The Committee to Nuke Elysium

The idea that cultural change is driven by lines of flight helps us redress a common misconception about the sixties counterculture. The counterculture was not fundamentally oriented against mainstream society. It is true that the counterculture was defined by the rejection of the society that existed at the time. It is also true that, in the 1970s, the militant end of the counterculture positioned itself against the state in an effort to create a popular movement to overthrow it. But the counterculture itself was oriented away from mainstream society rather than against it. It was driven by the desire for another world and way of life, and inspired by the belief that this world and life was possible. Having a ‘countercultural’ attitude does not necessarily involve hostility towards mainstream society. It signals a desire to leave the society that exists, to leave it to its own devices, and to grow creative (with new devices) with other like-minded people.