1970

[H2O Man]

[Echo In Light]

1. K/R + photos

[Greyhound]

2. K&R, I'm sorry that so few see any relevance.

We've become such a sad and pathetic people.
:kick: & R

[havocmom]

4. The America I thought I knew

died with them. Haven't been the same since. Awake since then. And sad.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

29. It was the killing blow for many, following the assassinations...

of JFK, MLK and RFK. I remember thinking..."now they're killing us." It was the end of so much, for so many.


Vietnam; Kent State Massacre May 4, 1970 :cry:

[barbtries]

44. i was 14

going on 15. the older sister of a friend told us about it, breathlessly, angrily.

[rtassi]

47. Agreed ... n/t

[Hekate]

65. Yes. I was 22, and it seemed like the killing in this country would never end.

:cry:
May they rest in peace. May their families find peace.

Hekate

[liberation]

67. It was the touchstone of the de facto war on the left waged by American reactionaries for over 25 yr

after the New Deal. FDR's policies had proven to be such a success that alarm and panic had captivated the old American classist guard. Remember that a lot of old money people made no bones at labeling both FDR and his wife to be "traitors" to their own class.

History has proven that American conservative elitism did not only recover, but they regained and even increased the strong hold they once held on our society/country. And a lot of people in this country are still in denial regarding the virulence and extremes this small elite minority are willing to go in order to preserve their power. We can pretend the killings of JFK, RFK, and MLK were "isolated" incidents all we want, while turning a blind eye at the fact that right wing leaders were miraculously spared from that "coincidental" barrage of bullets.

It is no coincidence that after muzzling effects of Kent state, and the destruction of McGovern's campaign (again, a lot of people ignore that Watergate involved that campaign when they croon about leftist candidatures not being viable in this country)... the right in this country has felt confident enough to declare open seasons on any major political candidate/platform trying to be remotely liberal.


This country was turned to the right not on our own devices, but using brute force to take the turn. A lot of people forget that.

[bertman]

100. I had never thought of it that way, liberation, but I think you have it right.

[raccoon]

117. Great post. I've noticed that too, about the assassinations,

"We can pretend the killings of JFK, RFK, and MLK were "isolated" incidents all we want, while turning a blind eye at the fact that right wing leaders were miraculously spared from that "coincidental" barrage of bullets. "

I know there have been attempts on right wing leaders, but seems they are usually unsuccessful. Coincidence? :tinfoilhat:

[dotymed]

124. A few years, and many tears later

reagan sold the content of the MSM "news" to the highest bidder. Propaganda is a very powerful weapon. All of our "problems" (reasoning and thinking) were solved. "unfettered, free market capitalism" was the answer we had been seeking the whole time.
:sarcasm:

[tonysam]

5. I suspect a large number of people here have no memory of it

I was fifteen when it happened, and I watched the news reports with my mother on television.

[Oilwellian]

31. I was fifteen as well

And a day I will never forget. So senseless.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

61. Hi there 1955 model babies!!!

I was in the tenth grade (I started school a year early).
Scared hell out of all of us.

A friend of mine (I met years later) was already enrolled for the fall '70 semester at Kent State after high school.

She canceled and went to Bowling Green State instead.

[Patchuli]

88. I too am a '55 model

and I am still as shocked today at 55 as I was at 15. How could they??????????!!!!!!!

And I know confused conservative types that think I'm crazy for fearing my own govt...

[BanzaiBonnie]

123. Born in 1955 - just 15 years old at the time of Kent State

and it was a huge part of my awakening to the politics of the time. It was the year I became active in local politics. National politics were too big for me to reach for at that point, but I knew where my local politicians lived.

[shireen]

69. well, some of us have valid reasons for that ....

some people are too young to remember it, some weren't even born yet. And most immigrants like me did not know about it because we were not living here at the time.

The only reason i know about Kent State is because of DU. But if Echo had not posted the photos, i would not have understood the significance of the tombstone because i did not recognize the names. (And the words Kent State at the bottom is hard to read.)

The memories of the innocent young people who lost their lives need to be kept alive so people like me (naturalized citizens) and younger people will know what happened and how it was a turning point in American society and politics. We rely on people like you, Echo, the OP, and others in this thread who remember to keep talking about it.

Thank you ....

:grouphug:

[secondwind]

9. Jeffrey's mom posted on DU yesterday, a beautiful, beautiful tribute to her son....

[kath]

50. That was not Jeffrey's mom - a DU'er posted an article written by Jeffrey's mom.

If someone posts an OP with a *link* at the bottom, it usually means that the text in the OP came from the LINK, and was not written by the DUer posting it here for our edification.

