SHORT COMMUNICATION 92
Remembering The 1970s
By
Roger Behra
If you are aware and lived through American culture during the past five decades, then you remember the years 1970 to 1980. It was a very notable time period in American cultural history. Although some of the cultural changes took place in very late 1960, the changes blossomed to full bloom during the following decade. And the upheaval in thinking and actions brought about some of the worst decisions and results in American cultural history.
All those who lived the 1970s know that during the late months of 2008 the fashion designers began bringing back the styles of dress of that cultural period. It has been successful to some degree. We are seeing the bellbottom look of trousers and slacks, and the designs on the two back pockets, and the square-toed shoes, and the thick shoe soles, and the shoulder length hair styles on men. Ouch! That hair style on men certainly kicks aside the spiked and porcupine hair style that it replaces, and no one knows how long it will last.
Millions of Americans are remembering the personal appearance look of the 1970s, but what they are not remembering is this. That decade goes down in American history as the worst cultural time period ever. So, along with memory refreshment about fashions, let us refresh our memories about the worst decisions and results of that time period.
The counterculture movement was approaching full swing about 1970. The generation gap between younger and older was very wide. God and the Commandments were being greatly ignored. The music industry took on a completely new approach. Casual sex grew by leaps and bounds. Discipline in public schools deteriorated. Curriculum changes took place away from tried and true methods. Drug addiction was proliferate along with alcoholism. Ordinary politeness took a back seat. Serial killings were in the spotlight. The Vietnam War was still in full swing taking civilian and military lives. Greed gained a solid footing. Abortion, the worst of all the 1970s decisions, became legal because of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Roe vs. Wade. And the need for Catholic exorcisms from demonic affliction and possession increased very greatly.
These great and varied changes in American culture allowed evil to gain an everlasting foothold, which is going full bore today. And those changes enabled Satan to reap great advances during his 100 years of evil granted by God to try to destroy good. Satan and the cultural changes threw everything in the wrong direction. From that decade on American culture has never been the same. The living culture went from a God loving and fearing and morally acceptable and religious living culture that was sensible and well organized to an unacceptable one heading strongly in the wrong direction. It is quite painful to know how America is today compared to how America used to be. And all the current signs are that the painfulness will linger for a long time to come, because there is not a glimmer of hope that America will ever be the nation she once was, which was a nation that was culturally a great joy to God and her citizens. Indeed, the 1970s were very decisive. But that time period took America down the slippery slope that is known as our modern world.
R.B.
7-5-09