I would venture to guess that most of the Popdose audience wasn’t even born when the radicalism of the 1960s bubbled up — yet the shadow of the 1960s is showing signs that its legacy still has some life. I don’t aim to sum up the ’60s here in one post, but one of the things that I can’t seem to get out of my mind during this presidential campaign is the language used during the ’60s, and how certain groups that form the base of the Republican Party are locked into the tone of that language today. Simply put, the language of politically active lefties, anti-war groups, civil rights, and later women’s and gay rights was the language of non-negotiable demands.

The idea was effective in its simplicity: find an injustice that’s linked to an institution. In the case of many top-notch research universities, the link was government-funded research into chemical-biological weapons conducted at a university, and its link to the Vietnam War. Then mobilize a group around said injustice and storm the gates (or a university regent meeting) and present those who represented The System a list of non-negotiable demands that essentially said “cease and desist.” If the demands weren’t met, students would picket, sit in, or go on strike to disrupt the usual functions of the institution until the administration caved.

As you can imagine, for 18-22 year olds with their heads full of idealism, taking on The Suits who are at the forefront of injustice of the world is an intoxicating thing. As the movements grew in numbers, the language became more moralistic, the tone became more strident, and ideology sharpened into a hybrid of left-libertarianism, Marxist critique of capital, and race, class and gender identity. Sure, there are some aging new lefties who still cling to that political point of view – which at the time was quite innovative. However, political conservatives are now the ones who are riding the “steady state” of a ’60s brand of non-negotiable moralism – but they have adapted it to their own issues. (more…)