Jerry, I don't think our country was "united" during the Vietnam War. This is a country that elected Nixon president during the height of the protests. Not sure if that would qualify as "united".

To answer your question, I do think everything has and SHOULD change. Peoples actions are defined by the times they lived in. I'm sure someone who lived in Victorian times was shocked at the way people conducted theselves during the Jazz age.   Communities have to change to survive, and the folk community is no different.