Jon Marshalla's Elvis, The Beatles, & Dylan Entry
Without question, Elvis and The Beatles took a sexually conservative America into a new age and drastically influenced the morals and values held by society. I do not think, however, that this was due to a direct influence as much as these artists providing an outlet for a "bored" American society. In his article The Closing of the American Mind Bloom comments that "The inevitable corollary of such sexual interest is rebellion against the parental authority that represses it." (74). It was not the lyrics of songs by Elvis and The Beatles that encouraged this "sexual interest," rather it was their very presence and image that they radiated that provided an outlet for teenagers to decide for themselves on issues of morality and sexuality.
While I agree with Bloom on the fact that their music allowed a rebellion against parental authority, I disagree with the idea that it provided a negative influence. Bloom also states in his article that "The result is nothing less than parents' loss of control over their children's moral education at a time when no one else is seriously concerned with it." (76). This implies that this "cool" new rock music had a greater influence on children than their parents do, which I find inaccurate. While parents could not completely restrict their children from listening to rock music, they were able to discuss with them what it meant to have strong morals and why it was important. Teens cannot be sheltered forever and will ultimately have to make up their own decisions on morals. In my opinion, it is better that they are exposed to these "evils" while still in an environment where their parents do have the ability to influence them. Bloom also states that "Rock gives children, on a silver platter, with all the public authority of the entertainment industry, everything their parents always used to tell them they had to wait for until they grew up and would understand later." Rather than hindering teens by sheltering them, Elvis and The Beatles gave them the opportunity to think for themselves and mature sooner. This is what ultimately led to the strong social influence that these artists had on a sexually conservative America. They themselves didn't define what was right or wrong directly, but provided the outlet and means for Americans, specifically teens, to define it for themselves.