Woodstock: Why It Sucked (Or, 40 Years Of Peace, Love, and Wasted Promise)

[Pab Sungenis]

http://whytheysuck.com/?p=107

After tomorrow, blessed be, we will finally be able to go another 10 years before we ever have to hear the name “Woodstock” referring to anything other than a bird.

Still, as much as I hate the hype around one of the worst-planned rock concerts in history - one that was so badly thought of at the time that Joni Mitchell, who would later make 2.8 shitloads of dollars off a song where she pretended to be there, thought it was more important to go on the Dick Cavett Show - I do think it is something to be studied. The problem is that while most people weave hagiographies to this travesty in a mud pit, I think it’s more important to study the complete and utter failure that Woodstock is in nearly every category.

<snip>

Look at the defining moments of just a few recent generations. The generation before the Baby Boomers fought and won World War II and put a man on the moon. The generation before that brought us the height of American literature and arts. Before that, the Progressive Movement changed society forever and World War I changed the political face of the entire world.

And what did the Baby Boomers do? They got stoned, listened to some music, and fucked.

In the mud.

I’m sorry, but when the pinnacle moment of your generation includes the warning “don’t eat the brown acid,” I think you need to reevaluate your priorities.

<snip>

There were half a million hippies at Woodstock. 500,000! That’s a massive number of people, especially at that time. If the Hippies really wanted to change the world, end the war, etc., they could have marched two days south (on foot, in their vehicles they could have been there in hours) and brought Washington to a complete standstill. They could have made their voice and their message heard. Or the people could have dispersed from that point and gone home to organize; re-energized and encouraged by their experiences at Yasgur’s farm they could have left with a new commitment to carry their dreams and actually change the world.

Instead, they all dispersed and went home… where they got stoned, listened to music, and fucked. But at least this time mud wasn’t involved (in most cases).

Woodstock should be held up as the apotheosis of self-aggrandizement. It is a testament to the utter and complete failure of the Baby Boomers. Woodstock was the death rattle of the social movements that had come along in the late 60’s in America. The promise of a revolution of peace and love died with a whimper accentuated by the strains of Jimi Hendrix’ guitar. The Flower Power Company disconnected everyone due to non-payment. As the 6 in the year rolled up off the universe’s perpetual clock display to be replaced by a 7, it took with it everything that the hippies stood for. The memorial plaque at Yasgur’s Farm might as well have been a headstone.

More at the link.

[Pab Sungenis]

1. Proud to be <0 with this one.

Too much for some people to face? This is what is bound to happen to our generation if we don't actually fight.

[Capt. America]

2. +1

[Deja Q]

3. +1

[valerief]

4. More people marched on DC Sept. 2004. But the media totally ignored that. nt

[droidamus2]

5. Amazing

It always amazes me that there is a small group of people that think stamping on peoples nostalgia, whether Woodstock was the high point of the social movement or a muddy mess who really gives a damn, makes them sound like some uber-logical historians. The fact is I am of the Woodstock was a once in a generation event that transcended the bad feelings of the era crowd. If you don't get Woodstock that's fine but why not just be the Grinch and keep it to yourself. For those that were there or wished they were there this was and always will be something special if you don't get it fine but we aren't really interested in hearing your I wasn't there and don't get it opinions. Also, many of those that were there or part of the counter culture of the '60's have moved on with their lives but it is amazing how many conservatives are still fighting the battles of 'straights' v 'hippies'.

[Mojorabbit]

9. Well said. nt

[feedthephishes]

12. Pardon Me.

Pardon the crude choice of words. Woodstock didn't transcend shit. It was a concert. And bad feelings? Care to list a few of those bad feelings? People at the time didn't deal with anything, instead they got high at concerts, (which has its merits, nonetheless.) And please, spare us the 'straights versus hippies' garbage. Sure, it was about that for a couple years, but the world has moved on, and there is so much more to it than that. The Hippies are dead, which is indeed a tragic loss, no sarcasm intended. It was a generation that launched so much, but a bunch of teenage kids smoking dope and watching retrospectives in a basement is not going to bring it back, nor are nostalgic feelings from those lucky enough to be there going to launch it again. We need to move on, past the fights of days gone by, and move onto the challenges of today, meeting them with the spirit of this generation, rather than wasting in on melancholy reminiscence.
Just my two cents.

