Social Studies: The Beatles N.Z. Tour, Perspectives

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing a perspective blog post regarding the The Beatles tour. The two perspectives I will be covering are:

- Those who were for the tour

- Those who were against it

Perspective 1, For:

Who were they?

The people who were for The Beatles tour were the youth in New Zealand. Most specifically the teenage girls. 

Why did they feel the way they did?

The youth were for the tour of New Zealand because they felt as if The Beatles were they way the could express themselves and burst forth from the stereotypes and normality they were forced to live in. They believed that The Beatles were high and mighty, above everything else in the world. 

The Beatles were worshipped wherever their music came about, making them be seen godlike by their swooning fans. The Beatles provided the youth with basically some drama in their lives. Fans devoted their lives to The Beatles. They had an unsettling love for them which consumed them completely and shut off the rest of the world. 

The Beatles were relatable people, they were young  and represented others who wanted independence. This made The Beatles extremely loved by the youth in the world. 

Perspective 2, Against: 

Who were they?

The people who were against the tour of The Beatles in New Zealand were the older generation. These were generally the parents of the Beatle-hysteric young people who had grown up in a society where women had to stay at home, cook, clean, take care of children and be waiting for their husbands when they came home. This generation had grown up with The Depression and wars, which shaped them differently as people. 

Why did they feel the way they did?

This generation felt like this because they didn't believe that songs should be sung about young girls, especially songs which sexualised the young girls too. They didn't like the challenging of the youth, they didn't like that they were rebelling and expressing their opinion. 

Some people also didn't like the The Beatles and what they stood for because of their religious views. They believed that The Beatles lead the youth to Sin and troublemaking because they started to behave differently. 

"The songs of the Beatles and their contemporaries (including the local Beatles pastiche, Ray Columbus and the Invaders, with their huge hit “She's a Mod”) were listened to by a generation of youths who felt that they were suddenly liberated from many of the inhibitions of their parents, and who believed that only they knew how to enjoy themselves properly."

- Source: (adapted): Paul Moon, New Zealand in the Twentieth Century (Auckland: Harper Collins, 2011), pp 433–434

Here is map of where The Beatles toured, created on 'My Maps':

Thanks for reading!