Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'N' Roll

We don't know what we think we do

The origin of the counter culture war cry is a little fuzzy. The first known use of the phrase can be found in a 1969 article in LIFE magazine: “The counter culture has its sacraments in sex, drugs, and rock.” Then a British magazine called The Spectator wrote this in 1971: “Not for nothing is the youth culture characterized by sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.”

Similar slogans like _Woman, Wine, and Song_have been around since the dark ages, and probably before.

The _Sex Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll_ single by Ian Dury released in 1977, gave the slogan some traction. The record (remember 45s with the big hole in the middle) was banned by the BBC, making it an instant cult hit.

But this isn’t a post about a slogan, it’s a post about how we misinterpret that slogan in the 2020s. What our parents thought would be the downfall of mankind has morphed into what might be the downfall of mankind.

Here’s my new interpretation:

Sex = Porn

Drugs = Fentanyl

Rock ‘N’ Roll = Rap

Let’s take them one at a time:

Sex

The free sex movement of the sixties is no longer. Statistics have shown that not only is the birth rate dangerously low, but younger folks are not having sex, or even relationships. If they are getting married at all, it is usually at an older age.

Affluence may be a cause. In many well-off countries, the same trends are occurring. The average age at marriage and birth rates clearly show that people in affluent countries are marrying later (average age is 30 versus 22 for lower-income) and having fewer babies (low-income 4.5, middle-income 2.4, and high-income 1.7).

These statistics have remained relatively unchanged for years. What I have seen is that the ease and acceptance of pornography have derailed things even further. What once required a trip to a dark parking lot, now is as accessible as your computer—or phone.

Drugs

Remember when pot was labeled a gateway drug that led to cocaine and heroin? That turned out to be fairly accurate, though most people never reached the latter stage. I stalled in the middle before cleaning up my act. Drug use and overdoses, a state of affairs so bad to have war declared against it, resulted in less than 20,000 deaths in 2000. That figure has risen to almost 100,000.

Instead of the evil weed, opioids are now the gateway drug. They don’t lead to stronger alternatives like the pot to heroin matrix, but once the prescription expires the resulting desperation leads to the street. And that leads to fentanyl. Stronger and cheaper, the synthetic opioid can be one hundred times more potent than morphine—and readily available.

Most illegal drugs now contain traces of fentanyl, a highly addictive and dangerous opioid substitute. Mexican meth, which contains fentanyl, has replaced what we knew as backyard brews made from ephedrine, and pseudoephedrine obtained from cold medicine has taken over the market. It is in itself responsible to a large degree for the homeless problem.

Rock ‘N’ Roll

When Elvis shook his hips on TV the world was supposed to end. As with free sex and weed, it didn’t. Music evolves. Always has and always will. I can say I don’t like current music, but I can’t say it’s bad, though most are unrecognizable as music to me. The world is not going to end, but the age of creative and meaningful lyrics has.

Whether it was the chicken or the egg, music represents our current culture. Rich white kids listening to ghetto rap (I know, both are racist stereotypes) is no good for anyone. What I can make out of the lyrics are racist, anti-woman, and pro-violence.

What it means

To face some of our current issues, we and our politicians who grew up in a different age need to understand that the new brand of Sex Drugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll is not the same as what we grew up with. Pornography, Fentanyl, and Rap are not Free Sex, Weed, and Rock.