[JanusAscending]

14. And......that's exactly what it's worth!

Who asked ya!

[feedthephishes]

16. No one.

Seeing how this is a public forum, no one.

But feel free to tell me whatever you like, because that would be part of a debate.

[JanusAscending]

18. Correction..........

"This a public forum" True, but it's a DEMOCRATIC PUBLIC FORUM! Little bit snarky for a newbie much???

[droidamus2]

31. Bad Feelings?

How about the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights struggles, the struggles for women's rights, young kids getting there heads bashed in by the police (at riots that were primarily caused by overbearing police and politicians) there were a lot of bad feelings on both sides of these issues. It is for sure that the late '60s weren't all flowers and sunshine. That is why people look back on Woodstock as more than 'just a concert' and as a coming together of like-minded people under sometimes trying conditions to peacefully enjoy 3 days of great music. From an historical perspective you also have to realize that huge concert crowds were not a common thing back then so that is another reason that Woodstock stood out and remains an historical sign post for many people. You misunderstood my mention of the 'hippies v straights' or in modern vernacular 'liberal v conservative' I was in no way claiming I still am tied to that struggle I was only pointing out that if you dig not so deeply into many in the conservative movements philosophies you will find that they still resent the 'hippies/liberals' of the '60s for rejecting the conservative mores of that time and are still doing everything they can to try and reverse those changes (I say good luck with that).

[Tangerine LaBamba]

6. Grouchy, ill-informed premise -

and really, really bad writing.

See, this is what happens when anyone is allowed to have a blog and actually thinks his or her thoughts matter.

Finally, I see what the "unrecommend" feature is for........................

[bertman]

35. "Finally, I see what the "unrecommend" feature is for........................"

Right on, sister!!

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. This thread is a real grinch magnet. Count me as wishing I was there.

[Zen Democrat]

8. Conservatives have been spitting on the counter-culture for over 40 years now .... n/t

[madrchsod]

10. oh well....i guess my generation were complete failures....

i wonder how society progressed in spite of us.....

[ShortnFiery]

27. We LET Reagan, et. al. kill off the unions and empower multi-national corporations.

Yes, we started out with the right premises but then got sucked into the "Capitalism as God" theme that has defined our SAD and GUTLESS generation.

I'm ashamed of us "Baby Boomers." We could have built a society based MORE ON "the common good" but sold-out for the mean mean GREEN. :puke:

[droidamus2]

32. Partially true

I agree that many in the '60s generation ended up caught up in the materialistic world of corporations and politics but I think there was also a large segment of the more activists segment of the population that got tired of having their heads beat in and the denigration and just decided to raise their families. Basically there were burned out young. Many of them decided that rather than overt confrontation and protest that it was better to just live the life that thought was best, that is, helping other people, being good to their fellow humans, and trying to make things better for everybody. Of course, these kinds of people don't always jump up and down and say 'look at me aren't I great!' so many don't see them as an extension of the 'hippies'. Unfortunately you also have that group that literally 'burned out' on drugs or whatever. Don't forget that not everybody in that generation bought into the peace and harmony idea and many of those became the 'I got mine what's your problem' people we see today. It's interesting that people that believe strongly in something sometimes do a 180 degree change in their life philosophy and go just as far on that side as they did on their original beliefs. I guess the idea is that if they believe strongly in something their going to go all the way with it.

[whyverne]

11. Finally my first "un"

These author's just were not there. They don't realize how little freedom there was in this country in the 50s and 60s. The whole freaking country was like small towns in Alabama now.

I got arrested in a little burg in New jersey in 1967. For wearing "dungarees" on a public street. That's blue jeans to you younguns. You could and would get beat up for having an "unacceptable" hairstyle.

The hippies fought for the freedoms that these punks enjoy today.

And from the East Village to the Haight and then on to Hawaii for the end of Vietnam, I never once heard anyone condoning or suggesting that soldiers should be spit on. Those stories didn't surface until well after the war was over and "Rambo" made them famous.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. As one of the majority of boomers who wasn't at Woodstock and was never a hippie

(I'm more counter-cultural now than I ever was then), I want to say that whyverne is absolutely correct.

