Comfortably Numb: A Shady Past

Comfortably Numb: A Shady Past

By: Daniel Hughes

Drugs; the mere thought of these illicit substances brings up images of dark underworlds, addiction, and a connection to violent crimes, but was it always this way? It wasn't. Setting; America, the 1960's, the "drug", marijuana. Alongside with the often associated substance LSD, or acid shaped the face of a generation, "the hippies". These "hippies" were not the stoner-burnouts that many imagine them as. Marijuana, to them was used, well, recreationally, yes, but, also it was used to bring unity, and to open doors of the mind once thought locked. Perhaps, even if you disagree, admit this, that the so called "relation" between violent crimes, and "drug use" was not noticed until after America's most embarrassing little scare popped up, Vietnam. For those of you who aren't familiar, and I'm sorry to say that many of today's youth are sadly ignorant, which in itself isn't much of a new trend, seeing as how we're taught merely what the government deems appropriate, Vietnam was a conflict in Asia, which last time I checked isn't the continent that the beloved U.S.A. is on, between two countries, which last time I checked, the honorable U.S.A. wasn't one of(if you can't read between the lines, it was a foul move on the U.S' behalf to intervene and needlessly waste many good men and women's lives, not to mention ruin many more lives of those who weren't killed, but maimed both physically and mentally). During this time period, the late 60's, through the 70's, many things began to change. Men, Women, and probably the most evidently noticeable, the Teens(kids in many people's eyes) began to change from not JUST marijuana, or the occasional hit of acid, they found new drugs, these drugs, quaaludes, and probably most infamous, cocaine, and heroine. Most interesting of all though, they didn't try these new drugs for peace, unity, or religious purposes(like marijuana has been used for thousands of years by numerous civilizations throughout history)these drugs were taken PURELY to get high, to numb one's self, to become, comfortably numb. Why would these youths of America want to numb themselves though? One can not say definitively why a youth does anything, but could it