My Little Corner of Canada: The Beatles Generation

by John Amagoalik

The baby boomers who were in their teens and early twenties during the 1960s are now in their forties and fifties. The generation that produced the Beatles is now entering grandparenthood. The generation that had long hair, bell bottoms, and psychedelic drugs is now a generation of lawyers, doctors, political leaders and business executives.

The 1960s cultural revolution changed the attitudes of society on such things as sex, race relations, and religion. It was an era when the environmental and peace movements were very strong. It was an era of enlightenment and awareness. The music of the Beatles and others who followed reflected these changes in society. It was an exciting time to be growing up in.

But in the 1970s, the hippies grew up. They got married, found jobs, and had children. They merged back into the mainstream of society. The issues they had involved themselves in were put on the backburner. They were now too busy making a living and establishing themselves as parents.

That generation is now poised to take the leadership of society. The hippies of the 1960s will soon be premiers, prime ministers and business tycoons. They now have conservative haircuts, three-piece suits and utility vehicles. They no longer stand out. They may not look too different from today’s aging leadership, but they will come with a slightly different attitude and awareness.

All that stuff of the 1960s, which had such an impact on them, will influence how they lead. The protection of the environment and the pursuit of peace will have higher priorities. Their attitudes on gender issues will be more liberal. They will be more tolerant of other races and religions. They will be humming Beatles tunes as they contemplate world issues.

It will be interesting to see how the hippies lead the world for the next 30 years. It will also be very interesting to see how the Grunge generation has turned out 30 years from now.

This Corner Quotes

“Upon their arrival, they founded a place for themselves in our ancestral homelands. How ridiculous it would be to “found” ourselves onto St. Malo, France or Plymouth, England. The locals would certainly not be amused, but worse, could simply ignore us, knowing their previous “foundedness” to be quite adequate.”

Zebedee Nungak, on the pretentiousness of the English and French classifying only themselves, as “founding peoples” of Canada.