Final answer:
Parents and legislators criticized IU for hosting Allen Ginsberg due to his association with the Beat Generation and his poetry's open discussion of taboo subjects, which challenged 1950s American values.
Step-by-step explanation:
Many parents and some Indiana legislators criticized Indiana University (IU) for allowing Allen Ginsberg to read his poetry on campus due to his association with the Beat Generation, which was known for its open discussion of taboo subjects such as drug use, sexuality, and its anti-establishment views. Ginsberg's poetry, particularly his work in Howl and Other Poems, was seen as a challenge to the clean, materialistic image of 1950s American suburbia and contained frank discussions of homosexuality and other themes that ran counter to what was considered acceptable in society at the time. Moreover, Ginsberg's oppositional stance against conformity, his advocacy for environmentalism and gay rights, and his unapologetic criticism of war and materialism unsettled a conservative America that was already grappling with Cold War fears and societal pressures to conform.