[gateley]

11. Heartbreaking on so many levels. nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

60. I was in high school. My dad grew up in NE Ohio.

His brother and sister lived there all their lives. Uncle lived in Cuyahoga Falls, and Aunt lived in Ashtabula.

The governor did a fine job of ignoring the whole thing.

[PSzymeczek]

90. I was a junior in high school

in West Central/SW Ohio. I think this is the event that triggered my questioning.

[tonysam]

3. Archive of the massacre from Kent State

for those wanting to research it further:

Kent State 1970

[barbtries]

thank you for the link

[Beetwasher]

6. Tin Soldiers And Nixon's Coming

n/t

[Karenina]

72. Studio version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SswXJX6X-ow

[Flaneur]

7. This is worth a kick.

And don't forget the students killed at Jackson State, either.

[foxfeet]

8. I was walking across the Mall at Purdue when I got the news from another student.

I still remember that moment with crystal clarity. K&R.

[mistertrickster]

28. Yeah, Purdue. That hotbed of student apathy. I graduated there in 78. nt

[foxfeet]

30. Yeah, Purdue was perhaps a bit less apathetic in 1970, but not by much.

[proteus_lives]

54. My mom was at Purdue when she heard the news too.

And I was at Purdue when 9/11 happened.

And get this, my grandfather was at Purdue when they got the news about Pearl Harbor.

[foxfeet]

55. My dad was there when Pearl Harbor was announced.

And enlisted soon after-- Army Air Corps in the Pacific.

[proteus_lives]

57. So did my grandfather.

U.S. Navy--served on carriers in the Pacific for the whole war.

[Patchuli]

89. My Papa

was flying in an unarmed B-17 from San Diego to Honolulu when the Japanese attacked. Yoiks...!

[Blue_In_AK]

10. That was a horrible day.

I'll never forget it.

[livetohike]

12. Allison Krause graduated from a rival high school just

five miles from mine. I was a Sr. in 1970 and just one month from graduation day. There was a lot of coverage in our local paper the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, especially about Allison since she was a hometown girl.

Thank you for starting this thread.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. damn I feel old.

Yes, children, there was a time when the POTUS used the military to kill armed
students.
And Kent state happened AFTER the 1968 Chicago riots.

[caraher]

17. you mean UNarmed students?

[dixiegrrrrl]

48. Oh shit. YES. I meant UNARMED students. can't believe I made that typo.

Thanks for catching that.

[pinboy3niner]

20. You're not alone . . .

In '68 I was at Ft. Jackson, SC, on alert to take a contingency riot control unit to Chicago. Fortunately, we were not sent.

May 4, 1970, I was in an army hospital after being wounded in Vietnam. When we got the news from Ohio, I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness . . . and outrage. How could they send troops onto a college campus with LIVE ammunition? It was all so senseless . . .

R.I.P.

[Mopar151]

43. That's what my Dad said

"Who the fuck gave those fools live ammunition?" I was 13 then... Dad was a Purple Heart vet of WW2. Call it what you will - End of Innocence, The Day Democracy Died - the world is a sadder place since.

[county worker]

39. Jim Rhodes used the guard.

[PSzymeczek]

92. And his poll numbers went up

after the slaughter. Disgusting.

[G_j]

14. RIP

that was the year I graduated HS, but it seems like yesterday.

[AnArmyVeteran]

15. Four Dead in Ohio

Where are all the singer/songwriters? It seems as if anyone with a gift to write songs or sing don't possess the same social consciousness that inspired so many singers in the 60s and 70s. So many artists were leaders of the movement to end the Vietnam War. Why are today's singers so silent? Have they all sold out their beliefs, in exchange for wealth?

Are there any singers who write about the injustices of today? Where are they?

[Jokinomx]

23. You are correct to a point...

The times were different... however there have been some great political songs written.... especially during the pResident years b4 Obama. The difference is the media itself in my opinion. The largest markets wouldn't play those songs ... just look at what happened to the Dixie Chicks and all they said was they were sorry for some of the decisions of our pResident.

You can find them on youtube... it isn't hard to find them.

:toast: to all those that died trying to make a positive difference in our country. In the end I believe they did.

[Hissyspit]

25. Mainstream media censorship, supported by the general population.

There was A LOT of anti-Bush, anti-Iraq war music put out of the past decade, but it wasn't allowed to be heard.

In 1970, when "Ohio" was rush-released by CSN&Y, there were AM stations that would not play it, but enough would so that the single made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It helped that CSN&Y's "Teach Your Children" had already been released and were STILL on the charts at the time of the "Ohio" release.

