Jake Randolph in "The Naked Beat" Pt. 4

Once the media spread like a communicable disease their stereotypical prototype image of what it meant to be "Beat," sales of bongos, black turtleneck sweaters, berets and dark sunglasses instantly shot up all over the country. Movies were being made, Beatnik characters were popping up on television shows. Even Beatnik comedians were not uncommon. The simultaneous fascination and revulsion of the Beatnik trend was an interesting social dichotomy.

But what started as a genuine spiritual movement had been co-opted by the media into a marketing ploy. And it also put a derisive name on the growing post-war youth...