You Say You Want A Revolution - the ‘Trump / Brexit’ era.

 

 
      Let’s face it - a lot of millennials are angry; fucking fuming, in fact. We feel we’ve had our futures controlled by an ageing population who won’t live to see the full extent of the damage they are causing. So when I went to the Records and Rebels exhibit at the V&A (which has super annoyingly just ended), I couldn’t help but wonder (sorry, I had to have my little Carrie Bradshaw moment!) how we can bring the lessons of social activism from the 60s and 70s into modern life.

 

Firstly, we can still protest! Yeah, OK, maybe we live in a modern society where there is a major emphasis on work and career paths that people cared less about in the 60s, and there’s not the prominent free love drug culture, but we still have weekends and we can use those to join local protests. We don’t necessarily have to live in hippie communes to show how much we care. 

Culturally, the 60s was defined by its politically-charged music, and in this day and age we can still use music (or the lack of!) as a form of protest. The inauguration of President Trump, for example, was notable for the amount of artists who chose not to perform, an act of political defiance that could heavily influence their fans. Closer to home, Lily Allen singing at the Jo Cox memorial was also significant in terms of a politically conscious artist engaging with the current societal climate.

We also have a huge trick up our sleeves that was not afforded to those in the counterculture of the 1960s: social media. Hey, if Trump can use Twitter to spread his hate, then the counterattack can be mounted on the very same platform. Some may say that a counterculture doesn’t and cannot exist in society as it is set up now, but I feel that it does - we just need to change how we define it and modernise it.

Use whatever influence you have - unlike the 60s there aren’t likely to be pockets of people living in communes with those who think as they do. The modern world is extremely fragmented, and it’s up to you to try to activate those you’re around and preach what you believe in!

The most important aspect of 60s activism that I feel we need to learn from, however, is that of caring passionately for both the local environment and the larger political backdrop it is set against. I do feel like our generation have historically been a lot more apathetic, so it’s time to change that and rise up! I think this is the perfect opportunity to show the older generations what we’re made of, and how much we actually care about our future. If we fail to do that then the outcome will be the same as how Donald Trump seems to end most of his tweets. Sad!

 

Essential Records and Rebels listening:

1. Buffalo Springfield  - For What It’s Worth

2. The Beatles - Revolution

3. Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come

4. Bob Dylan - Masters of War

5. The Turtles - Eve of Destruction