The legacy of the Hippie movement (how much, good news, states, agent)
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“If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.” - winston churchill
i love this quote.
Not to burst any bubbles, but Churchill himself was a conservative at twenty and a liberal at forty, and while the saying is often attributed to him, it wasn't he who came up with this modern version of it. That honor goes to a Frenchman during the Revolution of 1848 who was actually excoriating the older generation for not getting out in the streets and shedding a little blood. Hope that doesn't ruin it for you.
There were a lot of people who dressed like hippies but weren't. But there was definitely a mind set, a way of life, a philosophy that true hippies shared.
Yes, there was and still is. The particular name may be associated with a particular and relatively brief period, but the Hippie Movement existed from long before the 60's and will continue long after today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DewDropInn
Anybody else flashing on Goldie from the old Smothers Brothers show?
I could always share a little tea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DewDropInn
(If you're thinking "Hawn" you do not get to pass Go.")
The legacy of the hippie movement I think is still
a few years down the road IMO
I'll always remember my grandparents all who were the
first to be born in the U.S.A. in the late 1800's saying
during this time as much like today 'What's with the World'
I'm glad they did not have the chance to see what's going on today, But I hope we'll never forget what our prior generations have done along with the ones that never made it home and that someday all Americans will once again become the,
UNITED States of America.
The ride on this planet when you think about it is very short
"Hippies" wasn't a political party and didn't have a unified platform of what they were for/against. More of a fashion statement in most cases.
Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin and some of the Merry Pranksters formed a "political" party called the Youth International Party or the Yippies. They were an anarchist-libertarian group which took the be free, do what ever you want to do just as long as you don't hurt anybody seriously. They were inspired by a science fiction writer of the time Norman Spinrad who penned a novel called "Agents of Chaos" that advanced that the best way to bring down an authoritarian regime or oligarchy was to subject it to ridicule or derision. An example of such action would be subjecting a pompous politician to a pie kill (i.e. throwing a custard creme pie in his face).
Many of my "hippie" friends are now raging, Beck/Limbaugh conservatives. They have succumbed to the plague of impending senior citizenhood: hardening of the attitudes.
A few still refer to themselves as 'freaks' but my adult children call them eccentric. They suffer from Peter Pan syndrome.
The rest continue to do what they did as young people. They educate themselves on the issues and form their opinions accordingly. They are in the process of becoming wise elders.
You make many assumptions.
I served (voluntarily)in the US Army from 1965 to 1968. My 2 years overseas was in Germany as a track vehicle mechanic.
I returned to my home town, Chicago, just weeks before the Democratic Convention.
No one bothered me about having been in the army. I knew many others that were in the army, mostly in combat in Viet Nam. None related any negative experiences with hippies once they returned home. Many of those let their hair grow long, smoked weed, and sympathized with the anti-war movement. Many of those soldiers smoked weed in Viet Nam. The Vietnamese sold packages of rolled joints to the GIs.
Things may have been completely different in the South. That was, and still is, hardcore redneck country. During that hippy era many people (not only hippies) hitch-hiked across the US. The word was avoid the South. Too many hate filled rednecks.
Hippies railed against the Status Quo, which was termed anti-establishment, a term heard often.
Thinking for yourself is not a concept that Americans like, especially those who label themselves as 'patriots'. But these 'patriots' don't question anything and harbor contempt for anyone who does. The Status Quo doesn't encourage think for oneself and condemns those who do. The hippies questioned established attitudes. The Status Quo can't explain anything, so they react with rage. Hence, another term from the that era 'reactionaries'.
Maybe the vets you have encountered were Southerners.
I knew many vets, none hated the hippies. It wasn't unusual to encounter a beard, long-haired hippy who told me about his combat experiences.
The hippies were "the herd" who engaged in mindless protests for the purpose of getting high and raising hell. The hippies mindlessly took dangerous drugs (that was real well thought out), "dropped out" (another brilliant decision) and engaged in wanton sex (another bright move). How much thinking is involved when one decides that breaking windows, over turning cars and burning buildings is a good idea. These were useful idiots and spoiled brats who were acting out like toddlers.
Now tell me again- how do you associate the word "hippy" and "thinking" again? They seem mutually exclusive.
The vets I have encountered were midwesterners. Did they smoke pot? Sure. That does not make them a hippy. However, MOST say they had ill treatment by the hippies at one time or another after returning home. Oddly, I have a patient with very long hair, tatoos, and wears sandals who I called a damn hippy (I was kidding). He (as many of the vets) described what evil SOBs the hippies were to him and his buddies on return from Vietnam. My uncle was in country with the 101st and heard Jane Fonda's radio broadcasts. After returning home (after about a year in a few military hospitals) he was suprised to hear she had not been shot for treason. That is a hippy for you- "concerned" for the world, yet hateful and scornful of thier "brother". What pigs.
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