The Loss Of Power and the Return Of The Angry White Man, 1960-1980

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Author Tom Magstadt Phd. who has written among other works- 'An Empire If You Can Keep It' has been chronicling American trends for decades.

'Angry White Guys: The Roots Of Reactionary America' explores a specific period in American history, 1960-1980, the defeat of Richard Nixon to the election of Ronald Reagan. He takes as a contrast the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which were destroyed by nuclear bombs, and now thrive a industiral centers to cities like Detroit which are on the verge of bankruptcy and asks- why.

The era of Ike Eisenhower seems tame and agreeable (if one ignors the racial subjugation) and seen through the author's eyes as one where Democrats and Republicans got along. Not any longer. There is open visceral anger now in the halls of our elected officals and in the streets of American cities. Who lost power who won and who wants what use to be.

Most of the Tea Party issues are a red herring to the author, it goes deeper. During a twenty year run the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Environmental Act, Women's Rights etc remade American society, and many now want to change all of that power shift. This shift in power is likened to the women who worked in the military arms factories in WWII only to return (forced) to the domestic life afterwards, men needed their power identity back at all costs. Life in the 1950s had to look and feel a certain way, and it did it by economic force. A complete package was sold to the American people and only the radical change of rebellion in the 60s broke the grip of the power elite who had control of the 'imagine' you saw everyday on your TV screen, Radio program, Billboards plastered across every highway and newspapers that came to your home selling 'America'.

America was North Korea with bunny slippers and a smoking jacket, a suburban home with green lawn and swimming pool, and a Ford or GM car in the garage.

Now more elite wealthy individuals and more groups vie for your mind, your wallet, your choices and everyone is angry and just starting to learn why all over again.

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Some of the false appeals or false promises which helped the Wt. Society grow during the post WWII period up through late 70s was a variation on Timothy Leary's- 'Drop Out Tune In'. For relenquishing our grasp on reality with some alturistic beliefs you could drop out of your regular 9-5 day job and pioneer, be a janitor or gardener or house cleaner. You could tune in to the 'True God' by following what someone cleverly defined as true Judaism or true ancient christianity.

The extreme anger we have in reaction is not unlike what we see among many 'wordly' people and what they are feeling now- that gut wrenching sense that we have been had (we allowed it, went along with it until we couldn't take it any longer) and now the fog is lifting.

Something in our gut, or the gut of our parents if they were the one's who sold us into this mess, wanted out of this pre-packaged Madison Ave. Mad Men contrived world and this simple religion offered us a brass ring to happiness and not being a part of the Corporate sham being shoved down our throats every single day.

Like a water balloon being dropped in the middle of a bunch of cats everyone is scrambling to get out of the way and find 'safe ground'.

Satanus

Is this suggesting that the average white man might have rights? What a concept.

S

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S- I was thinking about the passing of Jonathan Winters ( and all of the social commentary comedians he inspired)- He poked fun at the 1950s and 1960s world. Ossie and Harriett's world, a wife who smoked like a chimney and takes those Dr. prescribed little white pills to stay in her size 3 dress.

In the late 60s the Wt. came down hard on 'higher education' which was really just a corporate BS mill machine, and called it evil only to be replaced by their version of Dante's Inferno- pioneering and Draft dodging.

Terry

The era of Ike Eisenhower seems tame and agreeable (if one ignors the racial subjugation) and seen through the author's eyes as one where Democrats and Republicans got along.

Dwight David Eisenhower's nickname was "Ike". As in, "I like Ike". I grew up under his administration which was chiefly known for lots of golf played by the Commander in Chief and a warning against the military industrial complex. Other than that, Ike was not an able politician. Having been an outstanding General did not prepare him for the total lack of cohesiveness among branches of Legislative partisans. They couldn't take an "order".

The culture shock, as I recall, of going from an old white guy to a handsome 40 year old with a charismatic wife was a shot of adrenaline to the Youth Culture in America. JFK and Jackie changed the world chiefly through the cult of cool and the illusion of the "Best and the Brightest".

The Bay of Pigs fiasco made Kennedy look weak and feckless so the face-off over Russian installations of ballistic nuclear missles became necessary to redeem his standing.

With the bullet in Dallas putting an end to Camelot the conniving liar L.B.J. ruined the world and turned the U.S. into Hawks vs Doves, Old vs Young and we've never recovered from his feckless ruinations.

If you are under 40 you've only known hatred against George W. Bush as an example of polarization in the electorate. But, after L.B.J.'s Viet Nam escalations it was inevitable that a canny Dick Nixon would be the result of the backlash on Democrats.

L.B.J. pushed Civil Rights legislation to the max and made it impossible for American to ever unite again because of Robert McNamara's prosecution of the war. Democrats and Republicans were never more divided or vicious to each other after L.B.J.

Tricky Dick Nixon was a haunted intellectual reared as a Quaker and just as duplicitous as any JW elder. He put the cork in the bottle when it came to public respect for the office of President.

This was my lifetime. It was soooooo different before 1962.

Today, people spout canned talking points and use red herrings of ageism and racism to barge through the pretense of having a legitimate idea.

The problem with our world isn't race or how old you are. The problem is there are no core values based on anything other than emotional claptrap

and what use to be called intellectual is now merely pretension and ideology.

It is better to be cool than smart, alas!

Today's party leaders wouldn't know a legitimate idea or argument if it landed on their roof at midnight.

The default to logic and reason is mere finger pointing and ad hominem rhetoric disguised as debate.

I'm surprised anybody can stand anything even vaguely reeking of politics or sociology. They are counterfeit "sciences" and illegitimate launching pads for neuroses dressed up to look like ethical concerns.

Whew!

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'We are given choices'. That comprises a lot of what has gone wrong- 'We' are a population that is divided, analyzed and targeted by various interest groups and corporations, the few 'given choices' are pre-canned filtered homogenized 'stuff' as George Carlin called them, things of little value. The anger spills over now and then. Groups come along to protest like the loose fitting Occupy Wall Street, or a Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

'You say you got a real solution

We'll you know

I'd love to see the plan' John Lennon Revolution

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This week marks the 50th anniversary of the bombing of the Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama. Bombings, and the fear and threats they are meant to preach, are still very much with us by angry people and groups.

Modern Crusades that pit ideologies against each other by means of violence are very much a part of our landscape.

gone for good

Terry .

What a great post !! What you described, is exactly what my family in Canda, thought about

American politics during those years.

crmsicl

This explains it...the Polyanna atmosphere in the US circa 1950-60.

TotallyADD

Terry I think I am little younger than you. I was born in 1954. But I do remember all the things you brought out and you are correct on all you said. I remember Ruby being killed on live TV and watching the Viet. War on the news every night. The whole world seemed to be falling apart. Then right after Nixon leaving office things seemed to settle down for awhile. But life seem to get harder and harder. Life before 1962 was like living in Mayberry. As far as losing power and being a angry white man. I think that's a bunch of baloney for me. My anger comes from a wasted life as a born-in in the WT cult. The only reason those guys are angry is because they feel they are a victim when they are not. So they feel if they cry enough someone will listen to them and make things the way they remember them to be. The only problem with that is no one can remember exactly what it was like when they were younger. So they make up some big story of what they thought happen even though it's not what really happen. That's why guys like Russ and Beck have have such a large cult following today. My 2 cent's worth. Totally ADD

The Loss Of Power and the Return Of The Angry White Man, 1960-1980

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