The Revolution Can Now Be Televised

It all started in the Spring of my junior year of high school. Naturally, I had waited too late to finish an assigned book for history class. It was a biography about two Vietnam War* POWs called Two Souls Indivisible.

So, in the glum, regretful state that every procrastinator knows all too well, I walked outside to read the 100+ pages I still had left. I sat, paced, laid in the spring evening as I read about the two veterans of that disgraced war. And, late into the warm, breezy April night, I finally finished.

That one night seemed to cement in me an association with Spring and that era of US history. Now, like clockwork, every time March comes around, I start to gravitate toward an interest in the counterculture, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War. So, given that it’s April, I see it fitting to write on it.

We typically call it “The Sixties,” but what we think of when we say that is typically more associated with the years 1963-73. The early 60s were very much like their 50s predecessor, with less social upheaval, and a more conformist culture. And the early 70s were essentially an extension of “the sixties,” just with a different number. Now that we have terms in order, I’ll get on with it. What is it that is so admired about this era? Obvious answers are that we saw people question the systems in place and the beliefs instilled in them. We saw segregation protestors face off against large, armed police forces. We saw citizens show their might on a war they didn’t support. They didn’t shy away from fighting the power. Not to mention, it just looks like a damn cool time. The March on Washington, the Summer of Love, Woodstock, helicopter war, LSD, The Beatles, Joplin, Jimi, Muhammad Ali… It was passionate, loud, raw, and new. I didn’t live through it, so I don’t mean to romanticize the struggles faced by anyone in this period, nor the brutal tactics used, often on civilians, in the war. I simply find this era to be an extraordinarily fascinating time to look back on.

My interest in this time period stirs my curiosity. It seems part of our nature to lionize times in our history when drastic change was affected by the people. While they’re difficult to live through, they’re often looked back on with reverence and glory, and they’re typically a step in a better direction.

Keep in mind that in 2024, this doesn’t always have to be online outrage, vitriolic argument, or throwing milkshakes at politicians (which I’ve found out has its own Wikipedia page). It can also be something as simple as being kinder to people in your community, and telling your friends about things that matter to you. Speaking up about something you care about, especially in the face of disagreement, is an exercise not only in personal confidence, but also in helping to spread a message you hope to see adopted. Maybe you’ll look back one day and be proud to have participated in a time of change, growth, and upheaval (maybe it wouldn’t have happened at all without your participation). But, whichever side of whatever societal rift you stand on, just make sure you know why you stand there. Question the beliefs that led you to support a cause, and check in on yourself. If you don’t know yourself, how can you possibly know what this “self” stands for?

To quote Gandalf (yes, the staff-wielding wizard from Lord of the Rings), “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

If a fictional character won’t do it for you, take it from esteemed anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Go change the world, ya hooligans, and happy Earth day.

^{*The Vietnam War encompasses a great deal of struggle, including Vietnam’s fight against Japan during WWII, their struggle for independence from their French colonizers, and their internal war between the north and the south. In this article, I am referring specifically to the US involvement in the Vietnam War.}