[Grinchie]

49. What the General Population isn't spoon fed never happens.

American's in General are so naive and gullible when it comes to reality that it's sickening. As long as they have food that tastes good, a TV that regurgitates nominally entertaining, corporate sponsored partial facts while prioritizing the Corporate mantra of consumption and stupidity, and so called "New and Improved Labor Saving Devices" to replace the Axe and those horrible blisters, with a poorly made, mass produced machine that requires gas, oil, tools, training, maintenance, repair, accessories, safety equipment, and in many cases, more expensive medical treatment in the event of an accident.

Americans gobble it up, because manual labor is no longer a part of a healthy lifestyle, and who would be caught dead swinging an Axe when the Jone's have a fancy Chain Saw, branded with Nascar. It's just a side effect of the almost complete control Corporate America has over the imagination of the citizens.

The only way people will be able to break out of this malignant, docile acceptance is by actually taking an interest in History. People need to have the fortitude to actually question the corporate message, and verify it personally for themselves.

Unfortunately, if it requires actually performing some physical labor that may result in a few aches of pain while our bodies adapt to a new way of moving, forget it. People would rather pop a Vicodin instead of learning to do the task correctly.

The 70's was a time when the Government was able to scare the hell out of Americans, especially witht he help of the Arab's and the Oil Embargo.. Does anyone remember that either? This link puts a lot of what was going on in perspective, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis

Nixon...

[kgnu_fan]

26. Come and tune in here...

Tune in kgnu.org ... or 88.5 FM and 1390 AM Boulder/Denver ... Here are some cool music young people are doing now!!!

Flobots - Rise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvVO6Y-3CM8&feature=channel


MC Yogi - be the change u want to see
**this link does not work on here at DU but you can still search and play it on Youtube...


We got really cool music, we are really tuned into and have been supporting artists with social consciousness and talents, before any commercial stations do!!!

[Hissyspit]

64. I love "Handlebars"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLUX0y4EptA

[kgnu_fan]

97. They are so amazing. They played with RATM during DNC

Denver's own!!!!

Their new one is also cool!!!

Flobots - White Flag Warrior ft. Tim McIlrath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsgbb23z27w&feature=channel

[Mopar151]

53. Green Day, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against the Machine

RATM, shut off by the police at the Republican Convention 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kokVqHl1aIo
Killing in the name
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkuOAY-S6OY&feature=related
Take the power back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeKw9W7Rsnw&feature=related


Bulls on parade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=521iq2gQuB4

U2 - Bullet the Blue Sky (dirty wars, exploitative religion, contras/coke)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J2uYVdC6S4

Bruce Cockburn - Rocket launcher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOjHior0RfU
Dream like mine (HQ - loads slow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eG23MqIMos
Midnight Oil - Blue sky Mine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nehTQIhw0-U
And an oldie, not well known - John Prine's "Paradise", by Bluegrass harmony masters Jim & Jessie - this one is factually very accurate as to names, places, even the strip-mining shovel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeDWJqvpat0

[Patchuli]

91. Michael Franti

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01FE9cPXE3M

http://www.iknowimnotalone.com/

[madmax]

94. I definately hear you!

CSNY, Joan Baez and others had convictions and beliefs that they used to for the greater good. To inspire, maybe today it's just about a groupies, the Grammy, and big bucks.

[LibDemAlways]

35. Me too. 40 years ago. Unbelievable.

[Octafish]

16. Pain that never ceases.

And all the money in the world can not restore even a single life.

[Soylent Brice]

18. K&R

[robertpaulsen]

19. Did you read kainah's post about this four years ago?

With her permission, I reprinted it on my blog today to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the tragedy at Kent State. It's well worth the read.

"They Just Started Shooting Us Down" -- Kent State
http://americanjudas.blogspot.com/2010/05/they-just-started-shooting-us-down-kent.html

[MkapX]

21. Kent

Graduated from Kent State in 2007..even today it's still pretty tragic. Kent's online newspaper has sequence of events


http://kentwired.com/may-4-sequence-of-events/

[Octafish]

58. A .22 caliber casing.

Thank you for the article, my Friend.

[malaise]

115. Kent State shattered all my illusions

about America.

[SpookyCat]

22. Also never forget Jackson State, 1970.

I only learned about this a few years ago. I've heard about Kent State all my life (I was 2 in 1970) but had never heard of the murders at Jackson State.

http://www.may41970.com/Jackson%20State/jackson_state_may_1970.htm

Peace to all who were there and those still mourning.

Never again.

[Hissyspit]

24. Jackson State - Blood and Bullet Casings on the Floor:

[FailureToCommunicate]

66. And those rooms that are all shot up was a women's dorm! The kids shot (in the back)

we nearby and moving away from the police.

