Sunday, March 15, 2015

Values of the counterculture



What do you see as the values of the counterculture, as embodied by the Be-In and Woodstock?  Please anchor your observations in specific details from the sources. 

18 comments:

  1. The main values that the people attending these music festivals embody seem to be peacefulness and calmness. It was a time to get away from their daily lives, whether it be living in a busy city or having a job or family to take care of. On the Be-In poster, it says to bring things such as "flowers, incense, feathers" etc. By bringing these objects to the festival, it will let the people feel closer to nature. The Woodstock posters do the same thing. it advertises art shows containing drawings of trees, the venue that is basically just a field for people to roam around on and work shops of learning how to play guitar or playing with clay. These things embody being close to nature and the peacefulness that comes with it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are many different values of the counterculture. According to the posters for the Be-In and Woodstock, peace seems to be the most important "goal" for these people. They seem to be reaching out to various groups of people to come and listen to music, possibly uniting people who otherwise would never be seen together. The posters are trying to promote a sort of "equality" among people who may not get along in other settings. The poster for Woodstock seems to value the arts as well (a way to express oneself). They mention arts and crafts, art shows, and craft shows, which can often be seen as therapeutic and relaxing. Additionally, the posters showcase the "escape from reality", proving that these people value a more relaxed setting rather than "a skyscraper or a traffic light" (Woodstock poster). I am curious as to if these people stayed true to their desire for a more relaxed setting, or if they went back to being rigid once they went back to every day life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Be-In and Woodstock festival attracted the same type of people who shared the same counter culture values. As seen in the Be-in poster, they wanted people to bring families and animals and even their own instruments. This shows that they were open to anyone coming and they wanted them to contribute to the concert as a whole. People could show their creativity by playing their own instruments. The Woodstock poster showed similar values. It advertised art shows and craft bazaars. This shows that people were valuing individual creativity and expression. The poster also advertises "walk around for three days without seeing a skyscraper or a traffic light" and "3 days of peace". This shows that people valued and wanted to enjoy the aspects of a peaceful, without the hustle and bustle of urban life.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The values of the counterculture seem to revolve around both peacefulness and togetherness. The Be-In poster conveys the importance of banding together, especially through the use of phrases like "a gathering of the tribes". The ideas expressed through the Woodstock advertisement are much the same. The ad stresses the value of connecting with nature and a simpler way of life.The ad says that you can "walk around for three days without seeing a skyscraper" and experience "the unspoiled splendor of the surroundings", expressing these new counterculture ideals.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Be-In and Woodstock festivals shared a common theme of freedom. Both attracted individuals based on being a place where one could be free to express themselves, their creativity and values. The festivals were meant to be a peaceful setting in which everyone accepted everyone and almost served as a gathering to rebel the common culture. Both emphasized the joy of simplicity and nature by advertising to bring flowers, family, feathers, flags, instruments, and incense.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Music festivals such as the Be-In and Woodstock were ways for individuals to express themselves freely without judgement around like-minded people. The ad for the Be-In festival suggested bringing items such as incense, flowers, and instruments. It also urged festival-goers to bring their families and pets. By doing so, the festival was able to appeal to many types of people, who eventually came together and bonded over certain values. These festivals offered a great alternative to the everyday lives that consisted of going to work, living in an urban setting, and being confined to societies harsh rules. These festivals encouraged an interactive audience who participated buying crafts and goods that were being sold. This enabled them to take a souvenir home with them, and encouraged them to continue living with the same mindset in their everyday lives that they did at the festival. The Be-In poster told people to bring instruments, and wanted the audience to play along with the performers or entertain during break. At the time, all of these activities were unconventional and seen as an alternative culture which was very freeing and creative.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Both the Be-In and Woodstock Festivals epitomized the values people represented in the 1960s. As Sophie said above, these festivals were a way for those living in an ordinary city life to escape, “and get back to the land,” as the popular song Woodstock claimed. The people who went to these concerts we part of a generation who had the new importance on being part of a unified group. It amazes me that a group of 400,000 people, could calmly coexist with one another, in a space that was meant for a third of the amount that showed up, in the pouring ran. This, along with the fact that the vendors disregarded tickets completely reviles a great deal about the significance of the counterculture. In a society that places such a large importance on the value of a dollar and maximizing profits, the vendors proved that everything the counterculture embodied was unique and contrary to the contemporary values of the time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The values I saw being expressed through the songs were about reconnecting with nature and spirituality, as well as some anti-war sentiments that were expressed in "Woodstock" written by Joni Mitchell in the lyrics "And I dreamed I saw the bomber jet planes riding shotgun in the sky, Turning into butterflies above our nation." Looking at the advertisements for both the Be-In and Woodstock, one can see a lot of emphasis on arts and crafts and so-called "peaceful" materials and activities. The Be-In poster asked people to bring "Flowers, Incense... Family, Animals... Drums, Flutes" and the Woodstock poster promoted a crafts bazaar and workshops. These activities in main culture were seen as frivolous and fruitless, and support for the war in main culture clashed with anti-war sentiments in counter-culture. The counter-culture promoted a lot of peace and wellbeing, as well as becoming one with nature and one another.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The values of counterculture embodied by the Be-In and Woodstock were peacefulness and freedom. People had the ability to freely express themselves which is something we did not see too much of before this time. As stated in other posts above, people were encouraged to bring different objects that expressed them such as flowers, feathers, and banners. They were also allowed to bring pets and musical instruments of their choice. Peacefulness was also demonstrated at Woodstock which was performed in imperfect conditions. Many could have easily got angry and caused problems as they stood for hours soak and wet waiting to watch their favorite performer, but for the most part people were able to stay peaceful. The art show, work shops, and crafts bazaar at Woodstock also demonstrate the counterculture going on during this time period.