The Counterculture Impact

Tony Nguyen The 1960s or "Sixties" were a highly influential decade for American culture. The anti-war movement, the new left, feminism, civil rights movement, and social revolution were among the notable movements at the time which had a drastic effect on American society. But why was there the need for movements in the first place? The outcry for reformation indicated that something was wrong with the political and social structure. The Counterculture revolution was the direct result of built in frustration and dissatisfaction of the children living in the 1950s, a decade known for the dominant conformity. The fifties were characterized by nuclear war scares, cubicle offices, suburban homes, nuclear families, and TV dinners. William H. Whyte captured the essence of the postwar decade in his book The Organization Man. Whyte argues that the experience of the great depression and other practical concerns of the time were manipulated by Capitalist Corporation to create a social culture to benefit them. [1] This social culture sucked the life out of leadership and passion of the workers to create an obedient workforce. Capitalist primary intentions were to advocate community value of togetherness and belongingness. There was no sense of individuality among the people, only the identity of the whole. Going against the norm would leave the individual susceptible to ostracization not only by their community but also their family.
The generation of the fifties felt the deep internal alienation and separation that the social culture produced. In Politics of Authenticity, Doug Rossinow discussed the dramatic effects of post-war society’s “estrangement” on individuals.[2] He believed this estrangement created an abstract anxiety for individuals leaving them with no sense of power. Consequently there was a prevailing desire to make contact with the authentic life, ultimately liberating oneself. Rossinow stated, "The sense of anxiety and the