Chicago 68

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Off topic whiny rant
I was 10 about to turn 11 in September. By the time I got to be of age the political part of the counterculture was over and done with. Our college professors called us apathetic. One day one the proffessors was talking about students siezing the dining hall in the '60's. The whole class broke out in laughter, the place just meant bad food for us the class of '79. Unfortunatly we dealt with the bad after effects high divorce rate, drugs, schools where students were allowed to do and get away with anything, watered down rock and disco. As an aspie I did not partake in the casual sex.

The baby boom is defined as people born between 1946 and 1964. The peak year of the boom when the most people were actually born was 1957 the year I was born, but when the baby boom experience is discussed it is always about the experiences of the people born in the first few years of the boom, rarely about us.

I also blame the counterculture partly for the group emphisis of today. The high point of the counterculture is considered Woodstock after all. When the boomers became CEO's in came the emphises on group work, open offices, and the boomer psychologists label you defective for wanting to do things yourself. Look I understand great things came out of the 60's civil rights, tolerance, rock music that has stood the test of time. How can one not know that, we are contanstly reminded by the people that were involved but for me overall yeech.

"......spawned Charlie Manson's family." ?????

Perhaps you could tell us which of his disciples he acquired in SF during the Summer of Love?

"I also blame the counterculture..."

You blame the counterculture?????????? I didn't become a CEO, nor did anyone I knew. And, to clarify, there were protesters (against the war, poverty, etc.) and then there were people who just observed but were not part of the "objectors."

And then there were the people who were actively against any change for the good.....these are your CEOs...not the protesters....and they were eventually headed by the biggest creep in the country NIXON. Please blame these pigs/savages for the mess they made, not the counterculture.

and you say: "...when the baby boom experience is discussed it is always about the experiences of the people born in the first few years of the boom, rarely about us."

The main years of social change I remember were in the '60s and early '70s............the people born near 1950, who in 1968, were the people (18 years of age) who were slated to go to war and amongst those protesting. In 1968 you were 11 so probably didn't protest too much (about the war, that is ). And in 1975 I don't remember many protests, except against disco, and such. Nothing much to talk about?

I'll have to do research--but I do believe he acquired a couple of disciples in SF during the Summer of Love.

Quotes withheld because of Captcha

Maybe Susan Atkins? Some of the earlier girls.

According to Vince Bugliosi (spelling?), he did recruit girls in SF in 1967, right after he got out of prison for his second felony.

I'm not blaming the Summer of Love, per se. But some of the alienated people within this throng were attracted to cults like Manson's.

Remember. He was a charismatic long-haired guy with a guitar. Long-haired guys with guitars, especially those who were streetwise, I've noticed, were able to attract girls right up until the early 1980s. That he happened to be around my height (5 foot 4.75 inches) was irrelevant.

No research proves this, obviously. Just my own personal observation.

"I'm not blaming the Summer of Love, per se. But some of the alienated people within this throng were attracted to cults like Manson's."

I guess. It's just your usage of the word "spawned" that made me bristle. Usually the word (to me) indicates a special condition that would be useful for spawning. But it was called The Summer of Love and not the Year of Alienated People (that was at the Dem. Convention the next year). But there are always alienated people in any group (if you can believe it ) so there was nothing "spawning" at the time, other than the usual predators.

I guess you might just have to have a few Love-ins under your belt to understand.

Alas, I was too young for the Love-Ins.

I don't know how I would have reacted if I had been within one. I'm not a particularly group-oriented person. I also wasn't an outdoor person when I was very young.

I would have hated Woodstock, for example, because of the mud and the lack of toilet facilities.

I never went in much for "encounter groups" and things like that. Or even for much "rapping."

I did respond well to some hippies, though, when I was very young.

What part of this is a whiny rant did you not understand?
Nothing much to talk about is exactly right. The mass protests for the most part ended with the draft and Kent State(Chrissie Hynde and two members of Devo witnessed friends bieng killed by the national guard) There was not active American involment in war going on when I Was in high school and college just Watergate cynicsm. Nothing to get white hot angry about with the Carter administration. Lets protest those corny bi centennial celebrations after we trash those Whip Inflation now posters and mood rings. It was not our age group a lot of it was the former hippies becoming proto yuppies. People that looked like us were the first ones denied entry into those dens of hedonism and annoying repetitive beats. There were boycott and divest from South Africa demonstrations when I was in college and the first homosexual student club formed but activism was pretty small overall. By the way Nixon if he were alive and active today would be the 2nd most left wing politician sans Bernie Sanders.

I remember reading several decades ago in Rolling Stone, that john belushi got himself caught up in that mess as he was innocently walking home from some social function. he was still in high school then.

Chuckie picked up a few disciples in SF, due to the fact that Manson was an aspiring musician. Musician Bobby Beausoleil was one of them. Other than that, the Manson Family was pretty much well established.

I believe Linda Kasabien (spelling?) was a runaway to SF from some Midwestern place. I believe she was one of the throngs of flower children. She fell in love with Manson, and "joined" the family.

I wish I had more time to do research. But I'm pretty sure Manson didn't get out of prison until 1967 (1966 at the earliest. There's a mugshot of him in prison in 1966). I'm pretty sure he "recruited" amongst the Summer of Love participants. I believe he was one of many con-man "gurus."

Except for Bobby Beausoleil, I forget which ones were recruited by the 'Family' during their tenure in SF. Bobby Beausoleil was a quite talented musician, which I hink is one of the reasons Manson recruited him; namely to add real musical talent to his band.