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I admit it. When I came to Alaska in 1972, I was a fiery hippie with an incredibly large, unruly Afro. Yes, I was committing cultural appropriation long before anyone coined that term. I came here from the anxious world of America. In the 1960s, riots broke out on campuses across the country to protest the Vietnam War and support the civil rights movement. Despite attending a very conservative Catholic women's college, I managed to participate in many of her activities in the 60s.
But then something seemed to happen in America. It was called the 70s. The 70's began in most ways as a continuation of his 60's. Protests continued, and Richard Nixon was seen as worse, if not worse, than Lyndon Johnson. But eventually we became more interested in drinking, drugs, dancing and disco than in the wider world around us. John Travolta and “Saturday Night Fever” became emblematic of a decade in which his clothes, music and glamor defined us.
On the other hand, Nixon did things for us that we couldn't do ourselves. Thanks to tape recordings of all his White House conversations, he destroyed his own administration and legacy. And soon, his '60s were in the rearview mirror, and God help me, cocaine and his '80s were approaching at lightning speed.
It was as if college campuses had been closed since the '60s. For the most part, peace reigned. Where we once worried about civil rights and stupid wars, paying for increasingly expensive degrees has taken over. And it looked as if our campus had gone from peaceful to sleepy to comatose.
Universities exist to express and exchange ideas. But the only thing that seemed to be discussed was how to get out of the huge debts they had incurred while completing their degrees.
But now, suddenly, our campuses have woken up from a long, deep slumber and are once again the scene of riots, protests, and vigils. The Nine-Yard Rebellion shows that at least some students are paying attention to the world outside of their campuses.
I don't know who is right or wrong about these protests. I know that my youth will come back with a vengeance when the police come to campus to arrest students protesting what they see as wrong in the world. Suddenly, in the fall of 1967, I found myself back in Washington, D.C., facing tear gas, police, and National Guard attacks. Personally, I would have loved to have been there to sit with Timothy Leary at the Pentagon and do acid, so that I could make the building float in the air and shake all the evil out of it. I don't think it worked, but at least we tried.
Perhaps what we need to keep in mind is that unrest on campus forces uncomfortable but necessary conversations. The protesters of the ’60s changed the course of America for the next 50 years. Everything from promoting environmental protection to women's rights to lowering the voting age are the brainchild of students who refuse to accept the status quo. Yes, we may owe America an apology for not relinquishing the power it seized from the establishment in the 1960s. Yes, we may be the ones establishing it now. Indeed, the actions of the last two surviving remnants of this era, those who are running for president again, show that the establishment is fully emboldened. As Walt Kelly wrote in the cartoon Pogo, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” Any student of the '60s understands that we have become the establishment. is needed. We have seen the enemy, and they are us.
And the police are back on campus. A student was shot and killed on campus during a protest in the 1960s. We can only hope that the lesson not to shoot students is learned and forgotten.
We don't know how long these protests will last, or whether they will lead to a complete reversal like the protests of the 1960s. It's really nice to see students involved in things other than student loans. What's happening in the world matters. I'm glad they noticed.
Elise Patkotak is an Alaskan columnist and author. Her book “Coming Into the City” is available at AlaskaBooksandCalendars.com and local bookstores.
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