Kenneth Rexroth on the student movement, 1960

"The Students Take Over"

In talking about the Revolt of Youth we should never forget that we are dealing with a new concept. For thousands of years, nobody cared what youth were doing. They weren’t news. They weren’t minding.

They aren’t minding now. That isn’t news. They haven’t been minding since the days of.... F. Scott Fitzgerald. In those days, they were cutting loose. In the thirties, they were joining up.... During the McCarthy Epoch and the Korean War, they were turning their backs and walking away. Today they are striking back. That is news. Nobody else is striking back.

--Kenneth Rexroth, July 2, 1960 in the Nation magazine

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Last modified: Thursday, 31-May-2007 09:41:54 EDT