counterculture icon. When the band split up he released his solo album Don’t Worry About Me, which featured the single “What a Wonderful World,” a cover of Armstrong’s song. Armstrong lived a rough life but used his musical talents to socially…

important roles to develop characters’ conflicts and showed changes which would inspire audiences to think about truth quests in their own life. In addition, both of these movies contained political significance of subculture and their movement of countercultures. When the flow of the mid-1950s; oppression of imagination, freedom, and dreams triggered the social criticism and it affected schools and work. The government had no interest in individuality and unfortunately it…

Haring claimed that process of creating art was to help him transcend reality and help him think outside of societies’ bounds and conformities. (Mercurio) It was quite well known that Haring was a user of psychedelic drugs, but his origins in the counterculture are clear too. He wanted to stand up and protest the government for ignoring issues he felt were important like gay rights. (Mercurio) He made of use issues that were topics of current discussion in the 1980s like the use of the drug…

Marijuana has been an increasingly controversial topic in America for years, playing a central role in American culture and countercultures. Although polls suggest that there is not a large gap between those who believe it should be legalized or kept illegal, the majority believes that it should remain illegal (Milligan, 2014). This opinion is reinforced by the media’s stereotypical portrayal of a marijuana consumer, commonly referred to as a “pothead” and depicted as unmotivated in such…

In 1957, John Lennon met Paul McCartney in grammar school; they instantly became friends over a shared love of music. Within the next 5 years, they would form the most successful band of all time: The Beatles. The world was about to change musically and culturally. Soon, other bands began to rise to fame: Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and The Who. All bands would one day be inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones…

Reasons for the Antiwar Movement (1964-1972) The antiwar movement during the mid 60s and early 70s was one of the most controversial and divided periods in United States history. Major countercultures full of sex, love, and rock n’ roll were on the rise, 18 year olds were being sent to Vietnam, and blacks were fighting for their freedom. Conflict in Vietnam began due to the Tonkin Gulf incident, and our rationale for war was the domino theory. Not long after the start of the war, the antiwar…

During the 1960’s, young Americans challenged conventional lifestyles. These protestors were called “the new left”. They protested materialism and consumerism and the much looked for success that drove American society. They felt compelled to explore alternative lifestyles including traditions surrounding sex and marriage. They were determined that there was deeper meaning to life, and wanted to try anything to make it happen - even illicit drugs could be justified with their thought process.…

Howling at the Skull: An Analysis of the Intellectual Institutions in Allen Ginsberg’s Famous Poem There were many events in the 1950’s that cause poverty to the community for instance; there were rebellious youth, wars, and government system issues. Society was very unorganized like the Howl mentioned some of the events that occurred that time period. In addition to this, there were also some other issues that became popular during the 1950’s. The beat generation, for example, became popular…

In the early 60s, many young people in the United States respected authority, dressed conservatively, and followed traditional gender norms. Most women married fairly young, few attended college, and most stopped working as soon as children arrived. There was little social interaction among races. Premarital sexual relations were not discussed publicly. There wasn’t a lot of rebellion against authority. Most citizens thought of the United States positively and that we were the “Good Guys”. They…