The 60s called ... they said take that stupid mask off

Dr. Timothy Leary (New Yorker photo)

Yesterday I went to the drugstore and purposely didn't wear a mask. This was part defiance, part convenience.

I'm fully vaccinated, and growing tired of the charade of wearing a mask to make fearful people happy.

I got some dirty looks at the store, and maybe a few good-for-you looks, too. But when I got to the cashier, she was not happy.
I said, "Sorry, but I've been vaccinated. I'm safe, and I'm no longer afraid."

Through her mask she mumbled, "I've been vaccinated, too. But I'm being safe. Hopefully we'll all get through this."

"I hope so, too," I said. 

As I left I quietly said, "Power to the people."

The cashier was far too young and too woke to know anything about the 60s; she had no idea what the reference meant. I have little doubt she considered my lack of conformity to be threatening. 

The whole thing got me thinking about the cultural shift of the 60s and early 70s, and how it compares to today's world. 

I thought of Dr. Timothy Leary, the controversial Harvard psychologist whom many in my parents' generation considered to be a radical whacko (he was all about psychedelic drugs, etc.) .
One of Leary's more famous quotes is, "Think for yourself and question authority."

The 60s were a time of counterculture revolution, a pushback from post-war conservatism. It was about mistrusting authority, particularly those in political power. Of course it was also about intellectual and spiritual freedom, peace and acceptance. The "narrative" back then was that such a shakeup was a positive thing. 

We are now more than 50 years removed from the watershed year of 1968. The people considered to be on the "wrong side of history" back then believed in segregation; legislating morality; the implicit authority of government, and generally speaking,

keeping the status quo.

They thought Timothy Leary was a terrible influence.
Something tells me the cashier at the drugstore yesterday considers herself to be on the "right side of history" in 2021.

 Something tells me, ideologically speaking, she and many others believe in the implicit authority of government; legislating morality; keeping the status quo, and when it comes to differences of opinion, they absolutely believe in segregation.
If they knew about him, they'd think Timothy Leary was a terrible influence.

The more things change ...