Era & Subculture Research: The 1970s

- The Vietnam War didn't end until 1975 so hippy styles from the 60s were still around until then.

- Parents were still young and were conflicted about how many boundaries to set and how much freedom to give their children.

- They were also still into drugs from their college years and expected their kids to experiment with drugs, sex and alcohol. If you didn't do drugs, you were a square.

- AIDS was not yet discovered and herpes was the biggest sexually transmitted disease to be known about and "just say no" was not yet a thing. 

- The worst drugs were not yet on the scene and the worst ones around were LSD and cocaine. The worst prescription drugs around were Valium, also known as Diazepam, and Ritalin. Valium is now treated to sooth anxiety whereas Ritalin is a stimulant and is used to treat attention deficit disorder.  

- The Black Power movement had hit its stride. Everywhere, black people were embracing their political power and beauty. A general embrace of everything Afro-centric meant many nods to African hairstyles and clothing.

- The 'Jesus-Freaks': A christian subculture who were looked at as not such a positive group. They were into universal love, pacifism and relished the radical nature of Jesus's message. There were other kinds of freaks too, the Acid Freaks for example. Skinheads: Motivated by social alienation and working class solidarity. They were defined by their buzzcuts, Dr Martins and straight let jeans. Punks were characterised by anti-establishment and promotion of freedom of identity. Known for wearing black, having tattoos, piercings and mohawks. The time of the hippy ran through both the 60s and 70s and inspired both music and film.

- Although not necessarily in the same decade, these identity sub-cultures have inspired many films over the years and will inspire many more. Punk for example has inspired Sid and Nancy (1986), Trainspotting (1996), The Runaways (2010). I've seen both Trainspotting and The Runaways (based on Jone Jet and the Black Hearts), both films revolve heavily around drugs and neither films portray this sub-culture in a positive light.