I STILL vividly remember the bitter comments from my high school friends (black) who wondered why the news media barely mentioned THOSE shootings.

No police were ever prosecuted for the shootings...

Jackson State link: <http://www.may41970.com/Jackson%20State/jackson_state_may_1970.htm>

Damn Vietnam War, damn Nixon, damn rightwing, racist police...



(Thanks for the photos, Hissyspit)

[PSzymeczek]

93. They figured that as long as they had killed white kids,

they might as well kill some black kids, too.

[kgnu_fan]

27. I think we learned a lot during the last 40 years and we carry on forward

Never give up

[SidDithers]

32. There are a few DU threads that have stayed with me through the years...

this was one of them:

Tin Soldiers and We are Coming (Kent State today)

Sid

[conscious evolution]

34. Wish I could K&R that link

[benld74]

33. I was only a Frosh in High School and I was riveted to the TV watching the reports at night,,,

[fishwax]

36. k/r

:kick:

[paparush]

37. We're finally on our own.

[jumptheshadow]

38. Makes me tear up thinking about it

I was on the campus of the University of Missouri, which was relatively quiet compared to the coastal universities. But the wave of anger generated by these killings roiled our sleepy town and changed the course of history. I think they still have a peace memorial somewhere near Francis Quadrangle that was dedicated after the Kent State killings.

[noiretextatique]

40. rip

i was 12 when this happened, but i remember it vividly.

[HughMoran]

41. K&R

[myrna minx]

42. .

[gaijinlaw]

45. I was not even a year old at the time.

But I was there for the memorial march on the twentieth anniversary. (Can it be 20 years already?) I remember shuddering a bit when I saw the bullet holes in that metal sculpture.

[suffragette]

46. K&R

In memorium

[Me.]

51. K & R

[Faygo Kid]

52. Never forget. I won't.

Finishing up freshman year at college. Less than two weeks before, first Earth Day - dogs in bandanas, Frisbies on the mall, beautiful sunny day. May 4 and 5 - dreary, gray, and the mood was somber and angry. The university shut down. They nearly all did.

[dflprincess]

56. We had our monthly "fun" lunch at the office today and I was surprised

when our director brought it up (he's such a corporate kind of guy and I would think he might have been in junior high in 1970 - if that old).

What horrified me were the people in their 30s who had no idea what we were talking about - though several of us in our 50s broke out in "Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming.."

I was horrified later in the lunch when it was discovered that the same 30 somethings all think Arizona's new law is just fine. Even the Boomers who were there that I know vote Republican were horrified by it.

[MadMaddie]

59. The 30 somethings think it is all right for police to stop you for

any reason. Their belief is if you are doing nothing wrong then why would you be worried. They don't mind being spied on, or their phone calls listened to.....

I just shake my head because I have tried to explain it to them......they don't get it. They have had very spoiled lives and have never sufferred through tragic times.

They are so unremoved from our military going and fighting these wars.....

They are anti - union.....

They don't want to pay taxes.....they don't care about those less fortunate than them. Yet they go to church every Sunday.....

One even told me that people are unemployed because they want to be.....if they want to get health insurance they can. This kid went from HS, College to work....never been laid off, never been fired....had health insurance the whole time.

They watch Faux noise exclusively.......

The other thing that roils me is the believe "Unconditionally" in businesses and that businesses can self-regulate. Even in the face of the Coal mine disasters and the Oil disasters....

[liberation]

71. I am in my very early 30s.... and I think your generalization is more a baby boomer projection

than a reflection of reality.

See how generalizations suck?

[MadMaddie]

101. Actually I am 44 and I work with several 25-36 year olds

and we argue every day about these issues. I should have defined that a portion of 30 somethings believe these things.

I will also add these co-workers are of different backgrounds and all Republicans.

I know there are many like you who actually are able to see through the bullshit and figure out things for yourself...My apologies!

[wickerwoman]

109. I'm 33 and none of my peers understand why I refuse to carry ID.

I guess my generation is just used to pissing in cups on command and producing papers whenever they're demanded.

Obviously it's not all of us, but I've gotten into actual vehement arguments with peers who don't understand that you are not legally required to carry ID in the US and there is a very good reason for it.

[MadMaddie]

126. You just reminded me they believe that it is the law to carry id

or a drivers license. We are in the state of WA...I am going to look that up.

[bluesmail]

62. Although I was not near, it does have a forever memory in my mind. Awful. Unforgiveable. (eom)

[Manifestor_of_Light]

63. Thanks for the reminder.

I'm gonna light four candles on my altar
which has Kwan Yin, Medicine Buddha, and Dancing Shiva statues.

