1963-John Kennedy

1965-Malcolm X

1968-Both Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy


The Vietnam War

segregation, racial violence and the riots.

Drugs.

My biggest memory of the 60s was the Vietnam War. You saw pictures of the fighting just about nightly, peppered with all the protests. It really tore America apart which was so sad to see.

Yes, I was against the war, but never would have put down a soldier or a vet. Each one was left more of a victim than anyone. Imagine being forced to go to war (the draft), to have to do horrible things over there and then to come back and be spit upon by your own people. No one ever deserves to be treated like that and I can understand their lifelong struggle with it since.

The music from the 60s was fantastic, but I sure don't remember it as a good decade. Seemed everytime you turned around something awful in the world was happening. I think that's why we seemed to go "so laid back" in the 70s. We all needed a break from the stress.

I also blame the war for the increase in drug use.

It really tore America apart which was so sad to see.

I do think though, that there was also a sense of people banding together in the 1960s. I know there were some negative things about the hippie movement and that not all hippies were in fact, gentle, peace-loving souls.

Bu the hippies who genuinely were all for love and peace...I've always liked and admired that and the sense that they were pulling together with their fellow man.

The music from the 60s was fantastic, but I sure don't remember it as a good decade.

I think that, event-wise, the decade wasn't always great, but that culturally and fashion-wise, with respect to music, films, TV, etc, that it was really great.

What I'm saying is, if one ignored the war and the various political troubles and focused instead on the pop culture, it would be mostly good.

I do like the fact that some progress was made in the 1960s though.

And in 1967, that memorable year, the Bee Gees released their first proper album - Barry was 20 and Robin and Maurice were 17. They'd previously been releasing songs in Australia from 1963. (Although they're British, the family emigrated to Australia in 1958 and returned at the beginning of 1967.)

The entire year of 1968- too much violence

The entire year of 1968- too much violence

That's the one that stands out most for me and I think overshadowed so much of the rest of the decade.

The early 60s not so bad (other than the murder of JFK). I remember 1967 as not so bad. It was Canada's Centennial year so lots was going on and our family did pull together and worked on projects as a team. I liked that part. But yah, from 1968 onward it just seemed like everytime you turned around something horrible was happening. Bobby Kennedy, MLK jr., the war. Our innocence was lost. Then 1969 had some highlights - the Moon landing and Woodstock. That year stood out for me for a long time. I do remember it making me look so forward to the 70s. It seemed like we were heading into this "space age" and great things were on the horizon.

It would have been very interesting to see what it would have been like had there been no war in Vietnam during that time. I can picture the U.S. piling even more money into the space program and technology. That's the sad thing with war - it sucks so much out of the economy that even if a country ends up being the "victor", they really have still lost because those billions of dollars could have gone to medical, technological, industrial developments etc.. That's why to me, in a war, nobody is ever the "winner".

I don't think I could add to what you fine folks have contributed to this thread. Great observations!!

I wasn't born yet :D

For Detroit 1967 was the beginnng of the end. That year they had one of the worst riots in history. Crime gradually went up and people told me that things were never the same and people were more tense. Not too long after that Berry Gordy began to gradually move Motown to Hollywood.

The entire year of 1968- too much violence

It's all in how one looks at things.

1968 was a monumental year for me! I graduated, met my husband, got engaged , got married, "Hey Jude" was recorded, and the Detroit Tigers won the World Series! YAY 68!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:dance:


Side Note; RFK was shot on my graduation day.:(

As bad as the Vietnam War was, the popularity of enemy propaganda siding with the NVA and their goons in the Viet Cong, Pathet Lao, and Khmer Rouge was much worse. Someday, somehow, people are going to have to realize America was on the right side all along.

As bad as the Vietnam War was, the popularity of enemy propaganda siding with the NVA and their goons in the Viet Cong, Pathet Lao, and Khmer Rouge was much worse. Someday, somehow, people are going to have to realize America was on the right side all along.

Nobody's saying America wasn't on the "right" side and I don't think anyone thought that at the time even (other than Jane Fonda maybe).

It's just it was a horrible war in the fact that it was probably a losing battle all along and it split the American people at home. And what's worse, it didn't stop the North from overtaking the south anyway.

The other thing that was horrible about the 60s was the home decorating! I still can't get the vision of "scalloped" green or gold carpeting out of my head! And the couches from the 60s were oogly and uncomfortable! lol
I hate the "retro" look that's out now bringing it all back again. It was bad then and even worse now!!

