When I'se a yoot, full of salt, vinegar and idealism the whole "reason to be" was to end the Vietnam War. We all of us millions and millions of kids dressed in costumes recognizable a mile away - colorfully patched jeans, tie-dyed shirts, and coats bought dirt cheap from Army/Navy stores, and long (as you can grow it) scraggly hair.
Our symbol was the "peace" sign. Our motto "fuck the war." We smoked marijuana peace pipes from dusk til dawn, then filled 'er up again. Was a great big party we thought would never end. And it was the greatest movement in the history of America. The entire country was caught up in it, regardless of which side you were on. It was all anyone talked about - the tv shows, the news, the music, everywhere. And it went on like that for years. It was our way of life.
But when the war ended around '75 or so, our "reason to be" ended as well. The sad fact is, we no longer had "any" reason to be. And the entire Hippie movement that'd shut down the "New York state thruway" and brought down a President, was over. Not with a bang but a whimper. We scattered to the winds like dried petals of discarded flowers.
So here's the joke. For those whose entire existence is defined by race, what happens when race is no longer defined?
No comments:
Post a Comment