60s Flower Power/psychedelia

Who is old enough to remember it and how did it effect you?

I'm asking because I want a thread that requires comments from people I can relate to. (*is getting sick of having to always having to try to remember the difference between Dream Theatre and Tool*)

Eddie:

Historically - i.e., socio-culturally, socio-politically, etc. - "decades" don't usually begin on a "0" and end on a "9."  What we call "the 40s" ran from approximately 1942 to 1953.  The "50s" ran from about 1953/4 to 1961/2.  The "60s" ran from about 1962/3/4 to 1974.  The "70s" were actually the "shorest" era, running from 1974 to about 1980.

Each "era" can be defined (admittedly a bit simplistically) by "era-separating" political and cultural events.  The 50s arguably ended when (i) the civil rights era began in earnest, and (ii) rock and roll entered the picture.  These are just two of a few era-defining events.

The 60s began with the civil rights era and rock and roll.  But they did not truly end until (i) the end of the Vietnam War in 1974/5 (and the concurrent resignation of Nixon over the Watergate scandal), and (ii) the advent of disco (and, the following year, "punk").  True, some people argue that the 60s ended in 1970, with the killing of four students at Kent State (some would even argue 1969, after the murder at the Stones' concert at Altamont).  However, there was still a huge - and quite active - "counter-culture" movement (including "hippies") well into the early 1970s.  Once the war was ended, that "counter-culture" no longer had a galvanizing, unifying goal, and so it quickly dissipated.

Again, I admit that this is a somewhat simplistic explanation.  However, having been there, I feel that it is fairly accurate.

Peace.