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The values of the counterculture, as seen on the Be-In and Woodstock posters, were peace and acceptance of everyone. People just wanted to come together and enjoy the music and atmosphere . The poster for the Be-In directly states "A Gathering of Tribes," so they wanted different people to come together and it also suggested a wide list of things to bring that could encourage anyone that they would be accepted. The Woodstock poster says "3 Days of Peace" and reassures everyone of the different activities that one could do at Woodstock. The festivals gave people a nature escape from the everyday life. They could live freely and creatively and surround themselves with people that were looking for the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The counterculture seemed to embody values of nature, freedom, peace, and love. If you look at the Woodstock flier, you can see that they advertise the fact that it is so far from the city, has abundant amount of fresh, clean air, and offer many opportunities to enjoy nature. Both Be-In and Woodstock consisted of many young people, suggesting that these are the values particularly embodied by the younger generation of that time and not their parents’ generation. Woodstock especially offered a weekend of freedom – away from the rules set by parents and society. And even though Woodstock was poorly organized and it rained all weekend, the entire event was remarkably peaceful which seems to be a distinct characteristic when describing counterculture.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The values represented in the Be-In and Woodstock embodied the counterculture. With both festivals, some core values were peace, freedom to express who you are, and even peaceful rebellion. In the Be-In poster, the colors are bright and vibrant; they were meant to attract the attention from many. When it lists things to bring, families was the word that caught my attention. Specifically mentioning families meant the festival was intended for all ages and was meant to be "family-friendly." The notion of "family-friendly" expressed that the festival was not meant as a violent rebellion - it was inviting to everyone. The poster also includes, animals, musical instruments, flowers, etc. By including a mix of things, it opens up the festival to everyone. The ad for Woodstock communicated freedom of expression. For example, under the "art show" section, paintings and sculptures were made and displayed on trees and grass, rather than canvases. This shows how unconventional this counterculture was. Although Woodstock was immensely larger than expected, it was still peaceful and people the freedom to express themselves. Because it was outside, the festival rejected the need for a large building and wanted people to be allowed to roam freely. It did not need or want structure/order, which in my opinion, is in rebellion to social class structures. Here, everyone was equal - there were no assigned seats and they charged a flat rate, there was not a separation of classes, money was not advantageous. Even though the values of the counterculture have rebellious undertones, one thing is made clear, the culture was about wanting peace among everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  13. In the late 1960s and early 1970s a counterculture of hippies emerged in our society. This group of people attended music festivals such as Be-Ins and Woodstock in order to express their counterculture. The posters and advertisements very clearly outline the values of this culture. For example, for the Be-In posters, they list to bring flowers, incense, family, friends, candles, banners and flags. This shows their devotion to community and peace. Woodstock posters advertise art shows, a craft bazaar, music, and most importantly “hundreds of acres to roam on without seeing a skyscraper or traffic light”. It even says, “breathe your own unspoiled air”. This displays the counterculture’s value in nature and preserving the environment. Essentially, their counterculture values everything one would associate with a hippie today.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The posters for the Be-In and Woodstock festival, as well as photographs from the event, describe the values of the “hippie” counter-culture. The events seem to want to unite all types of people to be one with nature and celebrate acceptance and love. The events want people of all ages, i.e. families, to come and be apart of peace and “free their soul”. People who attended we further encouraged to be one with nature by incorporating things such as flowers and feathers into their outfits.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think that the main value of the counterculture that we looked at would be how inviting it is to a range of different audiences. The events of Woodstock and the Be-In allow for people to come and enjoy a different environment that allows them to be whoever they want, in a more judgement-free zone then usual. People were able to come and be surrounded by a group of other open-minded people similar to themselves. This hippie counterculture was able to unite in one area and celebrate their style in a care-free environment. On the advertisement for Woodstock, it shows the various different events that are offered to people who attend. The events range from art shows, several different workshops, and even acres of land to camp on. The event also advertised the performances by many different musical bands, each appealing to this new hippie counterculture.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I see freedom and peacefulness as the central values of the counterculture as embodied by the Be-In and Woodstock. The music festivals were events where these people could relax in a calm world that was different from their busy city lives. Since the venues of the festivals were outside, people were able to appreciate the calm air and nature surrounding them. The Woodstock poster clearly asked people to bring flowers and other objects to help them feel a connection to the outdoors. The events had a nonjudgmental environment where people were free to express themselves creatively through various activities. These activities included the promotion of crafts and playing instruments to make art and music. The people who attended these events included the younger generation and even families. The Be-In poster specifically asked for families to come, which grabbed the attention of a higher demographic. The participation in the counterculture may have been considered rebellious, however it was carried out without the use of violence. Therefore, the counterculture was heavily built on peacefulness.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The counterculture seemed to value both independence from the larger social structure but also togetherness and oneness with nature and creativity. For example, the Human Be-In was free to attend, and Woodstock broke out of the idea of a social structure when they had to actually take down the structure in order to accommodate all of the attendees. The Human Be-In also says to bring family and animals, offering an idea of togetherness. The rainbow background of the poster and the list of peaceful and creative items to bring also break out of the typical social structure. The Woodstock posters use a bird on a guitar as its emblem, as if nature and creativity are naturally coming together. The black and white poster focuses on the idea of art as a creative outlet and lots of open space to roam. This gives the idea of oneness with nature.

    ReplyDelete