Writing assignment: In what senses was the world a dangerous place in the 1960s and 1970s?
The world has always been a dangerous place, I think I should start with that statement. Nowadays we are faced with disease, the threat of war, dangerously cultural schisms, drug abuse and crime. This is effectively the same in the 60’s and 70’s, might I add! History, as they say, has a habit of repeating itself.
But just HOW was it (the world) dangerous? Consider the worldviews of the time: Karl Marc was known for stating religion as a drug, but progressives in the United States (during the Wilson administration) called school a drug, as it kept everyone satisfied and obedient. Public school education became more extensive, students became delayed from the workforce for social engineering. (Europe was *less affected by this, but still felt the heat of such a changing world stage)
Assassination and terrorism would be a good example to bring up. The Kennedy assassination of 1963 struck fear and suspicion into the population of the U.S. (and all those that were influenced by the U.S., which back in the 60’s and 70’s was the ENTIRE WORLD), losing the state much confidence. Racial conflict and cultural revolution was prevalent all across the world, Asia was facing multiple Communist/Socialist revolutions (that all escalated into catastrophic chess-game wars between the Soviets and ‘States) such as the Vietnam War. Chemical warfare was growing as a destructive industry, such as the Agent Orange project, the aforementioned chemical was sprayed on Vietnamese forests to wipe out vegetation, the dangerous toxins ravaged anything exposed to it and killed millions. Its dangers were only admitted in the 90s.
Drugs brought terror to “the homefront”, with the CIA’s failed truth serum LSD, used for the hallucinogenic elements that were discovered, so people found a market for it. Alternatively, there was a revival of free-market thought, so overall a widespread confusion of the American stance on society and politics.
Overall, while the world only had different dangers, Earth, will all its countries and different people, will always have some kind of conflict.
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