I have been reading about a book called "The Lucky Culture" by Nick Cater, which will be available next month. There is an extract from this book in the paper today.
This extract mainly talks about the ABC, the Australian public broadcasting organisation, and particularly mentions the current affairs show TDT (This Day Tonight) which started in 1967 and was influential in the 70's.(some of the presenters of this show are in the photo above).
I was at school and university at this time and I remember it well. They were times when everything was thought to be "a'changin". The roles of women, the churches, the military, businesses, government, entertainment, personal relations were all being questioned. I remember the feeling that we were in a special, enlightened time, and the world would never be the same again.
I will certainly read this book when it comes out, and from what I have read, its thesis is broader than just TV programmes, it describes a change to Australian society where a new elite has arisen.
Maybe so.
But I am always struck by how little has changed since those days. We thought huge changes were just around the corner. Certainly there have been some in these 40 years, but not nearly as much as people would have thought. Has the role of women changed so much? What happened to the free love? Who would have thought religion would still be so influential? The people in those days would have been astonished to witness the Anzac ceremonies of today.
A lot of the journalists of those days are still around. I wonder if Bill Peach, Gerald Stone, Caroline Jones, Mike Carlton, Michael Willesee, Philip Adams or George Negus are a little surprised by how things turned out and the things they are doing now.
At least two of those journalists, Caroline Jones and Mike Willesee, have turned to Catholic spirituality since those days, in one form or other, with various outcomes. Bill Peach is better known these days for travel. Some of the others seem still cantankerously similar to themselves in their youthful days. Society is different, in some ways better, in other ways worse. Of free love, love can always be freely given but to be received must be usually earned. People do things in an illogical order, such as marrying after having children, or not at all. Some from Christian backgrounds don't have their children baptised and lose completely their connection with the church, even having civil marriage ceremonies. Lust is free if you can find a taker who wants to share, but when you have sex for pleasure instead of for love, it costs you dearly in the end. Religion still has influence, but is not as infuential as it ought to be. However, religious people are more accountable than they used to be. Women do have more equality and options, perhaps not enough in some areas such as pay equality and opportunity, and perhaps too much in other areas, especially involving sexual morality. As far as peace goes, we still have wars internationally and violence in our domestic society is as still prevalent as it ever was. More things are acceptable according to the law in our society. More choice and more freedom doesn't necessarily equate to more happiness. So is society happier than it was prior to the 1960's? I can't give you an answer. Maybe we are no happier and no unhappier, because many of the "panaceas" were not the solutions to the original problems. Regards ChrisM.
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