I once had the opportunity to ask friends of my father’s if, given this generations near apathy towards the U.S. invasion of Iraq, they felt like they had failed. They were a little bewildered by the question. The successes of their generation later occurred to me. While I’d wager that, war protest or not, most hippies were probably in it for the sex and drugs, even that behavior was in complete defiance of societal standards. Even long hair was a statement against the establishment, and seeing large groups of people going against the establishment really gave a sense of something important happening. I believe we weren’t as significantly rebellious a generation for two reasons. The first being, despite very similar circumstances including the invasion of a small country and a secretive government over extending their power; there's no draft, so the war doesn't affect most people on a personal level. They may be tapping our phones but it's a horrible thing that’s happening far, far away. The second reason is that I think it’s much harder to rebel these days. Granted, it’s much easier to spread a dissident word, but a funny haircut and t-shirt against the mann just isn’t as effective as it once was. As soon as you can equip your rebel front with gear from the mall, I think you’re movement is in trouble. I’m hoping our children find something truly radical to be a part of. I honestly can’t think of anything I’d be really offended by, but maybe when my son is uploading his consciousness into a koala in protest to terrascaping Mars we can have a good old-fashion father & son/koala argument.
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