In 1965, a group of male teachers in my high school decided that they couldn't stand the way some of the boys had "Beatle haircuts," so they grabbed them out of the halls and gave them crewcuts.

In the early 1960s, an unmarried woman or girl could not get birth control information, but if she got pregnant, there were only two legal options: a "shotgun" wedding or a "long trip" out of state, from which she would return looking very sad. Some of the "homes" for unmarried pregnant women and girls literally made them work for room and board by cleaning other people's houses. The males who got them pregnant suffered no consequences whatsoever under the latter scenario.

By the way, in 1974, I used the phrase "had to get married" in front of some then-undergraduates. They had no idea what I meant, thanks to "the hippies," feminists, and other despised creatures.

Girls at my junior and senior high school were not allowed to wear jeans or any kind of pants, no matter how cold the weather was--and I grew up in Minnesota. If you went in the back entrance of the junior high school (which meant tramping through a lot of snow), there was a somewhat out-of-the-way restroom where you could take off the pants that you were wearing under your dress.

[feedthephishes]

13. Excellent Point

Definite food for thought.

[Doctor_J]

17. That couple in the famous "free love" photo is still together

unlike Gingrinch and his first wife...or second wife...or Limpballs and his first wife...or second wife...or third wife...

Wingers live to hate. What they hate is not important to them, as long as they can hate.

[ShortnFiery]

28. Yeah, and a sign on the front of their home states, "Hippies use back entrance."

Talk about self-loathing former love children sell-outs. :thumbsdown:

[Stardust]

19. William Kristol, is that you???

[Cetacea]

24. Him or Karl. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

37. Hell, even Kristol knows that humans can not walk from

upstate NY to Washington DC in two days! The author claims the whole crowd could have walked to DC in two days, a distance of more than 300 miles. That is the sort of thinking on display in this piece. Delusional and not based on reality in any way.
I loved that part about how they could have walked to DC in two days! And the part about how they could have sprouted wings and flown!

[AlphaCentauri]

20. Generations on drugs

drugs have destroy many generations dreams, in the eighties crack did destroy many dreams too.

[Stardust]

21. I am halfway thru the special "Woodstock: Now & Then" and I just

have to chime in and say how dismayed I am that fellow DUers can be such buzz-killers. Most of you who can't resist excoriating the event weren't there, wouldn't have been there if you could've, and represent the "straights" that we hated then and still have nothing in common with. I'm simply very, very saddened that after all these years there are still those who perpetrate meme about mud and madness. Woodstock was a miracle even if it pains you to admit it.

[caseymoz]

22. So, after years of conservative propaganda against the '60s, do liberals hate themselves enough yet?

Woodstock was just a side-show. The Baby Boomers did accomplish something good, something to be proud of: they stopped the Vietnam War and they brought down Nixon. They changed the direction of this country-- from the disastrous mismanagement by that WWII generation, who were applying all the wrong lessons from WWII.

Conservatives have never forgiven the '60s counter-culture for those two things. The tireless hatred Conservatives harbor against the '60s counter-culture has done more harm than Woodstock ever did. For one thing, I'm convinced that cuts in student aid which followed in the late '70s and then were deepened under Reagan were made out resentments about the student protests during Vietnam. Those vindictive cuts are screwing us now, when we have few people with advanced degrees. Why? Because unless your rich, or worthy of a full-scholarship, an advanced degree will start you $50-to-100 thousand dollars in debt.

The eighties saw the Jack Abramoff young-Republican generation-- the Yuppies. To overlook their pharisaic avarice, social cynicism, and cultural baseness and point to Hippies as something disgusting is shows either corruption, or misdirection by the corrupt. Let's see, Woodstock, or trips to Angola by Young Republicans for veneration of that great anti-communist hero, (and repressive, bloodstained dictator) Jonas Savimbi. Let's not forget the praise and the undying support of the Apartheid government in South Africa. Compared to that, shagging in the mud high on acid at Woodstock is a grand cultural accomplishment. (No, not really, but it wasn't a social nadir either).

