“The Sixties” Debate
Kent State Massacre
We were idling away the evening on the balcony, drinking wine and talking about everything from the Keith Richards book to Medicare cuts. Our neighbors – she a renowned blues singer deeply engaged in progressive causes; he an accomplished painter, musician and entertaining raconteur – were just paying a warm, friendly social call.
But when I happened to mention that it angered me that many today consider our generation, the Sixties generation, a failure, I set the singer’s eyes ablaze. It was like I’d reported nasty and untrue gossip about her family. In a sense, I had.
When she got home, my friend emailed me an impressive list of accomplishments and accomplished people that have not yet been matched by our successor generation. Among them: Steve Jobs. Stevie Wonder. Civil Rights.