3 Defining Memories From The 1970S That Shaped An Entire Generation
michelangeloop | Shuttersock If you grew up in the 1970s, you didn't just live through a decade. You absorbed it: The sounds, the TV moments, the peace signs and bell-bottoms, and the shared societal shocks (Harvey Milk, Janis Joplin, John Lennon) that defined how you learned to live. These defining memories weren't small at the time, and they're impossible to forget now.
Here are 3 defining memories from the 1970s that shaped an entire generation:
1. Puff the Magic Dragon of Peace
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CEO of the Marriage Forum, Susan Allan, recalls the incredible gift of the hippies, which started in the late 1960s and created the cultural current of the '70s. This was the idea of the Love In and the Be In. Before the Summer of Love paved the way for something different, men competed with men for jobs and earnings, and women competed with women for their men. That was it for lifestyle choices.
It was truly unimaginable that anyone could throw out the entire paradigm so quickly. And while many people criticize the drugs used by the hippies, research makes it clear that it was the simple act of getting stoned that allowed people to move out of their ego and into their hearts, and it has been part of our culture ever since.
2. Woodstock and free love
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Youth culture entered the 70s still high on free love, drugs, and the Woodstock experience, which anointed so many rock stars into immortals in the eyes of their generation, according to therapist Dr. Gloria Brame, Ph.D. Just one year after Woodstock, rock icons Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin died of drug overdoses in 1970, and Jim Morrison passed away in 1971. The Woodstock dream of eternal love and happiness in a collective environment was over.
Free Love wasn't really free since women were learning that liberation often meant expectations of promiscuity. A lot of drugs could kill you and killed some of the most famous people. The land around Woodstock was trashed, which forced a reckoning about our impact on the earth.
Yet, people found new causes to fight for. Women's Liberation, Gay Liberation, and Black Power movements exploded almost simultaneously in the early '70s to create the groundwork for many human rights campaigns in the U.S. By the mid '70s, Disco emerged from gay clubs, funk from Black pride, and women's music festivals from feminism. This taught us a most valuable lesson. When one revolution fails, you don't stop fighting. You just change tactics.
The '70s generation learned you may lose your heroes and innocence, but you must keep dancing, singing, and believing in something. The ability to rebuild hope from the ashes of disappointment shaped a generation that knew how to endure, reinvent their lives, and persist.
3. The Battle of the Sexes
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Intuitive life coach Ronnie Anne Ryan vividly remembers the amazing Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. "I still celebrate this win for Women's Lib of that time," explains Ryan. "It still counts for women today, too. I watched it with my mom, and we were so excited when Billie Jean won. It was a total and memorable thrill with lasting power."
Will Curtis is YourTango's expert editor. Will has over 14 years of experience as an editor covering relationships, spirituality, and human interest topics.
