TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Sunday, September 6, 2009

IS THE SPIRIT OF THE SIXTIES STILL WITHIN YOU?

Listen up. The Daddy is still full of excitement about the book The Rebellious Sixties? Yes, I Remember. And not even the fact that his computer crashed can keep him from feeling good.

The selfish, false male ego of The Daddy would like to think that this book by an author who steadfastly entertains the illusion that he is a writer. But upon greater reflection, even he can see that this book is about something more-- that it transcends him, time, and historical circumstances.

Yes, this book pays homage to those who staged sit-ins at so-called white only restaurants in North Carolina, who marched for the right to vote during the day in backward towns in Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina and other places and then had to drive down dangerous roads to find a place to sleep, knowing The White Citizens Council of Mississippi or some other such KKK group could be just ahead of them.


Yes, the book speaks to the spirit of "idealistic" youth who "tuned out" of "normal" society. But more than all of that, this is about young people doing what all successive generations of young people do: rebel against what they perceive to be wrong in its society and try to change it. In the sixties, it was to get America to end its propensity for engaging in war abroad and turn its vast riches toward ending apartheid in the southern part of the United States, provide real democracy, justice and equality at home. It was at times a plea and other times a demand for our country to turn away from war and end injustice, poverty and racism.


Yes, this book is about the sixties. But viewed more broadly, it is about a successive generation of young people trying to improve its society: to get a country to live up to its highly professed ideals that fell very short of those ideals in reality. Yet, from this tumultuous struggle, the children of the sixties helped strengthen values and ideas that continue through this day.

For us, the children of the sixties, many of those ideals and even the belief that America can be a better place still lives within us.

Does the spirit of the sixties and some of its ideals still reside within you?

9 comments:

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Della Reese: Welcome. And thanks for becoming a follower of daddyBstrong. Looking forward to you coming back and, when moved, joining the conversation. Blessings.

SjP said...

Yes! The spirit of the 60s is still in me. That was a time of challenge and hope of tranquility and turmoil of discord and agreement. It was a time when we were not afraid to stand up for what was right and what we believed in regardless of the personal/professional consequences.

Daddy Squeeze Me! said...

Too bad they are too scared to stand up now. Too busy pleasing others and always worrying about stepping on everybody Else's toes, they in turn look around so many years later to feelings of guilt and regret. They turn around to realize they have lost themselves and realize, they could have put the wheels in motion for the next generation to come along and not have to deal with the same things they hated when they were coming up.

Esp in the LGBT community. Ugh!


**OH AND THANK YOU FOR WELCOMING ME BABY LOVE. I HOPE YOU CHECK OUT MY BLOG AND ALLOW ME TO INTERVIEW YOU AT SOME POINT IN TIME. ID LOVE TO DO SO.** I HAVE OTHER INTERVIEWS ON THE BLOG YOU MAY CHECK OUT.


*DELLA!

Nun in the Hodd said...

Dear MacDaddy.....SOOOO good to know that you got ahold of a computer to blog again....We missed you for almost a week!
I was tucked away in the convent in the latter part of the 60's....No Tv, No newspapers, no discussion of the issues....But the SPIRIT of the 60's still seeped in, and with you, I cling to the ideals that give me HOPE even in the confusion and chaos of our time...I believe that the 60's unmasked much of the superficiality that people came to accept as TRUTH.....and that is a good thing....Imagine if there had been no 60's! We would be living a pretty shallow existence today....

msladyDeborah said...

I can be a witness! I've still got it and it's alive and well!

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Della:Thanks for your insights. I'm heading your way t check out your blog now. Maybe some of the readers will do the same.

SJP: Yes! We stood up. We fought.

".No Tv, No newspapers, no discussion of the issues....But the SPIRIT of the 60's still seeped in, and with you, I cling to the ideals that give me HOPE even in the confusion and chaos of our time..."
Nun: Love it.

Mysladydeborah: I know you got it. I can read it in everything you write. Blessings.

Vigilante said...

Does the spirit of the sixties and some of its ideals still reside within me?

Yes!

Somebodies Friend said...

I am with Vigilante

Does the spirit of the sixties and some of its ideals still reside within me?

Yes!

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Somebody: Thanks.