hannah.

Question  1:  Do we still use words invented in the sixties in today’s society?

Research has shown me that the major uplifting of young people and the wild change in politics and existentialism has not had a major affect on today’s society at all. The great movement in the sixties seemed to stem from one of America’s past presidents Mr John F. Kennedy. In 1961 he was inaugurated and brought a vibrant energy to the white house. Mr. Kennedy claimed to represent “a new generation of Americans”. It was a quote by Kennedy which sent the young people into a rally cry that in fact is still being used today for example various environmental organizations. The quote was, “ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” This point is put across today in different words but maybe has not had such a great effect as it did in the nineteen sixties. The young Americans had created a revolution and the civil rights movement began.

During the nineteen sixties only fifteen percent of Americans were black, thus leaving them treated as the inferior race naturally. Blacks were ferociously discriminated against not getting the same economic rights as whites, the same housing and social inequality. In nineteen sixty there was a Civil Rights march in Washington DC. I sourced photographs of this march and found some of the slogans used on the signs very interesting and still relevant to today. Slogans for example, “Stand up to civil rights”, “Students united for human dignity.” ‘Stand up to civil rights’ is a very strong imperative command that gets the point across. This is relevant to today for example the cancer campaigns ‘Stand up to cancer.’ So it is clear that language techniques from the sixties are still relevant today but what about specific words?

Being part of a sixteen year old teenager involves in some way or form being introduced to the drug scene. Drugs were a major part of the nineteen sixties and for example words like, “acid, whack, hit, blotter, blow, dope, joint, high, bong, buds and grass” were used to describe various drugs, the way they’re taken or the effect they have on you. I know for a fact from knowledge of my peers that these words are still used today. They’re used as a slang term that can be spoken allowed and not understood by some.

There are also other terms used in the sixties that we are still using today. They are colloquialisms such as babe which is defined as an affectionate term for females, or chick which is a girl. Crash is also a colloquial term still commonly used in today’s society but most predominantly in the adolescent population, it means to stay in someone else’s place. The majority of the people taking part in the sixties revolution were young people that particular trend has carried on as I’ve only encountered teenagers using these colloquial terms.

There’s one particular word that was used very commonly in the sixties that many of us, old and young say religiously throughout the day. It’s the colloquial term “mate”. During the sixties a “mate” was used to describe a male friend, usually someone you can trust. I find this very interesting and still relevant to today. A very persuasive advertising campaign on television uses this exact word demonstrating its meaning it the sixties which we use in exactly the same context. A add in particular shows a group of five men aged around there twenties. One of them has been the designated sober driver and tells the other four men he won’t be drinking. They all believe him and constantly throughout the night the group is calling each other “mate”. In the end it turns out the designated sober driver has been drinking and because of this he has a crash, and one of his “mates” die. The next scene shows two of the passengers who survived in a bar and the designated driver walks in and says “Hey mate” the two passengers reply “Hi Dave”. To me this shows there is no trust any longer and they’re not his “mate”, as he lied to them and drunk when he shouldn’t have. To me it says this word hasn’t changed in meaning and is continuing to be used in today’s society in important contexts.

In conclusion there are several words that were commonly used in the sixties that are still used now and some of those vary greatly in meaning for example, ‘Flower Power’, ‘the beautiful people’, ‘Black Power.’ This will be discussed in my second and third question.  

Question  2:  Have these words changed in meaning since the nineteen sixties?

The main word that sparked my interest for this question was “Black Power”. As you read this negative connotation spring to your mind instantly. Gangs, rape, murder, drugs and alcohol are the things I think of. Little do the majority of us know that the phrase “Black Power” had a completely different meaning in the sixties. Attributed to Stokely Carmichael who used it to encourage blacks to attain more political clout. For a time this was a uniting theme among black people in the U.S. It became a rallying cry for action against the racial injustice of the fifties and sixties. Black Panthers, Stokely Carmichael, Dick Gregory and Angela Davis were leaders in the radical movement. Some advocated revolution and the overthrow of the U.S government. The Black Power movement struck fear into the heart of America’s bigots. In any case the movement fractured, but the legacy of radical black activism had left its mark on America’s psyche. In the opinion the Black Power in the nineteen sixties was a strong group of Americans who were fighting for what they really did deserve for. Ii disappoints me that the Black Power now is nothing like that and just a mass of crime which does nobody any favours.

A phrase that not necessarily has changed in meaning but the perspective people have about this phrase have changed. This phrase is “Flower Power”. Nowadays especially if I male is using this phrase that will be thought of as a homosexual. During the sixties there was a lot of free loving and casual sex to be had. “Hippies” both male and female seemed to think of each other as equals and it was acceptable for males to warm to the themes of “peace and love”. In today’s society it is all about proving how feminine and masculine you are. Both genders have their special terms and way to describe things. The language of the sixties was very united and everyone spoke the same phrases and words.

Another phrase in particular which I found interesting that was used in the nineteen sixties was “Beautiful People”. This term was used to describe hippies or cool persons. Cool persons being somebody groovy. As we all know the common stereotype hippie has been branded with it no hoping bludgers’ who smoke dope. I doubt many people today would describe hippies as “Beautiful People.” What strikes me now though is the type of people we call “Beautiful People.” What sort of people do you think of when I say beautiful people. Images on thin, tan, tall, rich, plastic people spring into my mind. As we all know hippies aren’t exactly the cleanest of people, the females tended not to shave their legs or armpits, how many people would consider that beautiful today? Hippies don’t expect the luxuries in life nor do they care much for a lavish lifestyle. To me, the meaning of beautiful people in the nineteen sixties is the complete opposite to what it is now.

There are colloquial phrases such as ‘bro, babe and chick’ which still have the same meaning now. We still use ‘bro’ to describe any male friend that we trust. ‘Babe’ is still an affectionate term for a female and ‘chick’ is still known as a girl.

So it has sadly appeared to me that the nineteen sixties hasn’t left us much but the memories and the language is merely something of the past with words and phrases that originated in the sixties have now completely different meanings. I note that when I look these phrases up on the internet the lifedate of these phrases and words didn’t last. Beautiful people for example originated in 19675 and died out again in 1970 when the sixties movement was over. From this I can conclude that the language of the sixties was really only for the sixties. It was a time when people let down there hair and got a nice lease on life, but then everyone snapped back into conformity. Everything from that last ten years was to disappear and become a memory which some today would rather not admit to having a part in.

the 60s

history is beginning to intrigue me?

friday morning, taking photos. procrastinating. trying to love tumblr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hipsyhann/3727975098/

i must get onto my english research project, but this seems so much more fun.
there’s  million other amazing things i could be doing right now but i have to start homework.