Exactly what is a "counterculture icon"?

I see that term applied equally to George Carlin and Ira Einhorn.

Carlin, a brilliantly gifted man who made us laugh and think with such ease.

And Einhorn, a scumbag murderer who cried like a baby when he was forced to return to the US to pay for his crimes.

I doubt most people even know who the guy is.

As for counterculture icons as a whole, I think it would depend on the culture in question and one's perspective on it. After all, relatively speaking, that tag could apply to everyone from Che Guevara to William F Buckley.

and he was referred to as such :shrug:

he's just a scumbag murderer. george carlin, however, is the first person who comes to my mind as a counterculture icon.

ellen fl

of cache as an unjustly persecuted American who had to flee to a more enlightened Europe for protection... At least a few folks in Europe felt that way. Anti-American Eurotrash posturing, mostly. In the US, Einhorn is rightly viewed for what he really is: Scum. Carlin, on the other hand, is a true icon.

who refused to return him to the US, as he was given the death penalty in absentia.

France -- the country that gave us the guillotine.

The guillotine was invented to make for a quicker and more painless death as the typical beheading method with a sword took too much skill to always work well.

Besides, at least the french have civilized enough to abolish the DP. SOme countries are still in the 18th century.

Besides, at least the french have civilized enough to abolish the DP. SOme countries are still in the 18th century.

:)

Counterculture of the 1960s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960s

The counterculture of the 1960s (and early 1970s) refers to a period between 1960 and 1973 (1)
that began in the United States as a reaction against the conservative government, social
norms of the 1950s, the political conservatism (and perceived social repression) of the Cold
War period, and the US government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam. 2, 3

As the 1960s progressed, widespread tensions developed in American society that tended to flow along generational lines regarding the war in Vietnam, race relations, sexual mores, women's rights, traditional modes of authority, experimentation with psychedelic drugs and a predominantly materialist interpretation of the American Dream. New cultural forms emerged, including the pop music of English band the Beatles, which rapidly evolved to shape and reflect the youth culture's emphasis on change and experimentation.

Social anthropologist Jentri Anders has observed that a number of freedoms were endorsed within a countercultural community which she lived in and studied: "freedom to explore one’s potential, freedom to create one’s Self, freedom of personal expression, freedom from scheduling, freedom from rigidly defined roles and hierarchical statuses…" Additionally, Anders believed these people wished to modify children's education so that it didn't discourage "aesthetic sense, love of nature, passion for music, desire for reflection, or strongly marked independence…"

more

:hi:

...he murdered, or was found guilty of murder. From Wikipedia (not the best source in the world, but probably accurate as far as this goes):

"Einhorn was active in ecological and antiwar groups in the 1960s. At one time, he was a friend and contemporary of Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman. He also claimed to have been instrumental in creating Earth Day in 1970, and participated in the Earth Day rally in Philadelphia that year, although other event organizers dispute his account. He was known to some of his friends as "the Unicorn" (Einhorn is the German word for unicorn)."