^ I have to agree with the home decor. Those are some of the ugliest patterns/colors imaginable. :eek: :lol:

I wasn't born yet :D
Same here!! :( :lol:

Nobody's saying America wasn't on the "right" side and I don't think anyone thought that at the time even (other than Jane Fonda maybe).
A lot more than just Jane Fonda. Plenty of so-called "anti-war" demonstrations contained Viet Cong, and other communist flags. They sided with America's enemies. They fell for the lie that the VC/PL/CPK were "innocent victims" of evil America, and that was a lie!


It's just it was a horrible war in the fact that it was probably a losing battle all along and it split the American people at home. And what's worse, it didn't stop the North from overtaking the south anyway.
That's because too many people fell for the communist propaganda. And once the reds took over the rest of Indochina, and every other red army got the message they could kill whoever they wanted and nobody would stop them as long as they said it was "for the people," "againat western imperialism" and other BS like that, they showed their true colors. Yet 34 years after the Fall of Saigon and the start of the Khmer Rouge genocide, they still haven't caught on.

BTW, I wanted to start a whole new thread celebrating my 1600th post, which would've included images related to 16, but I couldn't find all the images I was looking for.

I'll try not to get too political here, but its a tragedy the way we treated our soldiers who went to Vietnam. This country still owes them an apology. Whether people were for or against the war, the soldiers should not have been blamed, they were just doing what their country called them to do.

I'll try not to get too political here, but its a tragedy the way we treated our soldiers who went to Vietnam. This country still owes them an apology. Whether people were for or against the war, the soldiers should not have been blamed, they were just doing what their country called them to do.

Amen to that!!

:wave:

Nobody's saying America wasn't on the "right" side and I don't think anyone thought that at the time even (other than Jane Fonda maybe).

It's just it was a horrible war in the fact that it was probably a losing battle all along and it split the American people at home. And what's worse, it didn't stop the North from overtaking the south anyway.

The other thing that was horrible about the 60s was the home decorating! I still can't get the vision of "scalloped" green or gold carpeting out of my head! And the couches from the 60s were oogly and uncomfortable! lol
I hate the "retro" look that's out now bringing it all back again. It was bad then and even worse now!!
Ha! You think that horrid decor died out in the 60s? My grandma, bless her soul, kept her avocado green refrigerator well into the 2000s and had shag carpeting in the den until she died. That's more 70s, I'm sure, but the fact that she kept the refrigerator still makes me laugh. Not to mention she had this entire cabinet full of ancient (60s-70s era) appliances and still had a phone with a rotary dial on it!

Ha! You think that horrid decor died out in the 60s? My grandma, bless her soul, kept her avocado green refrigerator well into the 2000s and had shag carpeting in the den until she died. That's more 70s, I'm sure, but the fact that she kept the refrigerator still makes me laugh. Not to mention she had this entire cabinet full of ancient (60s-70s era) appliances and still had a phone with a rotary dial on it!
Sounds like my great-uncle's house. It was like stepping into a time warp!! :eek: :lol:

Around here there are a couple of thrift stores that sells clothes and furniture from the 60's. Some of it looks nice, while some of it looks like a nightmare.

A lot more than just Jane Fonda. Plenty of so-called "anti-war" demonstrations contained Viet Cong, and other communist flags. They sided with America's enemies. They fell for the lie that the VC/PL/CPK were "innocent victims" of evil America, and that was a lie!



That's because too many people fell for the communist propaganda. And once the reds took over the rest of Indochina, and every other red army got the message they could kill whoever they wanted and nobody would stop them as long as they said it was "for the people," "againat western imperialism" and other BS like that, they showed their true colors. Yet 34 years after the Fall of Saigon and the start of the Khmer Rouge genocide, they still haven't caught on.

.
I don't think they fell for "propaganda" at all. They just didn't feel that the U.S. should be in a war on the other side of the world that didn't really affect them. The propaganda came from within the U.S. government itself - all part of the cold war and paranoia of communism. So what if Viet Nam become communist? The U.S. government was absolutely paranoid that communism was going to take over the world or something. That wasn't their goal at all. If it was, then 34 years after the fall of Siagon we'd all be communists.

A lot of Americans just didn't want to be in it because they didn't feel it was their war. Had other countries gone in to help the fight more, then maybe they would have had a chance at winning, but it was obvious year after year that they were getting absolutely nowhere. (Canada, btw also had troops fighting in that war alongside the U.S.) Meanwhile, how many lives would it take to make them wake up and realize this? Again, the money it drained was astronomical. Imagine what could have been had the U.S. put that money into industry like Japan did after WWII or medical research - even the space program. The world would be much further ahead today.

