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The Counter Culture of the Beat Generation:

Or is it really counter?

World War II began as an attempt to secure the present for the future; however, no other war has as greatly altered a nation’s traditions and culture. The war became the catalyst for drastic changes and new movements in post-war America. This was immediately apparent in the uprising of a counter-culture, in this case the birth of the beat generation. The beats were generally a group of social dissidents, characterized by their plain clothes and emphasis on self-expression. Well known novelists and poets emerged from this specific generation. The beat generation is seen to be caused by the cultural, political, and social atmospheres subsequent to WWII.

American culture became enriched and diversified in the wartime and post-war era. America was experiencing a new kind of artistic ingenuity. Immigrants from Europe, fleeing hostile regimes, greatly contributed to artistic innovation. Movements in painting, sculpture, and architecture were especially original. Abstract paintings and sculptures, as well as minimalism were implemented into 1940s art and architecture. (American Cultural History) The new styles evoked isolationism and simplicity. These characteristics paralleled the beat’s own ideology, a kind of independence and ambition to live a simple life. In many respects the changing artistic environment influenced the

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desires and qualities of the beat generation. Music also impacted the beat culture. The beats enjoyed jazz and alternative jazz, known as be-bop. Again, we can see the similarities between be-bop musicians and beats through their disregard to popular culture. In post-war American music, “the original compositions of the bebop players began to diverge from popular music for the first time, and in particular, bebop was not intended to be dance music.” (American Cultural History) The be-bop musicians exemplify an obvious beat trait, a disinterest in public appeal. Beats often rejected social conventions and “expressed their alienation from conventional, or “square,” society by adopting an almost uniform style of seedy dress, manners, and “hip” vocabulary borrowed from jazz musicians.” (Beat Movement) Another beat quality borrowed from 1940s music came from music’s cynicism following WWII. “Like art, music reflected American enthusiasm tempered with European disillusionment.” (American Cultural History) According to American Cultural History, beats also tended to be politically indifferent or opposed to current governmental policies. 1940s music ushered in the beats because it provided attitudes and exclusivity to the beat culture. American culture following WWII placed an impression upon the philosophy and ideals of the beat generation.

The political atmosphere following WWII was globally instable. Many people felt disillusioned by their own governments and others felt the government was untrustworthy. This was due to public disbelief at the Nazi war atrocities and severe loss of life. The beats did not identify with the government. The beats were “generally apolitical and indifferent to social problems, they advocated personal release,

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purification, and illumination through the heightened sensory awareness that might be induced by drugs, jazz, sex, or the disciplines of Zen Buddhism.” (Beat Movement) Their approach can easily be found as a type of rebellion. The dominating government had ceased to serve what the beats-to-be recognized themselves as. As a result those rebels formed their own society and established something they were proud and a part of. The instability of the political system at the end of WWII greatly affected the beats removed society.

The social traditions of post-war America became entirely different after the soldiers arrival home. The introduction of the GI Bill established a new stage of human development, the college student. Thus knowledge became widely accessible to young people. The beats were advocates of self-expression, so poetry and artistry were encouraged among members. Beats wanted to restore the celebration of raw emotions, “Beat poets sought to liberate poetry from academic preciosity and bring it ‘back to the streets.’ ” (Beat Movement) This accurately depicts the beat generation’s disgust of scholarly self-importance and their desire to produce something candid and special. This type of ambition is illustrated in their poetry where, “The verse was frequently chaotic and liberally sprinkled with obscenities but was sometimes, ruggedly powerful and moving.” (Beat Movement) The beats admired humility in academic attempts. Another characteristic of the beats influenced by WWII was post- war loneliness and depression. When describing the quintessential beat, Jack Kerouac, Corey Kilgannon recalls, “the locals remember him mainly as a broke barfly who padded about barefoot or in bedroom slippers.” (Kilgannon) The beats were known to partake in drug experimentation and

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many were alcoholics. This is often seen as the result of post-war trauma and anxiety. The beats also sought to distant themselves from the traditional American lifestyle. Kerouac is said to have, “shunned the persona of suburban square.” (Kilgannon) Overall, the beats became a private society of the public, when really they were the product of a society scrambling to stabilize themselves.

The beat generation claimed distance from a society which they thought to be fraught with cultural dullness, political injustice, and social monotony. The beat generation was however, merely the blending of all these factors and can largely be seen to adopt ideologies comparable to that present day. The borrowed ideas, adopted language, and personality parallels only conclude that the beat generation is seen to be caused by the cultural, political, and social atmospheres subsequent to WWII.