Mark, you're absolutely right, and on reflection I'm willing to conced that my assessment of "Ohio" may be a little harsh. I do remember the Kent State shootings, although I was too young to be directly involved (twelve years old at the time). And I agree with you that the shock of seeing the postwar American myth trashed before our eyes was profound. That shock and disillusionment were really what the huge cultural shifts of the 1960's and early 1970's were all about, and the Kent State incident was one of those defining moments that really drove the point home.

[I would add that these events led to a very depressing decade in the 1970's, when our collective self-image had been shattered but nothing meaningful had taken its place. Coming of age in the 1970's was not as dramatic as it was in the 1960's, but being an adolescent and young adult in post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America presented its own challenges. But I suppose that's a topic for another thread.]

Anyway, your points about the context are well taken. I would have preferred a more profound reaction, and I think a greater artist would have provided one. But for better or worse, "Ohio" stands as the musical account of the Kent State incident, and I have to admit that it does capture the mood of the times.