The '60s (Part 1)

For the next two entries, I will be writing about the documentary “The 60s.” It is a two part documentary, so logically, I will divide my entry into two parts. However, I might mention things from the second part on this entry or from the first part on the second entry. But I digress, the documentary is very good. It portrays the essence of that period in time, the 60s.

(Image from http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/doblaje/images/b/b5/The60sposter.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130227110523&path-prefix=es)

The time and people might have been optimistic, but it wasn’t all perfect. There was a lot of discrimination. Some of that discrimination even led to violence. For example, white people, even police men, discriminated and were violent towards black people. It is seen in the documentary how a group of black people is peacefully protesting and claiming their equal rights, when a white police man comes in to end the protests and, after peaceful opposition from the group’s “leader,” he threw a punch at the “leader.” Most black men did not respond violently by the hate crimes directed towards them. However, they didn’t all feel that way. In the documentary, it can be seen how a black kid wishes to reciprocate violence with violence. His father, also a black man, explained to him that peace was the way to obtain their equality. His father was later killed as a result of a hate crime. This did not cause the son to steer away from the path of peace. It can be seen on part 2 that the black kid (the son) grew up to be a charitable man who made a difference without the need for violence.

Discrimination from white people to black people was not the only one present. Black people also discriminated towards white people. Some blamed all of their misfortunes on every one that was white. A black man publicly stated that everything that happens to black men is because of white men. This is certainly not true. It is seen at the beginning of the documentary how some white people support the equal rights movement of the black people. As another example, the hippies (predominantly white) did not discriminate towards black people. However, the hippies did receive discrimination as well. I will discuss more on the hippies on part 2 of this entry.

There was also discrimination towards new ideas and new life styles. For examples, one of the girls in the documentary starts taking birth control pills and his father doesn’t agree and frowns upon his daughter. Another girl has a “one night stand,” after which she becomes pregnant. Her father is irrational when he learns the news. He says that she brings shame upon their family. She ends up running away from home and joining a hippie commune. She has a hard time surviving on her own and taking care of the baby. At the end, the girl and her dad mend fences and “live happily ever after.”

This ending gives the story a false sense of accomplishment. This type of discrimination is still seen today; but more on the ending on the next entry. I will finish by summing up how the era was essentially full of discrimination from and towards many demographics. Other types of discrimination will be discussed on the second part of this entry. Stick around.