# Was "The Beat Generation" of the 1950s PTSD?



## fuzzybuddy (Jul 19, 2019)

I was watching a Perry Mason episode, which featured some 'beatnick' types. They explained how they felt lost, depressed,  and "beat", withdrawing from society, into drugs, alternative life styles- that whole Beat Generation thing. The more they expressed their sentiments, the more it sounded like PTSD. This is occurred from 1948 through the 50s. This is also when millions of guys were back home, from WWII, with undiagnosed PTSD. They knew about "shell shocked", but they didn't understand PTSD. This was a TV program, but it struck me how similar the "Beat" symptoms were to PTSD. I'm not a scholar or anything, but it got me wondering if that whole "Beat Generation" was PTSD???


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## Trade (Jul 19, 2019)

I'm thinking that most of the beatniks were too young to have served in WW2.


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## 911 (Jul 19, 2019)

Sounds more like Goth type personality or maybe Punkers.


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## RadishRose (Jul 19, 2019)

Korea.


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## Trade (Jul 19, 2019)

RadishRose said:


> Korea.



I think a lot of them hit the sweet spot. Too young for even Korea, and too old for Nam.


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## Keesha (Jul 19, 2019)

fuzzybuddy said:


> I was watching a Perry Mason episode, which featured some 'beatnick' types. They explained how they felt lost, depressed,  and "beat", withdrawing from society, into drugs, alternative life styles- that whole Beat Generation thing. The more they expressed their sentiments, the more it sounded like PTSD. This is occurred from 1948 through the 50s. This is also when millions of guys were back home, from WWII, with undiagnosed PTSD. They knew about "shell shocked", but they didn't understand PTSD. This was a TV program, but it struck me how similar the "Beat" symptoms were to PTSD. I'm not a scholar or anything, but it got me wondering if that whole "Beat Generation" was PTSD???


Wow. What a slap in the face  for anyone who actually has a real diagnosis of ptsd and I didn’t get it from feeling lost within this world or from taking drugs. From my personal experience and those of others with ptsd, it’s a serious condition caused by severe trauma and it is never cured; only managed. 

Note: I wasn’t part of the Beat Generation.


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## Pepper (Jul 19, 2019)

Beatniks were an expressive, non-conformist people deliberately challenging WASP society.  They were a group who prized art, intellect and ****** experimentation.  They dealt with racism, sexism and a host of social issues.  To boil it down to ptsd is a denigration of their creativity and societal trailblazing.    They were hipster pioneers!


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## RadishRose (Jul 19, 2019)

Keesha said:


> Wow. What a slap in the face  for anyone who actually has a real diagnosis of ptsd and I didn’t get it from feeling lost within this world or from taking drugs. From my personal experience and those of others with ptsd, it’s a serious condition caused by severe trauma and it is never cured; only managed.
> 
> _I didn’t get it from feeling lost within this world or from taking drugs_
> 
> .



No, feeling lost or turning to drugs are symptoms of the trauma, not the cause, if I understand you correctly, Keesha. Sorry if I didn't.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder isn't always caused by war!

Military personnel joining WW2 toward the end at ages 18-20 or so, would only 23 to 25 or thereabouts, certainly could be victims of PTSD. Even older


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## RadishRose (Jul 19, 2019)

Pepper said:


> Beatniks were an expressive, non-conformist people deliberately challenging WASP society.  They were a group who prized art, intellect and ****** experimentation.  They dealt with racism, sexism and a host of social issues.  To boil it down to ptsd is a denigration of their creativity and societal trailblazing.    They were hipster pioneers!


And mostly that, too @Pepper !


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## Keesha (Jul 19, 2019)

Yes. Sorry.  I did not read this correctly. 
This was about a total movement and not really about  ptsd. Ptsd is merely suspected as being part of the movement which is still a bit crazy but I get it.


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## Keesha (Jul 19, 2019)

RadishRose said:


> No, feeling lost or turning to drugs are symptoms of the trauma, not the cause, if I understand you correctly, Keesha. Sorry if I didn't.
> 
> Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome isn't always caused by war!
> 
> Military personnel joining WW2 toward the end at ages 18-20 or so, would only 23 to 25 or thereabouts, certainly could be victims of PTSD. Even older



Yep! I’m famous for mixing stuff up


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## fmdog44 (Jul 19, 2019)

All soldiers from all countries suffer long after the wars end in so many ways and all governments don't give a damn about them. For us perhaps WWI had the worst impact on them because of the high rate of close quarters killing.


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## Keesha (Jul 19, 2019)

fmdog44 said:


> All soldiers from all countries suffer long after the wars end in so many ways and all governments don't give a damn about them. For us perhaps WWI had the worst impact on them because of the high rate of close quarters killing.


I agree and it’s disgusting how quickly these  very people who fought for their own country get forgotten about or get treated like they are a burden.


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## RadishRose (Jul 19, 2019)

I would never discount the war and it's trauma as part of the turning to drugs and/or various lost feelings, but imo the Beat generation was more of a cultural movement.


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## Trade (Jul 20, 2019)




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## StarSong (Jul 20, 2019)

Trade said:


>



I've never seen this clip before. Thanks for posting it, Trade. George Carlin sure had his finger on the pulse beat of America, didn't he?


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## RadishRose (Jul 20, 2019)

StarSong said:


> I've never seen this clip before. Thanks for posting it, Trade. George Carlin sure had his finger on the pulse beat of America, didn't he?


Yes, he was often amazing!


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## fuzzybuddy (Jul 20, 2019)

I probably should explain what I meant by his post. After WWII, there was a social event, which was called the Beat Generation, this was not just a literary excursion. but a subculture that lasted for several years. It was marked by deep depression, withdrawal from society and its norms, drug use, and hyper-sexuality.  It was primarily a male phenomenon under 30. I was wondering if the "Beqat Generation" was  really PTSD  showing  up in WWII vets, since the symptoms seem so similar and who was affected by it- post WWII males. I put this out as a question, not as a statement of fact.


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## Aunt Bea (Jul 20, 2019)

IMO the beat generation was just youthful rebellion against _the system, _every generation seems to have one_._


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## Olivia (Jul 20, 2019)

Every generation thinks they are the best, and still do.


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## Butterfly (Jul 30, 2019)

Trade said:


> I'm thinking that most of the beatniks were too young to have served in WW2.



I think so, too.  Beatniks were much younger-- most of them would have been born after the war, or maybe in the middle of it, but too young to have served.

Besides, the stuff they did doesn't look like PTSD -- my husband was afflicted with PTSD after two tours in Vietnam and what he went through didn't look anything like the beatniks.    Would have been a hell of a lot easier if it had.


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## MeAgain (Aug 2, 2019)

StarSong said:


> I've never seen this clip before. Thanks for posting it, Trade. George Carlin sure had his finger on the pulse beat of America, didn't he?




I liked what he said but I didn't like all the F-Bombs he put in almost every other word at times. 
My favorite Carlin saying,

" its a club and you ain't in it".


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## Manatee (Aug 13, 2019)

The beasts were the forerunners of the hippies.


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## Llynn (Aug 16, 2019)




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## SeaBreeze (Aug 16, 2019)

The first beatnick I ever knew of, Maynard from the Dobie Gillis Show, he mentions 'beat generation' in this clip.


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