I can't exactly say that I'd like to go back and relive the era of the 60s.
Then again, right now I'm experiencing a different kind of 60s, and between the two I'll take the first one -- cannabis-stained knuckles, fingers, and hands -- hands-down!
It seems incredible that it's been over 40 years since those days of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll, and for me, well, two out of three wasn't bad. Much has changed in our culture since then, including our language. Many of the old phrases are still around, but the meanings aren't quite the same.
Far Out! --- Once an exclamation of excitement, wonderment, and radical possibilities. Now for many Boomers, a belt size.
Roach Clip --- Once a tweezers-like holder for marijuana cigarette remnants. Now the realization that your exterminator has overcharged the hell out of you.
Right On! --- Once a cry of solidarity and brotherhood. Now a shout out that your chip shot on the 11th has managed to trickle up to the green.
Establishment --- Once the power, the Man, the established order you had to fight. Now the hot corner bistro you can't afford.
Oh Wow! --- Once an exclamation of joy and exhilaration. Now an apt response when you open your cable bill.
Freak Flag --- Once a proud spiritual badge that proclaimed you were a long-haired member of the counter-culture. Now a United States flag with 49 stars.
The Man --- Once the government, the authority, the one calling the shots. Now the bride in the wedding you attended last week.
No. 9 --- Once an enigmatic phrase in a John Lennon authored recording by the Beatles. Now the second and generally one of the weakest jokes in a Letterman Top Ten List.
Power to the People! --- Once a cry for freedom, justice, and equality. Now the option to select your electricity supplier.
Getting Off Now --- Once the pleasured sensation that a drug experience was about to begin. Now an exhausted goodbye to your co-worker as you exit the 6:15 out of Center City.
Heavy --- Once a heart-felt designation of relevance and truth. Now just about anything we Baby Boomers try to lift.
In thinking back to the Sixties, much of the language we spoke was indeed self-indulgent and pretentious. But a bit of it was more like Yiddish; that is, able to express thoughts and feelings in a word or phrase that couldn't be expressed effectively any other way, for which there was and is no equivalent in formal English.
And with all its faults and foibles, there was and is no equivalent -- and never will be -- for the 1960s.
Post 50 Tattoos
(01 of09)
Open Image Modal"My husband took up running -- especially Disney marathons -- about four to five years ago," writes Mary Helmick. "He has this tattoo on his calf with our kids names intertwined." (credit:Courtesy of Mary Helmick)
(02 of09)
Open Image ModalA reader's tattoo serves as her medic alert. (credit:Courtesy of Adrienne Wolfman)
(03 of09)
Open Image Modal(04 of09)
Open Image Modal (credit:Courtesy of Mike Kinsella)
(05 of09)
Open Image Modal"I got my tattoo a year ago after realizing I needed God back in my life," a reader wrote. "My father had just died after being in hospice for a year with liver failure; I spent my 25th anniversary waiting for my divorce to be final; and at work my workload had just doubled when my associate was forced to retire. My luck had run out and with it my desire to live. "Finding God and learning that he would be with me till the end was so reassuring and gave me the power to wake up each morning and put one foot in front of the other. My tat is there where I can see it and always remember. 'I am with you always...' Matthew 28:20. I'm settling on the verse for my next one now."
(06 of09)
Open Image Modal"I got this tattoo to celebrate winning the cycling time trial event and setting a new national record at the Senior Olympics in Houston in 2011," Sandy Scott told Huff/Post50. (credit:Courtesy of Sandy Scott)
(07 of09)
Open Image Modal"This tattoo was done in celebration of winning the battle against a level 4 malignant melanoma about a dozen years ago," Scott writes. "The Grim Reaper's Scythe is buried in the scar left from my second operation:" (credit:Courtesy of Sandy Scott)
(08 of09)
Open Image Modal"This tattoo was in celebration of achieving my masters skydiver license," Scott explains. (credit:Courtesy of Sandy Scott)
(09 of09)
Open Image Modal"I was a pilot for Eastern airlines for 25 years," Sandy Scott told us. "The skull tattoo is a symbolistic tattoo to mourn the demise of a great airline when it went bankrupt. The artwork was done by an artist friend from my concept, and the tattoo was done by International Tattoo Artist of the Year, Bud Pearson. It made the cover of Tattoo Magazine and was featured in two other magazines." (credit:Courtesy of Sandy Scott)
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.