"It was a wonderful time to be young. The 1960s didn't end until about 1976. We all believed in Make Love, Not War. We were idealistic innocents, despite the drugs and sex"
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In this evocative quote, Margot Kidder reviews a transformative duration in history, particularly the 1960s and its remaining cultural effect until around 1976. Her words catch the essence of youthful spirit and idealism during a time of considerable social change and turmoil.
Kidder nostalgically refers to the 1960s as a "fantastic time to be young", signaling that this age was marked by a distinct vibrancy and sense of opportunity. It was a period defined by substantial movements for civil rights, sexual liberation, and anti-war demonstrations, encapsulated in the popular slogan "Make Love, Not War". This expression represents the desire for peace and communal harmony, reflecting the counterculture's opposition to the Vietnam War and other global conflicts. It reveals a generation making every effort to change aggressiveness and hostility with love and understanding.
Her referral to the belief in "Make Love, Not War" underscores the idealism that pervaded this era. This idealism was sustained by a youthful optimism and a belief in the possibility of developing a much better, more fair world. Regardless of the difficult political landscape, there was a pervasive hopefulness amongst young people that they could instigate meaningful modification.
By saying, "The 1960s didn't end till about 1976", Kidder suggests that the cultural and social movements of the 1960s had a profound and long lasting impact that extended well beyond the years's close. This duration bled into the early years of the 1970s, continuing to shape societal values and mindsets.
Her recommendation of being "idealistic innocents, regardless of the drugs and sex" talks to the contradictions of the age. While the 1960s were definitely a time of exploration and freedom, often through experimentation with sex and drugs, there was also a sense of innocence in the extensive belief that favorable modification was not only essential but possible. This duality shows the intricate nature of the human experience throughout a specifying decade in modern history.
Overall, Margot Kidder's quote acts as a poignant tip of a time when younger idealism was at the leading edge of cultural consciousness, driving a generation to visualize and pursue a more simply and tranquil world.
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