by Ed Barkum

Created on: June 07, 2008

I suppose one's perception of the decline of American culture and values would greatly depend on the age of the individual making that assessment. Those of us, who are older than fifty, are likely to have a much different view than those under thirty. For example, most baby boomers can vividly remember the fifties, when dad went to work every day to support the family, and mom didn't have to work outside the home. Family values meant sitting and eating together at suppertime, church on Sundays, parents showing genuine concern for your school grades, and maintaining respect for elders was mandatory. On the other hand, if you're between the ages of twenty and thirty-five or so, you may not fully appreciate watching a movie with no cursing, and not one steamy sex scene, or even know what it's like to live in a society where drug abuse is almost nonexistent.

So, what happened? The sixties happened!

Without question, the sixties brought about more change to the American way of life, than any other decade of the twentieth century. Most of these changes were rebellious in nature, as baby-boomers said "No" to the status quo, and created a new culture marked by dissention, rebellion, and mistrust for a repressive political system. College students routinely held demonstrations, boycotts, and rallies, protesting the social norms of the establishment, while in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district another group of young Americans; the Hippies were busy developing their own subculture, with their own brand of psychedelic music, mind altering drugs, and sexual promiscuity.

Teenagers begin to rebel against parental authority, schoolteachers, and other community leaders. Young adults engaged in communal living free from the social pressures that had been imposed on the previous generation, giving rise to the sexual revolution in this country. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases increase to alarming rates, while society watched with little concern. The use of Marijuana, LSD, and other illegal drugs became the new social norm among a large portion of America's young adults and teenagers.

Perhaps more than any other industry, the entertainment world thrived on this new way of life, this, dare I say it, new morality. Rock groups, singers, comedians, motion picture and television producers, took full advantage, and exploited the American public for all it was worth. Violence, sex, drugs use, and crime begin to dominate the movies. Sex and four-letter words slowly infiltrated

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