"The air here in the Haight is filled with music and the smell of incense. We have turned our backs on the corporate rat race, the suburbia of our parents, and the senseless violence of the draft. Here, we are trying to build a new community based on cooperation, love, and personal freedom rather than competition and material acquisition."
— Journal entry of a participant in the San Francisco youth community, 1967
Which of the following developments during the post-World War II era most directly contributed to the sentiments expressed in the excerpt?
- A reaction against the social conformity and consumerism of middle-class societyAnswer
- BA continuation of the 1920s Lost Generation's efforts to promote political isolationism
- CThe mobilization of the 'silent majority' to campaign for the expansion of communal living
- DThe consensus among political leaders to dismantle the containment policy in Southeast Asia
Answer
A reaction against the social conformity and consumerism of middle-class society
The correct option is correct because the counterculture of the 1960s arose largely as a reaction against the social conformity, consumerism, and rigid corporate expectations of the post-World War II middle-class consensus. Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco was the epicenter of this movement, where youths rejected their parents' lifestyle in favor of communal living and personal liberation.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Rejection of the post-World War II consensus, suburban conformity, and materialism by the 1960s youth counterculture.