- The 1970s were a time of diversification and new turmoil
- Lifestyle and politics
- Countercultural issues born in the 1960s were absorbed into the cultural mainstream in the 1970s
- Hippie fashion
- Hippie lifestyles
- Personal grooming reflected hippie influence
- The Vietnam War continued through the first half of the decade
- Strongly divisive among the American people
- Considered to be the first war that America "lost"
- The break-in at the Democratic national headquarters caused a political scandal
- Covered up by the Nixon White House
- Resulted in extensive distrust of the American government
- President Nixon resigned because of his alleged involvement
- Problems with the economy
- Gasoline shortages
- Inflation
- Nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island raised concerns about safety of nuclear energy
- Political revolution in Iran
- American hostages were taken
- Foreshadowed further unrest in the Middle East
- Expanded focus on social issues begun in the 1960s
- Feminism became known as women's liberation ("women's lib")
- Gloria Steinem published Ms magazine in 1972
- Virginia Slims cigarettes were marketed to women
- Their slogan: "you've come a long way, baby"
- Famous tennis match between a man and a woman: Bobby Riggs/Billie Jean King
- Helen Reddy won a Grammy for her feminist anthem "I Am Woman"
- Advances in gay rights
- State laws prohibiting homosexuality were changed
- American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from its list of diseases in 1973
- Wide diversity reflected in the television industry
- All in the Family became a hit television show
- Bigoted lead character, Archie Bunker, had conflicts with liberal family and friends
- Mary Tyler Moore Show dealt with issues of women in the workplace
- Chico and the Man focused on issues in the Hispanic community
- Music programs expanded on American Bandstand
- Brill Building's Don Kirschner produced In Concert (changed to Rock Concert)
- Midnight Special featured famous radio disk-jockey Wolfman Jack
- Don Cornelius's Soul Train focused on rhythm and blues
- Saturday Night Live showcased rock groups in live performance
- Radio became more divided between AM and FM
- AM retained some of the old network-style programming
- FM became more corporate
- Less control given to DJs on what to play
- More tightly formatted
- DJs lost some of their ability to influence the industry
- Film
- Countercultural values appear in films
- Exemplified in George Lucas's Star Wars
- The "Force" is a universal spiritual concept
- The film is about going to fight totalitarianism in a distant galaxy
- The difference between struggles in the 1960s versus the 1970s: division versus diversity
- Struggles between men and women
- Gays versus straights
- Blacks versus whites
- General fragmentation spawned many musical styles
- Bands emerged that aligned themselves with causes and social groups
