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That 70's Decade

 



Can a decade become a caricature? My teen years were in the 1970’s and none of us who lived through the 70’s thought our decade was going to be a figure of fun. When you are a part of it, you don’t realize what people are going to make fun of later. I think there are two reasons why people snicker when the 70’s are mentioned: clothing styles and Disco. Both things could be called extensions of trends that started in the 60’s. When the hippy styles of the 60’s became more formalized for the dance floor, the result was (in hindsight) rather bizarre. They did not seem bizarre at the time. People following present fashion trends never understand that they are wearing something that will be laughed at in ten years. Yes, I did have a pair of bell-bottom blue jeans (are they making a comeback?) The mere mention of the 1970’s conjures up someone in a ridiculous pose wearing a disco suit.

We who lived through the 70’s just went about our normal life. There were quite a lot of things that happened in the 70’s that were newsworthy: the end of the Viet Nam War (though it didn’t exactly pan out the way the politicians planned), Watergate and the resignation of a sitting President.

There were other news items that were big news at the time, but people barely remember them now: The energy crisis, the Patty Hearst kidnapping and trial, The Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis (this was the top story on the news every day for hundreds of days, but how many Millennials or Gen Z-ers even know about it?)

Disco notwithstanding, there were great artistic and cultural products of the 1970’s. This was the rise of great musical artists like Elton John, David Bowie, Carole King, Rod Stewart, Wings, Carly Simon, Donna Summer, Jim Croce, Waylon Jennings, Led Zeppelin. Willie Nelson, Fleetwood Mac, Chicago, Styx, Stevie Wonder, The Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, Charlie Rich, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Cash, Michael Jackson, and many many more, plus it was when we heard the last songs from the likes of The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, and The Doors

There were also great movies that came out in the 70’s: Rocky, The Deer Hunter, The Godfather, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sting, Patton, Chinatown, Apocalypse Now, MASH, Star Wars, Cabaret, An Unmarried Woman, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jaws, The Exorcist, etc.

So, see, a lot of good stuff and bad stuff came out of the 70’s, just like any other decade. Now, what did I do with my platform shoes?

Star Liner

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