Ha! You think that horrid decor died out in the 60s? My grandma, bless her soul, kept her avocado green refrigerator well into the 2000s and had shag carpeting in the den until she died. That's more 70s, I'm sure, but the fact that she kept the refrigerator still makes me laugh. Not to mention she had this entire cabinet full of ancient (60s-70s era) appliances and still had a phone with a rotary dial on it!


:lol: That would have been freaky! OMG yah - avocado green appliances - or that hideous light yellow YICK!!

It only got a little better in the 70s when they changed to chocolate brown or "burnt orange" appliances.

At my old house, the main thing I wanted to do was change all the fixtures in the bathrooms. I never did get it done and they're all still the same:

Powder Room: "Harvest Gold" sink and toilet
Main Bathroom: What I call "Trailer Park Blue" - a light blue that doesn't match ANY blue known today.
Ensuite: Almond sink and toilet (not bad!) but the vanity is brown and black fleck - WTF is that?

Ha! You think that horrid decor died out in the 60s? My grandma, bless her soul, kept her avocado green refrigerator well into the 2000s and had shag carpeting in the den until she died. That's more 70s, I'm sure, but the fact that she kept the refrigerator still makes me laugh. Not to mention she had this entire cabinet full of ancient (60s-70s era) appliances and still had a phone with a rotary dial on it!
We still had an ugly green rotary wall phone in our house until the mid-90s - that was our ONLY phone then. :eek: :lol:

We still had an ugly green rotary wall phone in our house until the mid-90s - that was our ONLY phone then. :eek: :lol:


Was it one of those "boxy" looking things? (Not the old fashion phones that you had to crank, but one of these)

Was it one of those "boxy" looking things? (Not the old fashion phones that you had to crank, but one of these)
That would be the one, except it was puke green!! My mom finally threatened to tear it out of the wall unless my dad joined the 1990s and got a cordless. :rofl:

That would be the one, except it was puke green!! My mom finally threatened to tear it out of the wall unless my dad joined the 1990s and got a cordless. :rofl:
Actually, here's an even better version! More in the colour JT mentioned. It makes me wonder what happened when they came up with this colour. Did someone at work puke one day and they went with that colour?!?! :rofl:

^ :eek2: That is EXACTLY what our old phone looked like!!!! :rofl: :brent Hideous, aren't they?

I got a friend of mine that still uses a rotary phone.

^ Yep - they were something else alright! And most had that super long coil cord so you could be on the phone in the kitchen, and wrap around to the dining room if you wanted "privacy"!


And MickeyMac - my brother had one of those old steel, black rotaries up until last year. Bell Canada would actually phone him begging him to trade it in! :lol: I checked them out on eBay and they were selling for $200!!!!

The thing must have weighed 10 lbs easily! :crazy:

I grew up in a big city, New York, borough of Brooklyn and it's 3 million citizens. forget about horrible colors, many folks had no phones. If someone wanted them, they called the candy store and Irving, the owner would tell you, "run upstairs to apt 3b. and tell Mrs. Smith she had a phone call" You usually got a nickle tip and greatful. Many folks had party line, where 3 or folks shared the same line. Having a phone way back when was a luxury. Most rotaries were black in color, as was phones in business.

I'm sure people 50 years from now will look at us and wonder how we survived. 50 years ago, no cell phones, no internet, no dvd, no vcr, color TV just coming in to vogue. Penicillen was the wonder drug and vaccines were new. Flu shot? Don't go out.

Harvey

The most 60s thing I have is an old Austin Powers Halloween costume. DOES THAT COUNT?


Our old house in Dallas was built in the 50s, and it was obvious until we fixed up all the bathrooms and kitchen and stuff.But the 60s still had houses with pink bathrooms right?

Yup - it was usually pink, blue or yellow back in those days for bathrooms. That hideous green and black was from the 40s and 50s (and now a form of that is back in style).

I showed my mom that pic of the green rotary phone. She said that back in the 1970s, that puke green was a hot color. I asked her why. She couldn't explain that one. :eek: :rofl:

I showed my mom that pic of the green rotary phone. She said that back in the 1970s, that puke green was a hot color. I asked her why. She couldn't explain that one. :eek: :rofl:
There is a red rotary telephone in my den (soon to be game room). I'll take a photo of it soon and post it here.

There is a red rotary telephone in my den (soon to be game room). I'll take a photo of it soon and post it here.


If it's under a glass dome (like you see on some cheese platters) sounds like you have The Bat Phone! :eek: :cool:

If it's under a glass dome (like you see on some cheese platters) sounds like you have The Bat Phone! :eek: :cool:
Nope, no glass dome.

