A recent posting on someone’s Facebook feed contains a picture of the Woodstock music festival in August, 1969 along with a statement:
“Woodstock, 1969. People of all walks of life, color, religion, sexual beliefs. It’s hard to imagine this many people in one place sitting peacefully. What the hell happened to us?”
Since it's Woodstock anniversary time when folks are reminiscing about that event, I offer another perspective. In brief, we really have let this myth go on for far too long. Okay, a half-million people came together and had a relatively peaceful event. But, come on, folks, let’s not confuse that event with any pervasive social harmony and peace that existed then and doesn’t exist now. The Woodstock harmony is a myth that may seem nostalgically pleasant to imagine. But like most myths, it’s fantasy. Don’t believe me? Take a trip back through the front page on the NY Times on the days of the Woodstock concert and you’ll see what was really happening in those days (the all caps are in the original).
On that Friday, here are some headlines from the front page:
BRITISH AIRLIFTING TROOPS TO ULSTER; FOUR DIE IN RIOTS
Enemy Drive May Affect Nixon Decision on Troops
EAST SOVIET ADDS TO CIVIL DEFENSE
4 BERETS LINKED TO SECRET UNIT
PRAGUE MOBILIZES ARMY AND MILITIA
Guerilla War Tactics Taught at Scarsdale High
On Saturday:
US-THAI ACCORD ON TROUPS ALLOWS LAOS OPERATIONS
BRITISH SOLDIERS IN BELFAST MOVE AGAINST RIOTERS
Dublin Calls Up Reserves As a Peace-Keeping Force
APPEAL BY BERETS TO C.I.A. REPORTED
CANADIANS BLOCK POISON-GAS TRAIN
Marine Chief Vows to End Racial Rift
Red China Charges Soviet Is Mobilizing
On Sunday:
MAYORS WELCOME NIXON’S AID PLANS BUT DOUBT IMPACT
SHOTS AND FIRES PLAGUE BELFAST FOR THIRD NIGHT
VARIED DRUG LAWS RAISING U.S. FEARS
Refugees Gather at 2 Camps in Ireland
Survey Finds Public Concerned That Discipline in Schools Is Lax
And on Monday, as concert goers left:
HURRICANE STUNS MISSISSIPPI COAST AS 200,000 FLEE
CON ED GENERATOR RESUMES SERVICE, ENDING CITY CRISIS
U.S. Copter, Carrying 3, Downed in North Korea
BELFAST REJECTS A COALITION RULE; CRITICIZES DUBLIN
Ulster Churchgoers Hear Two Views of the Trouble
MILITARY WEIGHS BIRACIAL COUNCILS
Poor Nations Spend Fortune on Arms Purchases
You can argue that the gathering in upstate New York was the counterbalance to all that, and the gathering was the opposite energy to the strife that surrounded 1969. And I won’t argue with you if you choose to believe in that fantasy, or any other fantasy, about the triumph of love and harmony. But understand that it is a fantasy because the world didn’t stop during Woodstock and that muddy farm field didn’t become some magical moment that set the harmonious tone for a generation that’s been lost in more recent times. Aside from the half million people frolicking and grooving to music at the festival, real people were living the conflicts, strife, and challenges of daily life. The world was as disharmonious and chaotic as the world today. Don’t believe me? Go read the newspapers of the days during the festival. And if you really believe that the festival brought all kinds of people together, get a photographer’s loupe and count the number of people with brown skin in any photos. There were so few that you’ll be able to do that.
During that time, I was in my late teens then as a politically active musician who when asked about my future plans would respond with something like, “I plan to eat, sleep, breathe, maybe take a walk.” I understood “dropping out” from society because I lived that as a goal. I eventually moved into a commune for a while and was attending and helping to manage outdoor music events (though nowhere near the grand scale of Woodstock). I understand the forces that created Woodstock. But I also understand how it’s become mythicized. I can’t confuse that myth with what life was like in 1969, and I can’t long for a return to a mythical harmony that never existed. Why is that important? It seems to me that if we face the longstanding issues that we’ve been fighting, we will take a step toward change. As long as we remain trapped in fantasies and myths, we can dream about regaining a past that never existed.
If I were writing the description to a picture of the 1969 Woodstock festival, I’d write something more realistic like:
“Woodstock, 1969. Mostly White Youth Coming Together to Enjoy Music and Step Away from the Turmoil of the Times.”