I also have a chai pendant I will put there.

[The Wizard]

68. Nixon wanted to end

student anti war demonstrations, and he did.

[moondust]

107. And it did have a chilling effect.

As I remember it, things got real quiet real fast.

[kgnu_fan]

70. My heart is still so wounded after many years

Neil Young - Ohio - Live at Massey Hall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV0rAwk4lFE&feature=related

to think that our military would kill own people

[Hekate]

73. Link to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young singing "Ohio"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-EqF7p7aGU&feature=related
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Ohio (Neil Young)

http://www.dailypaul.com/node/133524
Tribute page with
KSU Rare audio recording of command to fire

[Hissyspit]

75. Wow, that live version was recorded the week they first recorded it!

(assuming the date attribution is correct)

Notice the audience does not react like it is a familiar song.

[Bluenorthwest]

74. I was 10

I'll never forget the day. Of course, by then I was pretty used to the fact that my country was filled with violent deaths and out of control police.

[Vox_Reason]

76. Four dead in Ohio

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been gone long ago

What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

[scarletwoman]

77. The Empire strikes back. I was already 20 years old then.

I will always remember how much mainstream Americans HATED - absolutely HATED, LOATHED, REVILED the war protestors.

It wasn't just the people in power, it wasn't just the Masters of War, it was the everyday Americans who would NOT tolerate, would NOT for one moment entertain the notion that what we doing in Vietnam was perhaps not right.

They won. The ones who HATED the anti-war protestors won. Don't ever fall for the fantasy that the anti-war protests got us out of Vietnam. That wasn't how it happened.

The Masters of War who run the Empire decided in their own good time that they could bend the world to their will in even more subtle and deadly ways than just crude simple warfare.

The Empire won, and it has won ever since.

sw

[rosesaylavee]

78. Still very very very senselessly sad. n/t

[ThatsMyBarack]

79. I'd only just been conceived then.

Still...what a senseless tragedy.

[msedano]

80. Nixon believed in equal opportunity murder of war protestors.

three at Kent State. White kids
ten days later,
Jackson State. 2 black kids shot dead, 12 wounded, 1 dormitory shot to Hell.
a few months later, August 29,
East Los Angeles. 1 journalist decapitated with a tear gas round, 1 young man shot by police, 1 14-year old, shot by police. Thousands routed in a police riot. Chicanos.

where have all the protestors gone, with Iraq and Afghanistan dragging on?

[TheCentepedeShoes]

81. I was a Sr at Texas Tech

Monday 05-04-70 was the start of finals
Univ of Chicago shut down and a friend's younger sister came down to spend a few days

[KoKo]

82. It's Gone..Memories of the "elders" ....US...

Not going to be anything to them beyond us. Thanks for trying.

Glad to see you...sorry it's in these terrible times. Always there's a bright lit candle..........

[KoKo]

83. Also..."The Millenial Generation" (a force to be contended with..almost as large as Boomers)

Communication and interaction

The Millennial Generation, like other generations, has been shaped by the events, leaders, developments and trends of its time.<42> The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as email, texting, and IM and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, and MySpace may explain the Millennials' reputation for being somewhat peer-oriented due to easier facilitation of communication through technology. This trend of communication is continuing into Generation Z.

Expression and acceptance has been highly important to this generation. In China, with a total population of a billion people, the urge to stand out and be individualistic has become a staple of the Chinese youth culture<43>. Elsewhere, mainly in more well-developed nations, several cohorts of Generation Y members have found comfort in online gaming such as through MMORPGs and virtual worlds like World of Warcraft and Second Life<44>. Flash mobbing, internet meme, and online communities have given some of the more expressive Generation Y members acceptance, while online pen pals have given the more socially timid individuals acceptance as well<45>. Generation Y is more radically and culturally tolerant than previous generations<46>. The majority of Generation Y is culturally liberal<47> with many respecting same-sex marriage rights to the LGBT community<48> among other politically liberal stances, but, in spite of the new dominant liberal growth, new youth clubs and groups have been created in developed countries (such as the US, UK, Japan, Australia and Italy) to take the task of promoting and preserving conservative views and beliefs.
Peter Pan Generation

This generation is also sometimes referred to as the Boomerang Generation or Peter Pan Generation because of their perceived penchant for delaying some of the rites of passage into adulthood longer than most generations before them, and because of a trend toward living with their parents for longer than recent generations.<49>

The primary cause of this increased trend can be defined in economic terms.<50> Economic crises, including the dot-com bubble in 2000, and the United States housing bubble that led to the current financial crisis have made paying market-level rent, or any rent, difficult for a generation riddled with high unemployment levels.<51>

