What’s the difference between the civil unrest, challenges, protests, and mayhem of the late 60’s; specifically, 1967, and now, 2025?
I am here, living in the U.S. I’ve experienced the 60’s and the ramifications thereof. Currently, as with all of those reading this tome, I am experiencing the circumstances of now.
In 1967, my son had just been born, and we were living in Toledo, Ohio. We were 50 miles south of Detroit, which was in flames in July. I kept a Newsweek magazine dated August 7,1967 with the fiery fierceness forging the cover. I gave it to my son. I hope he has kept it.
Commencing in 2020, and possibly before that time, I notice that the disorder and societal disharmony differs. In 1967 the shooting, looting, and firestorm lasted four days with 43 people dead, and an area of the City of Detroit in ruins. Currently, the civil unrest appears to be much less destructive, with hardly any physically intense and destructive fires. But that’s not the real, genuine difference.
My contention is that the recent discordant violent acts and attitudes are being personally and politically ignited to effect an incendiary purpose symbolized by fear, conflict, and societal division based on race, gender, religion, national origin (immigration), political power, and financial prowess.
On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of then-president Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
The perpetrators of attacks, including those who maimed or killed have been pardoned by the current President. They regroup again to retain their vigilance and organization to separate those who they deem unworthy. But, this memoir is not a dissertation on the 2025 political and societal concerns. It is a comparison of the massive differences between the progress of what was then, 1960’s, with the progression of unified legal, legislative, executive, and focused action, and what is happening now.
So, what is it?
Back to 1967.
Even though the 1967 National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorder implicated local police forces as a primary source of civil unrest, along with other societal and racial disparities; this current civil unrest shows signs of being intentionally kindled, inflamed, and aroused. This intentionality was not present during the unrest of 58 years ago.
Probably the most disconcerting for me…and those of us who have been through the trauma of the years, is that we had some societal progress away from discriminatory practices.
For example, in 1975 I was hired by a Fortune 500 company, Owens-Corning Fiberglas (OCF) to a position previously only allowed to men. Affirmative Action laws were passed and corporations complied.
In addition, I was allowed to compete in the previously all-male “Fiberglas Fitness Festival” competition of 1976. All of the athletes who took part in the fitness event were employees of Owens Corning Fiberglas. The speaker that year was the highly acclaimed Coach of the Miami Dolphins, Don Shula. (RIP)
When Coach Shula asked me to join him at the front of the room, and introduced me as being a respected Middle Linebacker in Women’s Professional Football (Toledo Troopers), the room became so silent even breathing was curtailed. Rather than the pride of the group being exalted by one of the members of the team, a sense of invidious jealousy struck like an airborne virus.
My involvement as a player for the Toledo Troopers, Women’s Professional Football team is the subject of another memoir.
From the 1960’s there has been much progress made in rights for all Americans, including blacks, women, and the disabled. Consider the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 of the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities. Interesting that this law wasn’t effective until 1978. Since then, women’s sports, especially in colleges and universities has soared in popularity and prosperity. Not to mention the powerful effect on the girls and women who are now accepted as esteemed athletes.
Caitlin Clark, comes to mind. She played in college for the Iowa Hawkeyes, attended a Catholic High School in her hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa and was named an “All-American”. This kind of high school and college activities were not allowed for girls before Title IX was implemented. She is now a member of WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). This is just one example.
It’s fun for me to reminisce about my basketball experience. Girls were not allowed to cross the center line. As “girls” we were considered too frail to run the full length of the basketball court. Fascinating!
Back to my personal feelings when my teammates at the Owens Corning Fiberglas Fitness Festival shunned me because I was lauded due to my football career. I realized how the men considered my football playing to be laughable, ridiculous, and less-than the men’s athletic abilities. Actually, at the time I wondered if Don Shula was making a bit of a mockery of women’s football, and possibly of me too, which he may have been doing.
My direct personal experiences of the time are many, and I’ve been referred to as a “pioneer”. Yet, that is not the moral to this story. But, another subject in my register of memoirs.
The growth of potential communications and universality to provoking conflict, clash, and battles to promote personal and political agenda is entering an all-time high.
Self-aggrandized militias are raising their ugly heads.
Death has a way of bringing people together. But, if violent, and a product of a culture war; then it also instigates hate, loathing, retaliation, and possibly warfare.
We are right! You are wrong! Therefore, if you do not believe and act as I/We do, then you must die. This seems like the way the Crusades enunciated their mission.
I wasn’t there. The Crusades that is. Unless, reading historical accounts of burning witches at the stake in the year 1343 in Poland suffice to allow me to experience this event. It seems that burning at the stake was the Crusaders’ manner of dealing with Jews who did not embrace Jesus as God and convert. Jews were accused of murdering Jesus, the Son of God. Actually, that was part of Hitler’s platform for the Holocaust.
Are similar methods as work now? It does not take a PhD in Political Science to determine if the comparable activities of today’s political agenda operate to effect an almost identical result.
Of course, my having a Juris Doctor degree, intellectual prowess and personal experience does assist. I’m tooting my own horn now. Even though I don’t play a wind instrument.
The difficulty as I see it, is that people are fitting into some comical, yet descriptive assignments such as “sheeple” and “lemmings”. Unless we are a Courageous Lemming.
Personally, I don’t like to be manipulated. Especially if my beliefs are being used as a ploy to exalt another’s greed for money, winning, and power. I refuse to be a pawn in someone’s else’s chess game.
Accordingly, I am militating against such unscrupulous maneuvering and misrepresentation. The word “shame” comes to mind. This current political situation shames us in front of the rest of the world and God.
