One cannot overstate the significance of the kairotic moment
known as Woodstock that acted as the culmination of the counterculture movement
of the 1960's. Kairos in rhetoric refers to a pinnacle moment that has a certain
“timeliness” that takes advantage and is exacerbated by the events occurring during
that time period and Woodstock is a prime example of such a moment. Advertised
by flyers as 3 Days of Peace and Music, it was held on August 1969, the turning
point of the decade, and to this day a music festival to its size and renown
and social influence has yet to be seen although there have been efforts to
reproduce it. This inability to recreate Woodstock would best be attributed to
the social climate of the time as there were several factors that resulted in the
success of this festival. At the time, America was still fighting the VietnamWar and many had been disillusioned by the facade of greatness that once accompanied
the thought of war and all that people could see was the violence and hatred
that came with it. Woodstock acted as a sanctuary from the violence and from
the divisiveness of politics and hateful rhetoric and the estimated 400,000
people who attended found what they were looking for; freedom. At a time of
disillusionment, Woodstock was perfectly timed to act as an escape as well as
final hurrah for the whirlwind that had been the 1960's. This music festival was
“one of the greatest moments in popular music history” according to Rolling
Stone’s list “50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll” and the
greatness can truly be accredited to Kairos and social momentum of the sixties.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWoodstock was truly an iconic event that exemplified what a kairotic moment is. Kairos can also be seen as "the supreme moment" and with the sheer magnitude of Woodstock, it was indeed a "supreme moment". For the 1960s this music festival's significance to the counterculture movement is undeniable.
ReplyDeleteLike you mentioned it's hard to think of a musical festival that has the same effect as Woodstock did in the 1960's. I think it would be interesting to explore the theme of music being used as an outlet and safe haven from all the pressures of society. Often the timing of an event can be very telling to the purpose that the event served at a particular time.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that we, over fifty years later, still know of and refer to Woodstock further emphasizes your point that Woodstock was such a kairotic moment. There are no other music festivals that anybody (from the 1960's to our generation) knows as well as Woodstock. While we know that it was a huge movement, it would be interesting to explore why similar events aren't attended as well even in times of similar social climate.
ReplyDeleteWoodstock is a perfect example of a kairos. I also like that you mentioned the Vietnam War and how Woodstock was an escape for people. And the fact that there is yet to be another festival as big, influential, and memorable as Woodstock, shows how big of a kairotic moment it was.
ReplyDelete