They managed to get everything exactly wrong about what was happening during some very intense years and what had caused it to happen. I can't believe they sent out such incredibly clueless reporters who just made things up rather than talking to the more articulate counter cultural types---and a lot of us were very well read and quite articulate.

I imagine the coverage of ensuing decades is about the same. Well, except the 70s, those years were so abysmal that nobody seems particularly interested in doing a similar show combined with media hype.

I saw part of the 80s show and realized they were all still pussyfooting around that folksy old fraud Reagan instead of listing all the evils that man was responsible for.

Maybe one of these days they'll do a more honest analysis, getting rid of all the Reagan fluffers.

I was a small child during most of them but when I see movies or literature from that time, I feel life the decade is somewhat unfairly maligned at least with regard to culture. What happened? Can you give some insight?

It was a relief from the turbulent 60s - the murders of our leaders, Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement, the 68' Chicago riots.

Watergate, long gas lines and Stagflation. The revolution in Iran which, I think, was a shameful event, reminding us that we no longer "carried a big stick" to scare anybody.

Polyester Leisure suits and Sonny and Cher.

One important point though: the beginning of the women rights. Many young women, especially the ones proudly claiming that they are not feminists, have no idea that in the beginning of the 70s women could not have any credit on their own. Credit cards, bank loans etc. They needed a man to co-sign.

Also I think, the 70s brought the end of the iron grip of the movie studios, with many independent movie makers that gave some important movies. Jeremiah Johnson, Dog Day Afternoon, Coming Home - to name a few.

That's all you need to know about how wonderful the 70's were!

The 70s were when conservatives, especially middle aged conservatives, tried to get in on the action. While there were bright spots here and there, they represented an absolute nadir in culture with awful music, hideous clothing, bad drugs, and ugly home design.

At the same time, we had Nixon followed by Ford and a change in government policy that actively depressed wages while the oil shocks went through the economy, causing enormous inflation in the price of everything. Labor was blamed for inflation instead of OPEC and morons who obediently hate anyone they're told to bought the lie.

Most of the worst of the wretched GOP got their start under Nixon and it's also when televangelists started to hit the bigtime, leaving hot tent revivals behind them in favor of air conditioned studios.

I was never as glad to see a decade end as I was the 70s. Unfairly maligned? There is no way to do that to a decade that saw such horrible culture while the worst human beings in the history of this country were nurtured in the bosom of a political party gone very wrong.

It still seems like some of the films and literature were a bit subversive, but I can see where this was the beginning of some political trends that still impact us today.

Also - the bicentennial - I was a child so had no understanding of how it was being crammed down our throats - but the Colonial American home design - ugh! Haunts me to this day.


I was also keenly awed of the beating labor was taking as my dad was a UAW shop rep. It was certainly the beginning of the end for that part of our economy.

I'm glad people are being reminded.