Really, Woodstock was no more or less than it seemed. It was an entertainment event and business venture that was widely over-promoted beforehand and then extremely mismanaged. Very few people could say they mismanaged their business so badly that they almost created a humanitarian crisis, but the Woodstock management did just that.

I can't fault the hippies because they couldn't know what they were going to be getting into once they arrived. It was miracle that people managed to put a half-million together like that with almost no shelter, sanitation, or supplies to support them, but they stayed peaceful and cooperated with each other. It could have been a catastrophe with thousands dead. To avoid that, I don't care if the people took drugs and had public sex to do it. Social engineers should make a case study of Woodstock.

As for it being a good time, I think a saying applies: the best adventures are usually great mis-adventures recalled later in comfortable surroundings. Those responsible for the Woodstock fiasco had to try to recoup some of their losses, so they had to sell the Woodstock documentary, and praise the concert as some kind of great cultural event. This doesn't make it so. Woodstock was a side-show.

[Cetacea]

25. Bingo. n/t

[givemebackmycountry]

23. Bullshit...

NOTHING has happened since that even comes close.
Maybe the recent inauguration, maybe... but really not even close.

AND, there was Hendrix searing the Star Spangled Banner in a sea of feedback and pure vengeance.

There will be nothing even close to it in my lifetime, what remains.
Kent State killed all that forever.

If it ever happens again, I hope I'm there but that's not to be.

But to this day, can anyone not tell me that Carlos Santana tore it up on Soul Sacrifice?

[spiritual_gunfighter]

30. Woodstock had a lot of great music and performances

My personal favorite is the Incredible String Band, which didn't make the movie and got booed by the audience, but the corporate takeover of Woodstock by those looking to make a buck is pretty disgusting. Woodstock the concert has become Woodstock Inc. and it is a big reason why people my age and younger could care less about it.

[pipi_k]

34. Carlos Santana doing "Soul Sacrifice"

Is as near a spiritual experience as there could ever be... :)



As for what the OP said...blah blah blah

Nearly everything someone doesn't like or doesn't agree with can be termed a "failure" if one looks hard enough for "evidence".

:eyes:

[ShortnFiery]

26. Well put. +1

[spiritual_gunfighter]

29. Recommended

But obviously this is the type of OP that will be unrecced by the baby boomers and reced by most everyone else. Woodstock may have been the death rattle to the poster but I disagree. Woodstock was the mortal wound, but the Manson murders and Altamont was the death rattle.

The hippie dream was dead and in the ground by December 1969, it is very annoying that we are still talking about it and it has been co-opted by corporate America into Woodstock Inc.

As a huge fan of the music and culture of the sixties (believe it or not) I much prefer the anti flower children movement as personified by people like Kenneth Anger and Anton LaVey and the music of bands like Love, The Velvet Underground and the German avant-garde scene of the late 60's. Much more interesting IMO.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[Bluenorthwest]

36. I tell you what.

If anyone on Earth can walk from the concert site to Washington DC in two days, then the writer has a point to make. It is over 300 miles from point to point. And the author claims that half a million people could have walked it in two days, 150 miles a day. The rest of the author's points are as half baked and poorly thought out as that one.
Let's quote the writer on that one: "they could have marched two days south (on foot, in their vehicles they could have been there in hours) and brought Washington to a complete standstill."

A clear claim that on foot it is a two day walk. 300+ miles. That is the level of thinking on display here. A man who thinks people can walk 150 miles a day, or does not know where DC is in relation to NY. Sort of puts a crimp on the rest of his 'thoughts'.

[pipi_k]

38. With all the good drugs going around, though, I'll bet

some of them could have flown themselves through the air in two days...

:7

[Bluenorthwest]

39. Well , the Yippees did levitate the Pentagon, so anything can happen!

[Shireling]

40. PEACE

O8) Every 20 years or so, society changes. The Hippie era did a lot of good in terms of positive social change and spiritual awakening. Each generation has trouble understanding the generation that came before and the generation that comes after.

[Butch350]

41. And now, we have the likes of you. Oh boy, I am sure pumped about the future!

YAWN.