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This chapter deals with the two ideas of commune life and free love. This chapter, entitled "Shaking the Cage", focuses on those who reject urban America and choose to follow the "communal approach to sharing land as an antithesis to American material and consumer culture." (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 139) Theodore Roszak "theorized that modern society had arrived at an "era of social engineering" and had evolved into a "technocracy", a technical ruling class in which the totality of the human experience was placed within the context of the "industrial complex." (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 140)
Those who lived in communes chose to do so because they believed that "urban and suburban life had been marred by rampant consumerism and pollution." (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 139) Within a commune, people grew their own vegetables and lived a much simpler life, free from consumerism that plagued the rest of the U.S. Such living was considered "organic" living.
This chapter describes a movie entitled Easy Rider starring Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda which portrayed the lives of two outcasts "looking for America. And couldn't find it anywhere." (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 142) This movie became "a metaphor for what happened in America after the sixties. It became the kind of tag end, hungover sadness that happens right after a great age." (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 143)
Alice's Restaurant was another movie of 1969 that provided a glimpse into commune life. However, this film ends on a depressing note. A "whole movie [was made] to show how valiant our attempt was to create a spirituality, to create a new life, the one the kids were talking about...but they didn't believe it, so the movie itself was a failure of our ability to do it." (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 145).
Another subject of Kirkpatrick's chapter was swingers; these were a "new breed of unabashed orgiasts and casual couples" (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 145) It was around the year 1969 that swinging began to be embraced by "school-teachers, mutual-fund salesmen, aerospace engineers and other members of the predominant middle-class." (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 145) Sociologist Dr. William Simon claimed that "turning on to the swinging scene probably has saved a large number of marriages" (Kirkpatrick, 1969: 146) however the institution of marriage seemed to dissolve in many cases after Ronald Reagan signed the Family Law Act on 1969. When reading this I couldn't help but wonder how a couple begins "swinging"...is it something that one person develops and the other goes along, do they discuss it early on in their relationship? Is there any jealous that arises? Or is it really healthy for a couple?
The last subject discussed in this chapter was Gestalt therapy which was an emerging trend in psychology in which a social environment was created to better understand the dynamics of interpersonal communications. Such sessions attempted to help people realize their "human potential" and experience personal epiphanies such as the one described in the movie Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. In this film two couples admit their infidelities and in doing so they evolve as individuals and as couples.
As I piece together the four 1969 chapters, it seems as though "neurotic" is a good word to describe this year. These chapters examined hippies of 1969 as peace-seekers as well as posing a threat to society; the arts were examined as liberals, along with popular demand, tried to make the body liberating. I wonder if this sense of the "Love Generation" will appear again.
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