What Really Happened to the 1960s: How Mass Media Culture Failed American Democracy - Softcover

Morgan, Edward P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0700618228 ISBN 13: 9780700618224

Publisher: University Press of Kansas, 2011

Synopsis

In this provocative look at mass media's connection with 1960s, Edward P. Morgan simultaneously seeks to explain what happened in those turbulent years and what happened to how we remember it. His comprehensive overview and critical analysis reveal how the mass media have shaped the popular image of a raucous decade in ways that have curtailed its promise of democracy.

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Review

"Morgan demonstrates that while the mainstream media has been obsessed with the 1960s, its portrayal has consistently stressed the sensational and violent aspects of that decade while downplaying two of its most important components: a sense of hope that society could be changed and the sense that the basic social, economic, and political structures of American society, in particular the power of corporate capitalism, were at the heart of our problems. . . . Sophisticated, provocative, and convincing."--Robert Justin Goldstein, author of Political Repression in Modern American

"This important book provides an illuminating historical overview, critical analysis, and appraisal of the 1960s. Drawing upon historical and media studies, theories of capitalism and democracy, and in-depth study of the era's social movements, Morgan provides an extremely comprehensive and penetrating analysis of the events and aftermath of the 1960s. Based on highly impressive research, his study should appeal to a large audience interested in how that decade's more radical spirit continues to live on in our society."--Douglas Kellner, author of Media Spectacle and the Crisis of Democracy and Media Culture

"Morgan contends that understanding how corporate media helped and hindered the democratic movements of the Sixties will help us develop today's grassroots movements. He does an excellent job of developing that understanding. . . . He presents delightfully vivid discussions of iconic and not-so-iconic events and people."--CounterPunch

"A clear and compelling look at how the mass media has shaped our understanding--or misunderstanding--of this critical period. . . . An important corrective to contemporary, media-saturated perceptions of the 1960s."--Historian

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press of Kansas
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0700618228
• ISBN 13: 9780700618224
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 406