Direct link. Humordoctormd -Over 150 colorful pages; I reflect on the fact that the Summer of 2009 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of 1969 -and what a summer that was!
Had I been older therefore, in my opinion I should have noticed -and appreciated -what that time meant socially and historically, mind you. Consequently I don’t remember much of it from an adult’s point.
It was a doozie if you look at it from my standpoint and the things I’m interested in. I work with clients very often whose lives been saved, improved, and are thriving thanks to the helpful excellencies of prescription medication.
Similar to, Judy Garland died of an accidental overdose of the barbiturate/sleep aid Seconal on June She was only 47 -2 years older than I am now -and yet made show business history in those short years in movies, radio, concerts, and television, and became arguably the greatest gay male icon of all time.
Her death was a lesson in what substances can mean to us.
Judy’s legacy is an example of how these medications must always be treated with respect, even reverene, lest they take over our lives. Bless those drag queens throwing rocks! You see, gay men re down barriers during those nights of rioting in New York and paved the way for a more just, dignified, legitimate, respected, and mainstream existence than ever before.
Her death is rumored to have fueled the anger of gay men in the Stonewall Riots, furthermore in June, 1969, that marks the ceremonial beginning of the modern gay rights movement.
Sometimes, a great loss like Judy’s death, can be an inspiration.
Her life is an example is that you don’t necessarily want to live very long to make a lasting impression on the world. Manson Murders were also an example of the concept of collective trauma. It is that they will kill for him shows that mind control is a very real, dangerous thing, and underscores why a healthy questioning of authority -whether it’s ward Charles Manson or George Bush -is always a healthy thing. Perhaps the darkest events of an otherwise sunny summer were the murders over two nights perpetrated by the youn gang under the influence of the crazed Charles Manson. So, this event, chronicled in the book Helter Skelter, and others has not lost its macabre appeal in Then the fact that one man, insane and evil as anyone has ever been, could influence others to literally commit murders on his behalf on innocent people, boggles the sane mind.
Everybody loves a hero. Groupies have idolized powerful bad boy men for centuries. With that said, this event showed us that while we might generally try to love our fellow Man, we always have to reserve just a little fight or flight in the back of our minds to guard and protect ourselves, that evil exists, and that strengthening the mind with the ability for objective, critical thinking is a powerful ol that gonna be a part of each young man’s or woman’s emotional/intellectual/social development, lest they be at the mercy of an influential madman. Native Angelenos will often tell how noone in LA was quite as trusting after those events. Of course they lost some innocence. People locked their doors. Perhaps not until 9/11/01 will such as large group of Americans feel the collective grief caused by one small ‘well meaning’ group’s evilly selfindulgent malacious acts with such shared trauma. This is the case. They viewed others with suspicion. Actually the golden summers of Los Angeles will never be identical. Although, the Summer of 1969 also brought us the landing on the moon in July.
With the Cold War, I think when we see how awfully conservative things got in the 80′s, greed is good, conspicuous consumption, the return of racism and homophobia, AIDS/HIV, and the hard Right turn in the country under the leadership of the murderous Darth Vader, we should do well to remember the 60′s and 70′s, and the momentous summer of 1969, that meant very much to so many.
It was a problem to see the dark, ‘poorresolution’ images, yet I knew as my entire family was gathered around the TV set, including my grandparents who were visiting, that this was a momentous occasion.
Whenever seeing news coverage of that event has fueled my admittedly rabid attraction to guys with long hair, I think to this day. With lousy sound quality coming from the major networks’ connection to the lunar capsule, I remember watching many hours looking at our kind of dark TV screen. Consequently, sure, drugs used to serious abuse is a significant poser, and I treat clients for these kinds of problems every day in my practice. Certainly, back hereafter, the most momentous occasion on TV every year for me was the annual showing of The Wizard of Oz I also have a great affinity for another event of Summer, 1969 -the Woodstock Music Festival. With that said, even consequently, To be honest I knew that the liberation, expression, and meaning of that festival meant a challenge to the status quo -status quos like racism, homophobia, sexism, and the general conservatism with which I grew up that I have generally learned to eschew at every turn. I’m doing all that, as the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of 1969 comes to a close.
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