Political Activism of the Sixties Generation as Adults

For fear it would make me conservative when old.

~Robert Frost, 'Ten Mills,' A Further Range, 1936

In Beyond the Barricades: The Sixties Generation Grows Up, Whalen and Flacks examine the question of what happened to the idealism and radical activism displayed by the young men and women who came of age in the late sixties as this cohort grew up and became adults. The media has portrayed many of the former sixties rebels as "sell outs" who have joined the corporate conglomerations and adopted the conservative politics that they so vehemently opposed in their youth. Whalen and Flacks show, however, that most of these sixties activists continue to remain true to their political ideology, even if their level of activism has decreased over the years.

The main question being asked in this study is what happens to youthful idealism over time and as people age? What becomes of a life centered on creating revolution when the revolution does not occur? Can a lifestyle of rebellion and creating turmoil be sustained over a prolonged period of time? These questions are important in understanding the personal benefits and sacrifices of political activism and what can be

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Approximate Word count = 2452
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)