There is a red rotary telephone in my den (soon to be game room). I'll take a photo of it soon and post it here.
OK - cool! :cool:

Here it is. Two photos of the red phone in the den (soon to be game room).
This one dates back to sometime in the '60s. Probably mid-'60s. I will keep this phone in the room even though I don't really use it.

Also in the room (when finished) will be this Eames Era Lamp I bought on ebay. From around 1960.

Now if you had a Louis Confort Tiffany lamp,were speaking big bucks.

Harvey

Now if you had a Louis Confort Tiffany lamp,were speaking big bucks.

Harvey
What era (decade) is that from?

Yup - it was usually pink, blue or yellow back in those days for bathrooms. That hideous green and black was from the 40s and 50s (and now a form of that is back in style).
Yikes. Grandma had a nice peach-colored bathroom. Peach tiles, peach paint on the walls, not too bad. My other grandmother had toothpaste teal paint in her bathroom, so it was kinda okay, but kinda gross is you stared at it too long. She also had 40s/50s wig holders in there too, so as a kid, I'd be FREAKED OUT(!) because of the damn wig holders staring at me as I peed.

Now my house? There was basically paisley wallpaper ALL. THROUGHOUT. THE LIVING ROOM. until we painted over it a few years ago. It just wouldn't come off. The bathroom and kitchen also had some paisley areas, but we painted over those areas long, long ago.

What era (decade) is that from?

Tiffany produced his lamps at the turn of the 20th century. Many go for over $15,000. Most are a few thousand each. His work is considered the crown jewels of lamps.

Harvey

Here it is. Two photos of the red phone in the den (soon to be game room).
This one dates back to sometime in the '60s. Probably mid-'60s. I will keep this phone in the room even though I don't really use it.

Also in the room (when finished) will be this Eames Era Lamp I bought on ebay. From around 1960.


I had that exact same phone in my basement when I was a kid. Same color and everything.

I had that exact same phone in my basement when I was a kid. Same color and everything.
I think they were very popular. There were a lot in use back then. I suppose many are still around, if not in use then stored away somewhere.

Tiffany produced his lamps at the turn of the 20th century. Many go for over $15,000. Most are a few thousand each. His work is considered the crown jewels of lamps.

Harvey
Yeah, I see how they can be valuable.
My game room will have a '50s theme to it which is why I bought that Eames Era lamp.

I think they were very popular. There were a lot in use back then. I suppose many are still around, if not in use then stored away somewhere.
When I was a kid (late 60's - early 70's) those phones were very common. The one we had was black.

Yeah, I see how they can be valuable.
My game room will have a '50s theme to it which is why I bought that Eames Era lamp.
Once your party room is done -

PARTY AT FLEET'S HOUSE!!!! :dance: party: :bouncers :jig:

Once your party room is done -

PARTY AT FLEET'S HOUSE!!!! :dance: party: :bouncers :jig:
You already said that!

Are you really going to travel all the way out here just for a party? :D

When I was a kid (late 60's - early 70's) those phones were very common. The one we had was black.
Yes, they were available in various colors.

You already said that!

Are you really going to travel all the way out here just for a party? :D
We all will!! :D

Interesting to look in the past and wonder.

We sit here and inquire how they did things 50 years ago. No internet, no cell phones, TV still had doubles and ghosts, air conditioning was pretty new, few could afford, that is if your house was wired for it. No microwaves, washing or dishwashing machines etc.

The folks of 1950 wondered how they survived 50 years before with no radio, Tv, car, plane, movies just starting, drugs to live,far in the future. The X-ray not discovered yet, etc.

So the question is "50 years from now what will they say" How did they survive without -------, and wasn't that ugly"

Maybe a thread should be what inventions and changes do you imagine or would like in the next 50 years.

Harvey

I don't think they fell for "propaganda" at all. They just didn't feel that the U.S. should be in a war on the other side of the world that didn't really affect them. The propaganda came from within the U.S. government itself - all part of the cold war and paranoia of communism. So what if Viet Nam become communist? The U.S. government was absolutely paranoid that communism was going to take over the world or something.
No, the propaganda came from communist sympathizers both at home and abroad. There was no "paranoia of communism" because it was a communist war that tried to pass itself off as being nationalist. The real nationalists were in South Vietnam, and the newly independent Laos and Cambodia. They were fighting against French colonial rule as far back as the 1920's but the communist spent the years between the 1930's and 1950's killing nationalists as well as colonialists, only for all parties to be interrupted by the Japanese Imperial Army during WW2.

