The protests of 1968 — symbolically, the occupation of the Columbia University buildings, the student uprisings in Paris and the street protests in Berlin — are now in danger of being denigrated as the actions of spoiled, confused, if not neurotic, students and rebellious youth who were “finding” themselves in making trivial demands of their uncomprehending and benevolent societies. An April… return to article
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Reader Comments (6)Page 1 of 1 pagesThe attempt to provoke revolutionary change is often framed as a failure as the “cracks in the edifice” are often quite small. Marcuse reminds us not to be so cynical in our analysis of 1968, to understand where the potential for a larger movement was arrested, and hints at how we might move forward. I’m not sure about Marcuse’s choice in the end to focus on Obama as an agent of change, though of course I would welcome it.
Posted by bfrancisp on Aug 2, 2008 at 4:01 PM Many who followed the 1968 generation (I graduated college in 1980) see them in fact as indulged children ‘finding themselves’ through revolutionary posturing. Consider Mr. Marcuse’s statement
“Internationally, the ‘68 protests changed the character of post-war politics, helped end the Vietnam War, and legitimized concerns about peace, welfare and democracy beyond the prevailing mainstream consensus”
It’s easier to postulate than actually argue. The 1968 protesters ushered in Pres. Nixon and six more years of war. The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia showed that it had no impact on generating peace or democracy. The nature of post-war politics was, in fact, unchanged. The French chose de Gaulle. The East Bloc kept Sovietism. The Mexican government was unchanged. The Cold War continued.
Posted by sobieski on Aug 3, 2008 at 4:07 PM I’m so depressed. Not only does this article by Peter Marcuse (son of…) conclusively disprove that evolution in the human species is inevitably progressive, but Marcuse and son equally conclusively are physical refutations of the theory of intelligent design. Back to the drawing board….
Posted by gavin on Aug 3, 2008 at 6:12 PM Puhleeeaase!!! A son of the 60’s attempts to defend the “Failure of his Fathers”. Consider a few of these contribtions of the “boomers” and their life of “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll”: Drug use and abuse to the point of death; sexual promiscuity leading to rampant STD’s and AIDS, and aborted (killed) babies; destruction of family and denegration of “family values” - see rampant divorce rates, destruction of a once world leading educational system, selling off the long fought gains of American corporations and their workers - such as strong retirement and medical benefits, and decent job security; exporting of American jobs while importing illegal aliens, destruction of our banking and financial system, bankrupting of the American government due to excess spending, bankrupt America due to excess spending, greedy lawyers destroying the true “rule of law” and prudence/respect…NEED I GO ON???? Thank you Mr. Marcuse for setting America straight! What a joke…as if the boomers were not destructive enough, NOW, we get their narcissistic, slacker kids…
Posted by JoeK on Aug 4, 2008 at 1:42 AM First, the most egalitarian advances of our time were in the 90s rather than the 60s. This was through the invention of the Internet and print-on-demand publishing. Suddenly, little people have a voice. We’re hearing the opinions of lots more people these days.
Second, not only did the left try to change society during the 60s. It changed itself. Prior to the 60s, its main goal was helping labor. Now, labor is way down the list. It comes in seventh place after (1) race, (2) gender, (3) sexual orientation, (4) the environment, (5) the Third World, and (6) the disabled.
These days I snicker when leftists try to get a class war going. How can you legitimately claim to stick up for the poor when you want gas to be $9/gallon? Giving labor such a low priority is the reason why we’ve had a string of Republican presidents. It’s because the white working class no longer trusts the left.
Posted by JFP1 on Aug 4, 2008 at 1:24 PM Gavin -
It is easy to make fun of the ridiulous.
Even so, that is surely one of the funniest things I have ever heard in my life.
Posted by scorp on Aug 5, 2008 at 9:30 PM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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