The 1970's: A Journey Through the Memory of My Father

Introduction

The 1970's were an interesting decade in our nation's history, following the turmoil of the 1960's "hippie generation", many were not sure what the 1970's would hold. I am studying the 1970's to better understand what life was like for an average American during the time period. This paper will go in depth of my father's experiences in the 1970's with focus on the culture, music, protests and his views on the Vietnam War. Some would say the 1970's were boring in comparison to the 1960's but my father, Ron Deschamps, has other opinions, he recalls a time rich with unique music, culture and public opinion. He clearly remembers the turmoil brought about by the Vietnam War and how it affected him and his friends.

My Father, on a recent fishing trip,

Retrieved from Deschamps

My Father

Ronald Deschamps was born December 21, 1956. During the 1970's we aged from a boy of 15 to a man of 23. He worked many different jobs including work as a grounds keeper, work at a meat processing plant, and at a screw and bolts factory. Which in his opinion wasn't a bad job for a kid, he was making roughly $70 a week. He moved out of his parent's home in the mid part of the 1970's. He had is first son in 1977, Joshua, my stepbrother.

He was not very into fashion, he still isn't, but he has noticed a cyclical trend. Today, many of the fashions of the 1970's and the 1980's are beginning to reemerge into mainstream culture. His father also noticed this trend, "he would keep some coats in his closets from the 1930's, and in the 1970's these suit coats would be in perfect fashion"(Deschamps). His favorite memory of the 1970's was riding on his 1971 Honda cb450, which he often rode barefoot in the summer time with his friends.

A 1971 cb450 motorcycle, similar to the my father's.

Retrieved from Matt.

Unfortunately this was a time in my father's life where he was adamant about not getting his picture taken, so I have very little evidence of his hair down to his back, riding barefoot on a motorcycle days. His friends used to joke that he resembled Gregg Allman, a member of The Allman Brothers Band. My father may have resembled a hippie, but he refused to classify himself as one.

My father was said to resemble

Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band.

Retrieved from Electric Mud.

The Culture

The 1970's was a decade of hopeful revolution, or as my father puts it a time where "young people had thoughts that they could change the world"(Deschamps). As one of those hopeful youngsters, my father remembers a time when anything was possible, a time of great ideas and wishful thinking of the future, "sadly many of these idea's did not come to pass" (Deschamps). There are many people who still have ideals of the 1970’s but do not act on them in my father’s opinion. A common saying is “those who do not learn the lessons of the past are bound to repeat them” (Deschamps). Many would say that the 1970's was a time where the counterculture of the 1960's became mainstream, my father disagrees. In his opinion, "while many of the values and fads of the 1960's continued into the 1970's, the 70's had their own distinct culture rich in powerful music, protests and hope" (Deschamps).

Most noticeable difference between the 1970's and 1960's was the emergence of "conservative populism", many white middle class americans grew sick and tired of the "spoiled hippies and whining protestors", as a response these people formed a "silent majority"(History, 2011). This silent majority was a major factor in the election of President Richard Nixon into office in 1968, and the silent majority continued into the 1970s and created the "New Right" (History, 2011). The New Right "conservatives resented and resisted what they saw as government meddling" (History, 2011). Because of this New Right, the culture was much different than the culture of the 1960's, America was beginning to lean towards conservative views again.

Fashion and Fads

Although fashion was not my father’s forte, he was aware of the fads, and mentioned some of the iconic fashion trends of the 1970’s. Popular were “many of the counterculture clothing of the 1960’s, became mainstream in the 1970’s, bellbottoms, long hair and sundresses” (Deschamps). In the latter art of the decade when disco came around, my father remembers “platform shoes, and jogging suits”(Deschamps); these were some fashions that he did not partake in. The seventies were a time where “knits and denims were the fabrics of choice” (Gillis, 2010). Some other fads in the 1970’s which my father claims to have had no part in were “mood rings, lava lamps, Rubik’s cube, Sea monkeys… and pet rocks” (Gillis, 2010). These fads quickly died, you don’t see too many people nowadays with pet rocks. A pet rock was a replacement for "messy, costly and misbehaved" pets (Mondout, 2011). They sold for $3.95 each, and came with a manual and a carrying case made to look like a pet carrying case (Mondout, 2011).

A pet rock, a common fad in the 1970's.

