Kendra Elm Woodstock
In the film the majority of the people who attended Woodstock were young teenagers who were very interested in rock music. It was a relatively new type of music, and wasn’t well accepted by the adults of the time. In the movie everyone who attended the festival was seemed to be very laid back, and the people of the nearby town were the complete opposite. The townspeople were much more uptight, and disgusted that these people were at a gathering like Woodstock. When they were interviewed in the film they were very passionate about their disproval of the music and the idea of a peace gathering like this.
These differing points of view show how much change was taking place in the world. Socially the threat of communism was still brewing, and the war in Vietnam was very controversial. Many images of the war were broadcast on television, and the gruesome pictures caused a greater support for the peace effort. The film reflects these changes in society, because we see a side of society that had been hidden before. Never before had such a large group of young people come together and peacefully congregated and listen to music for three days. Rock music brought all these people together for a common cause, and before this nobody ever realized the power of music.
The music played at Woodstock was also uncommon. The festival was full protest music, like Bob Dylan’s Blown in the Wind, and Masters of War, and Joe McDonald’s I feel like I’m fixin to die. Again, this different type of music shows the generation gap. It spoke to thousands of teenagers, many of whom came to Woodstock, but it did noting for people who lived in the town. These members of society don’t see eye to eye on issues like rock music and the war in Vietnam.