However, economics is not the only explanation. Questions regarding a clear definition of what it means to be an adult also impacts a debate about delayed transitions into adulthood. For instance, one study by professors at Brigham Young University found that college students are more likely now to define "adult" based on certain personal abilities and characteristics rather than more traditional "rite of passage" events.<52> Dr. Larry Nelson, one of the three Marriage, Family, and Human Development professors to perform the study, also noted that some Millennials are delaying the transition from childhood to adulthood as a response to mistakes made by their parents. "In prior generations, you get married and you start a career and you do that immediately. What young people today are seeing is that approach has led to divorces, to people unhappy with their careers. The majority want to get married--they just want to do it right the first time, the same thing with their careers." <52>
Pop culture

The Millennials grew up amidst a time during which the internet caused great change to all traditional media. Shawn Fanning, a Generation Y member, founded the peer to peer file sharing service Napster while in college. Though the RIAA won a lawsuit and shut down the service in 2001, as a result of these innovations in technology the Millennials had access to music essentially for free, eroding the traditional album format and much of the cultural distinctions based on musical genre found in prior generations. Since a large, diverse music collection could be acquired for free, there was no need to restrict one's familiar listening habits to a favorite musical style or two.

Literature and pop culture of the 1990s and 2000s popular with Gen Y include Goosebumps (childhood)<53>, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and numerous fan fiction pieces to popular franchises to name a few<54>.

In some ways, the Millennials have become seen as the ultimate rejection of the counterculture that began in the 1960s and persisted in the subsequent decades through the 1990s.<55><56> This is further documented in Strauss & Howe's book titled Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, which describes the Millennial generation as Civic Minded, rejecting the attitudes of the Baby Boomers and Generation X.<57> Kurt Andersen, the prize winning contributor to Vanity Fair writes in his book Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America writes that many among the Millennial Generation view the 2008 election of Barack Obama as uniquely theirs, and he writes about this generational consensus building as being more healthy and useful than the counterculture protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s, going as far to say that if Millennials can "keep their sense of entitlement in check, they might just turn out to be the next Greatest Generation".<58> However due to the Global financial crisis of 2008-2009 this generation is also beginning to be compared to the Lost Generation of the early 20th century.<59>
Digital technology

In their 2007 book, Junco and Mastrodicasa expanded on the work of Howe and Strauss to include research-based information about the personality profiles of Millennials, especially as it relates to higher education. They conducted a large-sample (7,705) research study of college students. They found that Next Generation college students were frequently in touch with their parents and they used technology at higher rates than people from other generations. In their survey, they found that 97% of students owned a computer, 94% owned a cell phone, and 56% owned an MP3 player. They also found that students spoke with their parents an average of 1.5 times a day about a wide range of topics.<60> Other findings in the Junco and Mastrodicasa survey included that 76% of students used instant messaging, 92% of those reported multitasking while IMing, and 40% of students used television to get most of their news and 34% the Internet. This generation spends at least 3.5 hours a day online.<61>

In June 2009, Nielsen released the report, "How Teens Use Media" which discussed the latest data on media usage by generation Y. In this report, Nielsen set out to redefine the dialogue around media usage by the youngest of Gen Y, extending through working age Gen Y and compared to Gen X and Boomers.<62>


"The Spirit of Generation Y", a 2006 Australian study, found 48% of those polled believed in a god, while 20% did not believe in a god and 32% were unsure if a god exists.<63> A 2005 American study looked at 1,385 people aged 18 to 25 and found that 23% of those studied do not identify themselves as belonging to a religious denomination. However, more than half of those in the study said they pray regularly before a meal while a third said they talk about religion with friends, attend places of worship, and read religious materials weekly.<64>
Workforce

Economic prospects for the Millennials have worsened due to the Late-2000s recession. Several governments have instituted major youth employment schemes out of fear of social unrest such as the 2008 Greek riots due to the dramatically increased rates of youth unemployment.<65> In Europe youth unemployment levels are very high (40% in Spain, 35% in the Baltic states, 19.1% in Britain<66> and more than 20% in many more) In 2009 leading commentators began to worry about the long term social and economic effects of the unemployment.<67> Unemployment levels in other areas of the world are also high, with the youth unemployment rate in the U.S. reaching a record level (18.5%, July 2009) since the statistic started being gathered in 1948.<68> In Canada, unemployment amongst youths aged 15 to 24 years of age in July 2009 was 15.9%, the highest it had been in 11 years.<69>

