Post War Living & The Welfare State
People now had the power (and the time) to demonstrate their
points of view, not just to their families and social group, but to
their government. By 1968 this disaffection had even spread to
several universities within Scotland. The students felt that
universities and schools were preparing them for life in a by-gone
era and that overly bureaucratic educational institutions had 'lost
touch' with both their students and modern society in
general.
The sixties also began to hear women's voices within the
previously male bastions of scientific research and industry. Women
had in the past been given subordinate roles, mostly clerical, as
working had largely been regarded as a stopgap for them until they
became wives and mothers when it was traditionally expected that
they would then stay to look after the family home.
Counter Culture
In the 1960's, young people also began to question cultural and
political norms. Looking for 'something better', they used music,
fashion, politics, protests and religions outside the Christian
tradition to demonstrate their vision of a different, utopian,
society. This counter-culture (culture in this case meaning the
traditions, values, expectations and attitudes prevalent within
mainstream society) rose not only from a matter of 'dropping out'
and looking at the world differently from their parents, but from a
sense of communal spirit. Gathering at rock concerts and protests,
young people (many middle-class) felt empowered by their numbers.
This shift in youth culture was slow to catch on in many parts of
Scotland outside of the college campuses of the cities, (many with
traditional views saw students attending places like Glasgow School
of Art as subversive and outrageous), but there was a small
mimicking of the Brighton Mod and Rocker rallies in the seaside
towns of the south west such as Ayr and Girvan. It is entirely
possible however that in the mining villages of the Irvine Valley
and the housing estates of larger towns in the area that these
changes were hardly noticeable at first, as children continued to
follow their parents routines and professions.
Sixties, counter culture began as a backlash against oppressive
mainstream values, such as, a rigid social hierarchy, subordination
of women (and children), repressed attitudes towards sex, respect
for authority, and the growth of consumerism and institutionalised
racism. This alternative attitude affected, for the most part,
people whose opinions within society had not been considered in the
past to be of great importance: the youth, women, ethnic and
religious minorities etc. Individual expression amongst these
groups was now encouraged, applauded and nurtured in some quarters
whilst many in the region still remained very traditional in their
views.
The 1960's were a period of exceptional cultural and social
change. It is possible to argue that there had never been such a
massive shift in popular cultural values prior to the sixties.
Certainly, no generation had had the room for personal expression
to such a degree before. The generation (in the UK), growing up in
the sixties were the first to grow up within the welfare state,
making them a healthier generation than the one who preceded them
and who had known the hardships faced during the second world war.
The pill had allowed women more freedom in their lives and had
allowed children to enjoy being children, instead of having to
become wage earners to help support large families. Household
appliances shortened the time spent on chores, leaving more free
time. University grants allowed more young people to access further
learning and stimulated their interest in politics. More families
had television allowing people to be influenced by the wider world,
the war in Vietnam, and the spectacle of the momentous events
unfolding in space exploration. Social mobility meant that fewer
people were staying at home, following career paths of parents.
Suddenly, what you wore, and what you listened to defined who you
were. Fear too, played its part. The cold war's arms race gave rise
to the growing anxiety of nuclear annihilation and the realisation
that suddenly, the world, as they knew it, could be destroyed in an
instant. All these things contributed to a growing sense of
revolution or counter-culture and meant that life would never go
back to what had gone before; things had changed
forever.
Greater social tolerance during the sixties led to changes in
attitudes about gender roles, ethnic groups etc., however many of
the old prejudices remained within society. Also, every generation
since the sixties has tried to define their individual identity
within 'youth-culture'. The individuality of expression that made
the sixties 'swinging' has now become the norm. The very ideas
championed by the 'peace and love' generation were challenged by
their own children, and new counter-cultures, such as the anarchic
punk explosion of the late seventies and early eighties, swept them
aside as 'mainstream'.
The tremendous changes experienced during the sixties were more a
product of political reform, new legislative safety nets, fairer
wealth distribution, better education and the increased leisure
time created by the boom in labour saving household appliances,
rather than the romantic notion that a spontaneous Cultural
Revolution took place as a result of an idealistic awakening. After
all, despite many of the subjects debated being new, arguments
calling for free speech and personal freedom go back to the
foundations of democratic society.
