Reflections on Sixties Child

Last night we went out with my mom to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. We started talking about her as a teenager and young adult back in the 60s and 70s. She shared with us that as a high schooler, she was actually very conservative and was a registered member of the Teens for Nixon champaign organization! Then when she went off to Purdue University, her political worldview completely changed. She became a ragging hippie protesting the Vietnam War, burning her bras, and taking part in the first Earth Day.

I remarked to her how it seemed strange that she so radically transformed in just a short time. She said that she even remembers the moment she abandoned her conservative ideals. Thinking that it was some deeply cathartic experience, I was very interested in this story. She said that early on in college, she got into a conversation with another girl in her dorm. My mom remarked to her that the war in Vietnam was necessary to the world's security. The girl simply responded, "No, it isn't." Not to be out done, my mom said, "Yes, it is." The girl again just looked her in the eye and said, "No, it isn't." And, then my mom told me something ridiculous. She said, "And, I believed her!" She said at that point she became a hippie!

What?!? That's all it took?!? I lost it right there. It cracked me up that her worldview could be so dramatically altered by the earnest beliefs of another woman. We laughed a lot.