Generation Y who grew up in Asian countries show different preferences and expectations of work to those who grew up in the US or Europe. This is usually attributed to the differing cultural and economic conditions experienced while growing up.<70>

The Millennials are sometimes called the "Trophy Generation", or "Trophy Kids,"<71> a term that reflects the trend in competitive sports, as well as many other aspects of life, where "no one loses" and everyone gets a "Thanks for Participating" trophy and symbolizing a perceived sense of entitlement. It has been reported that this is an issue in corporate environments.<71> Some employers are concerned that Millennials have too great expectations from the workplace and desire to shape their jobs to fit their lives rather than adapt their lives to the workplace.<72> To better understand this mindset, many large firms are currently studying this conflict and are trying to devise new programs to help older employees understand Millennials, while at the same time making Millennials more comfortable. For example, Goldman Sachs conducts training programs that use actors to portray Millennials who assertively seek more feedback, responsibility, and involvement in decision making. After the performance, employees discuss and debate the generational differences they have seen played out"<71>

MORE OF THIS AT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

84. I was still in my mother's womb (born in Sept. 1970).

[kgnu_fan]

85. Keep memory alive. do not forget, history is important!

Crosby, Stills, Nash - Déjà Vu (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ezX9w4JwE&feature=related

[blue sky at night]

86. this was the tide that turned the sentiment....

against the war for good...unfortunately it ruined my life as far as any respect for the USA....I have never regained it either, I am one of the haters. My mother said "good! it's about time they shot them"...when it happened about 6 miles from my house. Imagine a mother that thinks it's a good thing when people's children die because they hated war and DICK Nixon. God, I hated that fucker, and any other politician with the "r" behind their name...see I am ruined, a hater, but they did this to me. Imagine a resident of a Country who is ashamed of most of what it does!

[calico1]

87. I was 12 but I remember it well.

I wonder from time to time what they might have been doing today had they lived.
Wasn't one of them in the ROTC?

And I understand one of the women was in a parking lot either taking out or putting some books in her trunk.

Yet the Guard said they were acting in self defense.

[Redstone]

95. Thank you.

Redstone

[unc70]

96. Suddenly, we were all Kent State students.

(Modified from an earlier post.)

Our bad dreams had become nightmares starting at the beginning of 1968. It seemed they would never stop. Kent State and Jackson State were the final horrors of my senior year at Carolina. Suddenly, we were all Kent State students.

And many of us could have also been the National Guard troops. I was lucky (lottery) enough to have avoided being drafted, but most of my peers were either drafted, enlisted, joined the NG, or had already served.

UNC Chapel Hill went on strike, building upon an already-scheduled anti-war protest, and we stayed out on strike through the end of the academic year. Many of us graduated late, commencement barely happened. We were in collective mourning; in many ways, we still are.

This weekend I will attend my 40th class reunion. Lewis Black (also UNC'70) sent out a list of alleged events for our class this weekend: a campus protest demonstration; a peace vigil on Franklin Street; occupying South Building (admin). They seem more-relevant than most of the actually planned events. Maybe we will do like we did at our 25th and take over some of the sessions and redirect them.

We will not forget, even if we could.

[kgnu_fan]

102. we will not forget nt

[struggle4progress]

98. I woke up that morning, still an idealistic child, but went to sleep that night a bitter old man

[JohnnyLib2]

99. I still want to yell "NO!" at that news and the memory.

Awful, heartbreaking, infuriating day.

[Silver Swan]

103. I remember it well.

It was a day after my 24th birthday.

I read the headline and I got a sick feeling, like I got after reading the Painted bird, by Jerzy Kosinski--a sort of hopeless feeling about the human capacity for senseless violence and cruelty.

[kgnu_fan]

104. kick before i go to bed....

[Bluebear]

105. Four dead in Ohio.

[Neoconstipated]

106. Two members of the band Devo were there

The Wonkette has more:

http://wonkette.com/415201/happy-40th-anniversary-eve-kent-state-massacre-devo-was-there

[The_Casual_Observer]

108. That was the end of the Vietnam War.

After that there was no more bullshit.

[DesertDiamond]

110. Thank you for this!

[Raksha]

111. My daughter has a post about Kent State on her blog.

http://wildandserene.blogspot.com/2010/05/kent-state.html

I was 24 years old at the time, and it was eight years before she was born. She says among other things:

"Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Kent State shootings, which like Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, is one of those things that I've known about for years without knowing anything about it. We just finished reorganizing our kitchen in honor of our new roommates, who moved in last weekend and needed a place to put their noodles and nutmeg, and as I stood at the sink washing out about thirty empty spice bottles that are destined at some point to be reused to hold herbal tinctures or lotions, I heard Ms. Goodman interviewing Alan Canfora, one of the students who was hit by live ammunition when the National Guard opened fire on a demonstration against the war in Cambodia on the campus of that infamous Ohio University.


