Woodstock - by Jon Marshalla
It appears to me that the critical analysis of Woodstock and the sixties focuses too much on the social liberties taken by many teens rather than the true goal of those participating in Woodstock and the war protests. The adults and others who were not involved in the protests may have oftentimes viewed the "peace effort" as an easy way to rationalize laziness, sexuality and recreational drug use. While this may hold true in certain cases, the overall goal of the rebellion and change was to exercise their rights as Americans to question the government and authority and to stand up for what they believed was right. In order to achieve this, it required them to do outlandish things, rebel, and ultimately reshape the culture. In his article Blame it on the Sixties, Walley states that "The true spirit of the sixties, not counterculture or its subsequent peregrinations and material permutations, believed in nonrepresentational living, free of endorsement contracts, where one didn't have to be true to one's high school alma mater." (67) This establishes that by living the free spirited way that many of the "hippies" of the sixties did, they were establishing that they were free to do as they pleased as Americans and that they were not bound by social or cultural rules of the time. In doing this, they changed the country. Not through political channels, but rather, they changed the social aspects of America, which in turn changed the mindset of Americans, and ultimately allowed them to achieve the peace they desired.