Esquire September 1970 - College Issue Heavy Traffic Sixties Men\'s Style For Sale

Esquire Magazine, September 1970

This issue is the magazine\'s annual \"Back to Campus\" edition, but reflecting the turbulent times, it serves as a deep and unflinching look into the politically radicalized state of American youth, the military, and the profound generation gap in the wake of the Kent State shootings just months earlier.

• Cover: The cover is a classic example of Esquire\'s powerful irony. It features a photograph of a clean-cut, smiling young man in a U.S. Army uniform. Stenciled in large letters over the image is the headline, \"WE\'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THIS PLACE\". The line is a direct quote from the cover story, but it was also the title of a famous rock song by The Animals that had become an unofficial anthem for disillusioned American soldiers in Vietnam. The cover brilliantly captures the deep anti-war sentiment that had permeated not just college campuses, but the military itself.

• Notable Features:

  • \"We\'ve Got to Get Out of This Place\" by Dotson Rader: The cover story is a compelling piece of immersive journalism from the Fort Dix army base in New Jersey. Rader reports on the widespread disillusionment, drug use, and anti-war feelings among the draftees, giving a voice to the reluctant soldiers at the heart of the Vietnam conflict.

  • \"The Making of the Yippie Culture\" by Garry Wills: The prominent intellectual and author Garry Wills contributes a major analytical essay on the Youth International Party (Yippies). He dissects the \"political theater\" of figures like Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, examining how their anarchic style was shaping the counter-culture movement.

  • \"Here and Now for Bobby Seale\" by Jean Genet: The radical French writer Jean Genet continues his commentary on American revolutionary movements with this article focused on the imprisoned co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale.

  • Campus Radicalism Focus: The rest of the issue is dedicated to exploring the state of the American student. It includes features on the rise of Black student power movements and satirical pieces looking at other burgeoning political identities, reflecting a campus environment defined by protest and social upheaval rather than academics and football.