Teenagers had only just been 'discovered' the decade before but by the 1960s they held great power over society and culture. Television and films put them on centre stage, protests and rallies kept them forever in the news and the idols of the day were getting younger and younger. The older generation was in awe of them, even though the adults didn't approve of things the kids did. But the youth were unappreciative of the society that supported them. "Don't trust anyone over 30," was a phrase that was often heard. Another, "Tell it like it is," conveyed the idea that the older generation did nothing but lie.

To shame the older generation kids would use three techniques known as the Put-On, the Gross-Out, and the In-Talk. The first, which they adapted from Black America and learned during the civil rights marches, was a way of telling a phoney story aimed at sucking in the listener and shaming him without his knowing it. The Gross-Out or 'garbage mouth' was used by extroverted people to embarrass and enrage adults. For example a group of young people in a club dominated by adults would suddenly begin chanting four-letter words, louder and filthier all the time, until they completely disrupted the scene.

These phrases were part of the young generation's 'language bag' and were used like a secret code that the older generation couldn't understand. Like today the popular words and phrases were constantly changing and were adapted from psychological jargon, show-biz slang and old fashioned obscenities. Words that could mean 'cool' were 'tough,' 'kicky,' 'bitchin',' or 'groovy.' A 'womb baby,' was someone who craved the infantile desire for instant gratification. Anyone who tried too hard was a 'wonk,' which was derived from the British 'wonky,' meaning out of kilter. In boy-girl relations 'making it' could be anything from getting together to GETTING together. Marijuana was referred to by the terms 'boo', 'grass', 'tea' or 'Mary Jane.'

In-Talk could be ambiguous, a reflection of youth's determination to avoid self-definition even in conversation. 'Up tight' could mean anxious, emotional, involved or broke. To 'freak out' could mean to flip, go high on drugs, or simply to cross the edge of boredom. A 'stud' could be either male or female, as long as he or she was 'go.' a 'bag' was both a problem (as in 'what a bag') and a field of interest ('music is my bag, baby').

Last updated: June 01, 2003

Sixties Central, Copyright 1998-2003 by Mandy Hoeymakers.
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