Kanigel believes that those born just a few years later than him often had a quite a different experience" of the late 1960s. Do you agree? Is this the same for all generations? Did the world "need" the 60s?

On p. 108, Kanigel states that he believes "those born just a few years later than I, in the early and mid-1950s, often had quite a different experience" of the late 1960s.

What did you think of this assessment? Do you think this holds true for all generations across the decades?

Did the world "need" the 60s, as Kanigel writes?

I absolutely agree. Those at the beginning lived through all of the changes. Those who came later enjoyed the fruits of the changes but might not have understood what it took to get there. Having lived the 60s I believe we needed them. I may be naive but I think the 60s opened our eyes about things we could challenge and change.

I was born in 1948, so I'm close to Kanigel's age. My younger brothers were 50s babies. I'd say that I was living with the leading edge of the changes in the late 1960s, and they got the benefits of those changes. We struggled to implement and adapt; they accepted the changes we struggled with as just the way things were.

I’m a 48 baby so perhaps one of the Boomers Kanigel mentioned.I didn’t experience the hippy period except to see it in TV; however, my boyfriend had a VW Beetle we loved driving around!I do believe we broke a lot of barriers for those coming after us regarding what life and norms can or should be so I agree that our generation was needed. In this regard Kanigel’ muddling around was typical of wayfinding at the time.

Also a baby boomer(1947)I believe the country absolutely needed the 60’s! Pink Lady is spot on with her last statement. If anyone has doubts listen to the lyrics of many of the popular songs then whether they be soul, pop, rock, or folk. Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” summed up the times nicely. It was comforting reading about Kanigel’s early life. Many people in their mid-seventies now have had successful careers that didn’t start the way they had planned.

Kanigel is just a few months older than I am, so I agree with his observation. Coming of age in 1968 (when I graduated from college) was well into the changes that our generation was experiencing which my two younger siblings (born in 1949 and 1956) could not know. We wanted to drop all the confining stuffiness of the 50s - though I give kudos to my oldest sibling born in 1942 as she absolutely hates the 50s growing up closer in time to this period. While the 60s were a period of revolution in the sense that we wanted to break from conventions - and of course there was Vietnam which tested our country and unfortunately contributed (or so I believe) to today's lack of faith in our form of government. I kind of look back on this period and believe it fits with the development theory that you have to rebel to move forward.

I'm a decade+ younger that Kanigel, and I agree with him. My experience was MUCH different than it was for my older cousins. The sixties "revolution" was a seismic shock to this country, but I also think it had to happen. It's funny how different earlier Boomers and later Boomers are almost like two different generations.

Born a few years before Kanigel, I know I have a different few of the 60s. I watched with interest, but detachment, as his generation rebelled and became freer than mine. Since then I have often said, encountering outdated/bad standards and practices, "wait until the Boomers reach this age, they won't stand for this."

I am two years younger than Kanigal, and my experience mirrors his. Pink Lady is indeed spot on. I believe we needed the 60s, to learn that we could question systems and agitate for change. Remember that the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, and Medicaid are all products of the 60s. So many other "Lib" movements (Women, LGBTQ+, Disabled to name three) had their roots and took inspiration from the Black Civil Rights movement. So yes, we needed the 60s.

I agree. I believe we needed the 60’s. I think those born a little later than him would have a different view. One’s age during a time period greatly affects their views.

I grew up in the 60's and it definitely shaped my view of the world. I was in Kindergarten when JFK was assassinated. When I was 10 I heard MLK speak and he was assassinated the following spring. I was in 6th grade when the students were killed at Kent State. When I visit with family and friends who had the same experiences but were 5 or 8 years ahead of me in age at the time I find they experienced things much differently than I did. I find my parents talked about these things differently with my older brother than they did with me. My friend who was 8 years ahead of me knew things at the time that I had no clue about. It is interesting to visit with him about how he saw things at the time. I'm not sure the 60's really changes much now....boomers seem to have settled into the status quo and maybe aren't so likely to participate in "sit-in's" as they were back in the day? I'm not sure our country would look the same as it does now if we would do a better job of remembering the 60's.