In this week’s class, the student movement in the 80s was discussed. This movement was an attempt to bring about a significant shift in American culture, and student activists held protests and experimented with different lifestyles. At the time, the movement had not yet recognized the strategic significance of aligning with the civil rights movement. The student movement was marked by its mission to bring about change, the conflicts between generations, and the elitism of the student activists. Several examples of student movements that addressed current global issues were provided, including the Mississippi Project, the Negro-Student Movement, and the Civil Rights Struggle. Feuer’s main argument about student movements is that they were always a source of intellectual stimulation on college campuses and had a sense of the importance of ideas. They exposed college students and professors to current issues and global realities, and served as a pipeline for young people’s highest idealistic aspirations. They also served as a pipeline for feelings of generational revolt. Between 1905 and 1940, student movements had little to show for their efforts. The student civil rights movement often clashed with the leadership of the older generation. Student movements are said to have served as an important incubator for political action, but they often exhausted their participants. Student movements have always been filled with sentiment and ideology that sees them as the creators of history.
The divide between the Old and New Left is another topic discussed in the reading. The New Left was a large political movement that existed primarily in the 1960s and 1970s. It was made up of activists from the West who fought for a variety of social causes, including changes in drug laws, environmental protection, feminism, LGBT rights, and civil and political rights. The Old Left, on the other hand, was less focused on social issues and more concerned with issues such as abortion, drug use, feminism, LGBT rights, gender norms, immigration, and the death penalty. Feuer notes the frequent conflicts between the student civil rights movement and the leadership of the older generation, with the students representing the New Left and the older generation representing the Old Left. The New Left differed from the Old in that it was more elitist, disenchanted with the working class, and willing to look to intellectuals for support. It also arose mainly in an “affluent society” and in a relatively stable system, so it tended to criticize things in moralistic rather than economic terms. The New Left also represented the pattern for future movements. And, regarding the Soviet Union and communism, the Old Left favored it; while the New Left is largely against it. I also remember one ironic thing about the Berkeley freedom movement was that they were trying to promote freedom of speech and expression. But what they actually did was to shut down other possible voices, especially those who hold different views.
In relation to a question brought up in class, I think there were definitely things that the young intelligentsia could have done to avoid or alleviate the clash with the older generation? One possible solution could be to establish better channels of communication and dialogue between the two groups. The intellectuals could have tried to understand the perspectives and concerns of the older generation, and the older generation could have been more open to hearing the ideas and concerns of the younger generation. By fostering a sense of mutual respect and understanding, the two groups could have worked together to find common ground and avoid conflicts.