I Ain't Marchin' Anymore! An Honest Account of Life Among the Disaffected Young - Their Violence, Politics, and Sex
by Dotson Rader
David McKay Company, 1969. 180 pages
Dotson Rader’s book, “I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore!’ can either look like a chaotic mess or a smart and subtle stance on the primary issues of the ‘60s: racism, sexism and violence.
Rader introduces readers to world where characters bounce from demonstration to demonstration. The Pentagon protest of October 1967 is followed by various New York scenes, including a violent march leading to the United Nations. The book climaxes at the Columbia University takeover and ends softly as the characters stage a protest at a George Wallace rally.
Focusing only on character is misleading. These people are somewhat interchangeable and usually have no solutions to society’s problems. Clearly, this is a book that is meant to provide information instead of answers.
"What the hell is this? I do not see ending the war as our goal. Not really. Whoever's elected won't stop the war. And even if they do, so what? The killing'll go on, if not in Vietnam then somewhere else. God, let's admit it! Elections, parties, they're not worth a damn. They can't bring change. Ever. Make it bloodier until the Americans can't take it anymore, until they only have one alternative - to overthrow the liberal, capitalist system that makes war necessary." (pg. 104)
Rader juggles the myth and the reality of America. These heady discussions are juxtaposed with details that are meant to call attention to the characters’ humanity. They’re wild and young. Should we expect them to have answers?
"A girl from Vassar spoke. She sat on the edge of a desk near Rudd, her onyx-black hair combed long, straight, the ends curled on her shoulders, shimmering blue-black in the white light. Lovely black eyes, incredibly white skin. 'I would like to say what I think our role is, if I may.' she said, glancing at Mike, who had resumed picking his nose. 'The role of students in this stage of the revolutionary movement is to plant seeds, to create alternatives, to make people disassociate themselves from a government which makes war. Americans have been raised to believe that this America is the great, white, liberal democracy, the place, Heaven. We must make them understand how evil the government is in order to win them to resistance. The polarity must be between the government and the people, not between the people themselves. We're wrong to focus their frustration and hatred against Johnson and Humphrey, to personalize it. It must be directed against the System, against government itself, against the idea of government. People must be made to understand that the government and the people represent two different Americas. They must be taught to distrust all institutions." (pg. 98)
Indeed, this book more than others foreshadows the relationship between libertarianism and the protest movements of the 60s. It was a commonly held belief that protesters must care for themselves and their community. They must not depend upon the system for fairness, safety or medical care.
Future generations are usually curious as to how the anti-government screeds would became popular over a decade later. After reading Rader’s book, they’ll wonder no more.
