Their jokes about assigning gender to babies and to being transgender, dressing in drag, like all of it was a send-up.
Sure, they did punch down if you were a person who were in those groups, but the fact that it was large enough social event to be relevant enough to be a comedy skit on a television show or a movie seen by millions implies that there were some serious things going on back then that they could see and wanted to address.
What the hell was going on that put all of those things in their mind?
Drag mainly.
The queer community has been known and active for a very long time. The stonewall riots occured in 1969, making it prime time to make media about the LGBTQ community.
the sexual revolution took place in the 60s/70s, partly due to invention of the contraceptive pill, which became available to unmarried women in 1967. homosexuality was partially decriminalized in 1967. abortion was legalized. no fault divorce was introduced.
it was the biggest social movement of their lives, perhaps started by women joining the workforce for world war II.
It was ABSOLUTELY started by women joining the workforce due to WWII.
I like to make a joke how Hitler was the biggest driving force in the feminist movement. Not because I support Hitler, and not because I’m anti-feminist.
I do it because it amuses me so much to say a wild and absurd claim like that, where womens feminists movements happened because of Hitler, and then watch their faces when I explain in a calm voice, with logic and reason, that there is a legitimate explaination for how all of womens progressive movements happened because of the most evil man in modern history.
I make sure to carefully tiptoe around saying that HE was a feminist. He was not. I never claim that. But by making THE LISTENER frame it in their own mind that way, and then explaining facts and truths, their faces contort trying to find the flaw. It’s great.
Again, not pro-hitler, not anti-feminism. Just very much pro-trolling chaos.
And it’s bullshit, woman’s suffrage, a global phenomenon started long before Hitler was born.
And it ignores all the women who worked during WW1.
Maybe instead of being “pro-trolling chaos” you be pro-reading a fucking book. The world doesn’t need any more dumbarses being edgy.
Edit: English is not my first language and I clearly misunderstood. Please excuse me
To summarize: America is like 50 years behind culturally rhe rest of the civilized world. They already got the social issues we are currently dealing with sorted out
Lot’s of things were going on in the 70’s. The peace movement, people living together in collective housing, higher sexual freedom and more flexible sexual identity, generally rebelling against authorities, cannabis becoming popular. All this was also expressed in art, music, paintings and movies.
In UK this may have been further emphasized by a very backwards school system, with many attending boarding schools and wearing uniforms.
Something I remember when attending public school in Denmark in the 70’s as extremely backwards compared to conditions here.
I think older generations hated the 70’s, and they are probably still remembered as being a bit silly. But they are also remembered for being a time of optimism, where ideals and hopes for a better future were high.
We’ve been fighting this fight for far longer than anyone can remember is what happened.