Retrieved from Mondout

The Music

The Allman Brothers Band, specifically Duane Allman, who died in a 1971 motorcycle crash was at the top of his list of the greatest musicians of the 1970's. He also listened to Jimi Hendrix, and many of those who played at The Woodstock Festival. Rock, blues, classical, jazz, acoustic, and folk were his favorite types of music in the 1970's, he was not a fan of disco music, he believes that "true rockers were not a fan of disco and still aren't"(Deschamps). The music of the 1970’s was “raw and emotional, and it was a more personal experience than music today” (Deschamps). While he does enjoy some modern music, he is still insistent that "most of the music nowadays couldn't hold a candle to the 1970's" (Deschamps). The 1970's took many hits to rock, this was the decade when Elvis died and The Beatles broke up (Gillis, 2010). Still there were many great musicians and bands that thrived in the 1970's including, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and The Allman Brothers Band.

The top bands of the seventies of many different groups rock and roll, soft rock, country, folk music and of course disco. Some popular bands were; “Aerosmith, the Bee Gees, David Bowie… Alice Cooper, Eagles… Elton John, Led Zeppelin… Pink Floyd…and The Who” (Gillis, 2010). Also gaining a lot of momentum in the 1970’s was easy listening band like “the Carpenters and Bob Marley gained a huge core of fans in the U.S.” (Gillis, 2010).

The Vietnam War: The Older Brother War

My father was too young to be drafted into the Vietnam War, but many of his friends older brothers were sent over to Vietnam, which caused him and his friends to name the Vietnam war the "older brother war". Many of them did not make it home, the ones that did often suffered from psychological problems that persisted later in life. "All wars a waste of human life, they should have been done away with 2000 years ago"(Deschamps). Unfortunately we still have war today, and there is little we can do to stop it.

The Vietnam War “lasted longer than any other militarty conflict in American History” (Anderson, 1991). The purpose in theory was to, “ preserve a separate, independent, noncommunist government in South Vietnam” (Anderson, 1991). The Vietnam War resulted in many protests, it was a particular deadly war that cost “fifty-eight thousand American lives” (Anderson, 1991). It was also quite expensive; it cost the U.S. Treasury “over $140 billion… enough money to fund urban renewal projects in every major American city” (Anderson, 1991). The loss of life was a truly disturbing issue for many American parents. My father believes it was not the protesters that truly ended the war, it was the media coverage "people were watching there black and white TVs, having dinner, and watching soldiers load the helicopter with dead and mangled bodies. When the war ended, it was not the protesters that stopped it, it was the parents of the teenagers, who decided that this war was not going to end because of the heavy influence of politics on the war" (Deschamps). Because of the active involvement of politics in the "police action" of Vietnam, the terms of engagement would not allow victory for the United States. As a result many of the parents believed the waste of life was too great.

Conclusion

While my father did not partake in the cliché 1970’s experience, he still accomplished a lot, he worked and started a family in the latter part of the decade. He was not into fashion, or so he says, but he did enjoy the ageless music of the generation. The Vietnam War was a trying time for everyone, “there were not many people who weren’t affected by the Vietnam War” (Deschamps). It was a war with much protest, and also great loss to many families. My father experienced the 1970’s as many people did I believe, trying to make it through and provide for themselves and their loved ones. He was not a part of the counterculture or the mainstream culture, he did things in which he thought was best and it worked out pretty well for him. Through researching, and interviewing my father I have come to the realization that the in the 1970's not every one was a hippie or and avid protester. In fact there were some, my father for instance, who stayed clear of the luring counterculture and moved through decade with their eyes on the future.

For full list of interview questions click here

Works Cited

Anderson, D.L. (1991). Vietnam war. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war

Deschamps, R.P. Personal Interview. 3 May 2011.

Electric Mud. (2007, September 28). Electric mud. Retrieved from http://electricmud.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

Gillis, C. "1970-1979." (2010) American Cultural History. Retrieved fromhttp://wwwappskc.lonestar.edu/popculture/decade70.htm

History.com. (2011). The 1970's. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/1970s

Matt. (2010, May 6). Me and this motorcycle. Retrieved from http://meandthismotorcycle.blogspot.com/2010/05/1971-cb450-all-original.html

Mondout, P. (2011). 1970s fads: pet rock. Retrieved from http://www.super70s.com/super70s/culture/fads/pet_rocks.asp

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