Why the 1960’s is the best decade…

I’ve realized that there is something I crave more than a delicious meal: the 1960s. Keep in mind, I don’t agree with the segregation, racism, sexism, or communism displayed during that time period, but I love this decade particularly for their culture. Every year of the 60’s there seemed to be something exceedingly important whether it be a song releasing or politics or war. Between 1960-63 we had a president assassinated, a few songs that have been more iconic than Elvis—including Elvis—and we’ve had Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reign supreme for the fight for civil rights; and what a justifiable fight it turned out to be. 1964-67, we had a new president step in and we entered our fifth war of the 20th Century: Vietnam. We also had a growth in the hippie movement and the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which decided that we could no longer judge someone based on their race, ethnic background, or gender—seemingly. We had several books make marks in history as being controversial and cast into a sea of disagreeableness, but people had started to not care so much anymore. 1964 was also the year my favorite movie of all time (Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) came out. 1965 was a magnificent year except for the fact of the Dodgers winning the World Series, and us entering our first campaign in Vietnam in March. Malcolm X was also assassinated that year. But several books and songs were written and released, which I love substantially. 1966 was the best year for music in my personal opinion: a year of The Mamas and the Papas, The 13th Floor Elevators, Jefferson Airplane, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, the Stones, and many others that I love to death. 1966 was also the year my favorite baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, won their first World Series title, with the greatest pitcher of all time, Jim Palmer. 1967 is arguably the second greatest year for music, but most people consider it the best. The Doors (My favorite band), Beach Boys again, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and so many more hippies that played magnificent music for generations to come. 1968-69 were very important years with two more assassinations and one of the most historic moments in all of American History: the Moon Landing. MLK and Robert Kennedy were assassinated because the world thought that’s how your problems are solved. 1968 was also the year of my favorite filmed concert to date: the Doors at the Hollywood Bowl, in July. 1969 was the year of the moon landing, along with Woodstock which was the largest music festival until Live Aid in ’85. They let people in for free after the one million mark. The 1960‘s are only my favorite decade for personal reasons, but I believe it to be the most historically significant decade of all time. So much happened, changed, and came commonplace for so many different people. We opened our doors more and accepted new faces. The music, the cars, the fashion, the cities, the sports, the books, the movies, the people! I’d love to be able to travel back there and spend a long summer vacation living in the different years. I love love the ’60s and wish I could have at least experienced them. But, the music will never change, nor the people, nor the books, nor the movies, or cars, or anything. It’ll always be there for me to endure and enjoy. God bless the 1960s and all their glory.