"I always knew that the Guardsmen had opened fire on student protesters in 1970; what I didn't know, strangely enough, was that they had hit them. That, in fact, four kids between the ages of 19-25 were killed, and nine more wounded. One paralyzed for life."

Now she knows. I wonder how her father and I could have neglected to tell her that four students had been killed, and that it was one of those events that changed our relationship to the PTB forever. I guess somehow, incredible as it may seem, we took it for granted that "everyone" knew and would always know.

I'm going to send her the link to this post, so she can see the memorial stone to the Kent State martyrs. I know she'll appreciate that.

[Warren Stupidity]

112. thank you

[90-percent]

113. randomonium

Frank Zappa, my hero of 39 years, didn't do too many protest songs. Here's a cover of one of them by the 2008 Tubes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0fLcv0I8ZE

The song was written about the 1965 or 66 Watts riots in LA

I'm a car guy and thanks to the internets I found some recollections from the Hot Rodders that were working on Craig Breedloves land speed cars in the neighborhoods while the riots were taking place. In short, they were spared because of their local neighborhood connections.

Lastly, I went to Buffalo State College from 76 to 79. I joined a reformed national fraternity (national frats were banned on campus for about 20 years due to some hazing crimes or something) The fellow that ran our Frat at "national" started a chapter at Kent State during the same semester these murders happened. If he could do it in those times, then we could do it in ours. He told us a few times.

The times we had reforming that Frat were some of the best years of my life and our chapter still has annual reunions. We were a "nice" Frat. We didn't do the mean stuff other Frats did. We even pledged exchange students from Nairobi and Kenya and stuff like that. It wasn't until we did some road trips to other Frats that we found out this was pretty unusual.

It is very interesting to look at historical events that happened when I was a teen through the lens of forty years later!

DON'T TRUST ANYBODY OVER THIRTY!

-90% Jimmy


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOGydWBJ1mE&feature=related

this version is the original recording in 1966, plus some appropriate contextual footage

[Papa Boule]

114. Since then, they've figured out they can fight all the wars they want

as long as they don't implement a draft.

When people aren't personally incentivized to question the morality of war, or to become outraged over its atrocities, they won't bother.

Sad, but true.

[90-percent]

116. thanks

WITHOUT A DRAFT, THEY CAN HAVE AS MANY WARS AS THEY WANT

I'm in search of the ever elusive BUMPER STICKER.

This one could be it.

Another is;

ALL OUR INSTITUTIONS ARE FAILING US BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL RUN BY SOCIOPATHS

Thanks for the inspiration

-90% Jimmy

[xiamiam]

118. I was sitting on the steps of my college dorm at Edinboro ..90 miles away from Kent

when I heard the news. One of those moments in life you know exactly where you were. We had been having moratoriums against the war and many students and some professors were traveling to and from Kent State. One of my English profs taught classes there as well and he was very active in the anti war movement. I was a sophomore. I was hopeful that we would be heard during the demonstrations ..I was very naive.

I remember hearing of my friends deaths in Vietnam while I was at Edinboro. I remember running across the campus during the night crying over the senselessness of young men dying...running running running and not knowing what else to do. I remember going home to Pittsburgh to funerals and the pain of these deaths has never resolved in my psyche. When Kent State happened, our hearts were irreparably broken again. I can still see the face of my childhood friend who attended the same school, when she told me the news re Kent. 40 damned years later and I remember her tears.

This wound has never healed.

[keith the dem]

119. As a 12 year old, this was the day I woke up and grew up.

I still can remember it like it was yesterday. The popular thinking in my blue collar Pennsylvania town was those trouble-making hippies finally got their due......but my young wonderful 6th grade teacher was extremely upset. I was very affected by what she had to say.

This was the beginning of what lead me to become a proud liberal today.

Thank you Ms. Berner, What you taught went far beyond any text book. You not only taught brains to think, but hearts to feel.

[WheelWalker]

120. May the Fourth be with us...

[kpete]

121. i was 18

fell in love with my husband of 40 years,
oh my, the history we have shared.

thanks, H20Man
peace, kpete (1951)

[Melissa G]

122. In Memory...n/t

[Jennicut]

125. I wasn't born until 1975. However, by posting your memories here

you have been able to shape the feelings and mood of the country at that time for me and especially how the younger generation felt about Nixon. It really was a terrible time and just horrific on so many levels that a govt. would allow the National Guard to open fire on unarmed students. For what reason? Protesting?