That wasn't their goal at all. If it was, then 34 years after the fall of Siagon we'd all be communists.
Actually, that was their goal, because not only did South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia fall to the communists, but every red army around the world got the message they could kill whoever they want, and anybody who critcized them for it would be branded a "fascist," "imperialist," or a "McCarthy-ite." Even non-communist armies got that message, most notably the Iranian jihadists of the late-1970's.


A lot of Americans just didn't want to be in it because they didn't feel it was their war. Had other countries gone in to help the fight more, then maybe they would have had a chance at winning, but it was obvious year after year that they were getting absolutely nowhere.
A lot of Americans wanted to win the war until the media conned them into believing we were going to lose. We actually won the Tet Offensive, and both sides knew it. But when Hanoi saw TV news reporters telling us we couldn't win, they knew they had a chance of winning. Also other countries did help, but they were conned into believing the lies of our enemies like almost everybody else.

We all will!! :D
Wow, you must really like parties! :)

Wow, you must really like parties! :)
In the words of Lisa Landry (Sister, Sister):

"PARTY! PARTY! WOO! PARTY!"

party: party: party: party: party:

In the words of Lisa Landry (Sister, Sister):

"PARTY! PARTY! WOO! PARTY!"

party: party: party: party: party:
Or to quote a famous line from the movie "Animal House" Toga! Toga! Toga!:bluesbros :dance:

The assassinations, as well as racial upheaval was serious, but the late 50's and into the 60's for me is when I grew up, and for me personally it was a great time to be alive. Even with all this stuff going on, the country, as I mentioned also on the 50's thread, was still, in my opinion a very confident, optimistic country--at least in the early-to-mid part of the sixties decade. However, I also vividly remember Bobby Kennedy's assassination two weeks before my high school graduation. Martin Luther King's assassination two months before graduation, Malcolm X's assassination, and JFKs assassination just months into my 8th grade school year, the Newark, NJ race riots, just miles from where I was growing up in 11th grade.. It was a scary time for a kid, but at the same time in many ways happy. Beatlemania, the British music invasion, school dances, etc, high school sports and memories--were all part of a happy experience, but at the same time these negative happenings causing deep emotional scars and sadness, especially for Americans.

My theory is that much of the disillusionment of the 60's actually didn't show up until later until the late 70s. People that had come of age in the 60s were now in the real world as adults, suffering from the effects of the Vietnam controversy, the questioning of the very fabric of society, the high profile assassinations, unrest in the streets, etc., etc. I think in some ways we haven't recovered from all this. I hope our country can heal and move on, but things seem more divisive than ever.

The 60s for me were bittersweet. I hope we can learn to have a peaceful country.

No, the propaganda came from communist sympathizers both at home and abroad. There was no "paranoia of communism" because it was a communist war that tried to pass itself off as being nationalist. The real nationalists were in South Vietnam, and the newly independent Laos and Cambodia. They were fighting against French colonial rule as far back as the 1920's but the communist spent the years between the 1930's and 1950's killing nationalists as well as colonialists, only for all parties to be interrupted by the Japanese Imperial Army during WW2.


Actually, that was their goal, because not only did South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia fall to the communists, but every red army around the world got the message they could kill whoever they want, and anybody who critcized them for it would be branded a "fascist," "imperialist," or a "McCarthy-ite." Even non-communist armies got that message, most notably the Iranian jihadists of the late-1970's.



A lot of Americans wanted to win the war until the media conned them into believing we were going to lose. We actually won the Tet Offensive, and both sides knew it. But when Hanoi saw TV news reporters telling us we couldn't win, they knew they had a chance of winning. Also other countries did help, but they were conned into believing the lies of our enemies like almost everybody else.

So you lost - pulled out and then what happened? When did the communists takeover the rest of the world and the U.S. since this was such a threat in your opinion?

So you lost - pulled out and then what happened? When did the communists takeover the rest of the world and the U.S. since this was such a threat in your opinion?
Angola, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Grenada are at least six examples of where the communists took over. Where they didn't take over, they simply waged communist wars and told themselves, and others that it was "for the people." Baader-Meinhof, Action Directe, the Italian Red Brigades, the Japanese Red Army, Weather Undergound, Symbionese Liberation Army, Armed Resistance Unit, the May 19th Communist Organization, FALN, FLQ, FMLN, Shining Path, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, all of these groups and more were carrying out communist wars between the 1960's and 1980's, and some of them have been doing it beyond that. Many of them use Vietnam in their rhetoric, partially because they're encouraged by it. What's more if we hadn't pulled out of Vietnam, there would've been no Stalinist purges of South Vietnam & Laos, and no Khmer Rouge genocide. The world was tricked into believing they were innocent and we were guilty, and they got away with mass murder.