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?
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