In nearly one year of being a member on these forums, I've seen a lot of posts anyalyzing and rationlizing the concept of being a hippie. Here's how I view it. The 60's were a unique period of time, seeing a collision of culture, ideology, and generational values. Some say "Why can't there be another period like that?" Simply put there can be, but it will probably take a form completly different from the youth culture of 40 plus years ago. I choose to think of myself not as a hippie, but a universalist accepting all ideas as having a degree of validity. I don't drink, I don't use drugs, and I believe in abstainence. Do these views exclude me from the hippie circle? Prehaps, but if this is indeed the case then I wouldn't want to be included anyway. In short these forums should be about cultivating understanding and creating friendships with people across the country and world. So if your goal is to label yourself as a hippie, I must warn you: you won't be any happier once you do.
People simply like to idealize a past they wish they could have been a part of, not considering that perhaps it was a reality not equal to that which we imagine. The issues we conflict over as youth today are very different than those of forty years ago, (though often with the same roots), so the reaction of the populace is therefore very different. It is silly to try to recreate an identical movement instead of looking for new horizons and pushing current limits with THIS generation's ideals and unique sense of identity. I wouldn't exactly call that progressive.
Some people look for an excuse to do drugs and have sex and complain. They find those ideals in what they perceive to be the hippie culture. But thats not what the hippie culture is. Its about goodwill and like you said making friendships. I'm not saying drugs shouldnt be done and everyone should be abstinent. Hell no!! I smoke pot. I drink. What I'm saying is that the mentality of finding happiness through peace and love should drive the hippie culture. Not looking for an excuse to fuck urself up. In the 60s, the culture clash was much more severe than today. In the 60s the youth could rebel against the parents. Today the parents are the ones who did the rebelling. Because youth can relate to their parents more so than in the 60s, the clash between cultures is not as severe. Whenever ideologies change, Cultures clash, and huge amounts of people dissent, a movement will occur. In the 60s it was the hippie movement, but the clash is not so bad today. Perhaps in the future, another rift will expose itself and a hippie-reminiscant movement will occur. Until then the hippie movement of today will be but a mere shadow of the 60s with a handful of true hippies and a lot of people looking for a style of clothing or an excuse to do drugs and fuck.
in my past year-and-however-long its been here, i must have seen 20 other threads like this. who cares though really... why get worked up over it, you're just going to end up dead no matter what you do
these times are very much like the 60's and 70's, an unjust war, alot of protesting, it's happening right now as we speak, don't live in the past, get invovled in the present and the future, we need to be aware that the earth is slowly dying from pollution and global warming, our young men and women are dying in irag and we have a evil and corrupt president today, just like we had in the 70's with nixon and his band. i have been a hippie nearly all of my life, it's about standing up for what you believe, caring about mother earth, caring for your brothers and sisters and being at peace with yourself. keep on keepin on POWER TO THE PEACEFUL HIPPIEWISE ANGEL
I think that the counter culture would take on DIFFERANT forms, not a single one. There are several peaceful counter culture movements like hippies, punk, and things like that. There used to just be hippies and that was pretty much the only counter-culture movement going on. Either you were a conformist of a hippie... But it is also a very wide carrying culture. Although the music of Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison are completely differant, they dressed nothing alike, and their personalities weren't the same, but they were both considered "hippies". The reason being they were anti-war and counter-cultural. Nowadays, a "scene" is defined solely on the manner of dress, style of music and the "personality" of the scene. That seems to be the differance between a scene and a movement to me... A movement is something that surpasses all the things that make a scene a scene. Therefore, if there is another movement like in the 60's, it will not take form of a punk scene, or something like that, it will be people with all differant personalities, lifestyles, manners of dress, styles of music all screaming for peace, love and understanding. And without those things, it won't be like the 60's... It will just be something that will most likely corrupt our society worse.
Beautifully put! I don't actually know any fake hippies, so I am a little surprised that this topic comes up so much. I do know activists, environmentalists, artists, free-thinkers, spiritual and philosophical explorers, creative problem solvers, and eccentric people who have the courage to be themselves. If you are hanging out with 'fake' hippies, then maybe you just need to get involved in a cause that you care about. That's where you'll find passionate doers that couldn't care less about the label 'hippy'. And where does anyone get the impression that the movement has fizzled out? If anything, the counterculture has expanded and branched out, giving people room to do their own thing. Maybe it has become so big that you can't see the forest for the trees, but tell me, when was the last time you heard about a guy getting beat up for having long hair? So many causes are being actively pursued to make the world a better place for everyone. I think that we owe the very notion and strategy of activism,in part, to our hippy foreparents. Right now people are still advocating avidly for the civil liberties of gays, for example. Before the contercultural hippy movement came along, I don't think that even would have been possible. And did you notice that there's an anti-war movement? Right now around 2/3 of Americans don't approve of the way President Bush is handling the war. There was a time not so long ago when even expressing that view was considered unpatriotic. What about the environment? Progress is being made. People are actively working for change. You're young, so the fact that cities like San Francisco have many hybrid vehicles in their public transportation fleets, and that people can and do buy hybrid vehicles may not seem like a big deal to you, but when I was a kid that was unheard of. So, if the people that you encounter seem shallow, get involved in a cause and find some other people. We're everywhere!
I would also like to add that if you do encounter someone you regard as a 'fake hippy', I think it's more productive to expose them to good things than to criticize or hassle them.
Yuo tink iz all about nothin? "who cares though really... why get worked up over it, you're just going to end up dead no matter what you do [/QUOTE]" Itz all bout bein hip 2 thiz trip called - witch way iz up? - Hippyz try bein hip.
Well...I'm looking at your avatar, and what I think you said, and three thoughts occur to me: 1. Spelling all fucked up on purpose isn't rebellious or revolutionary, it's just annoying when people have to try to decipher your posts, and... 2. You sound apathetic. "Why get worked up over it, you're just going to end up dead no matter what you do." Apathy is, IMO, the opposite of hip. To be apathetic is to refuse to take responsibility, to refuse to work for change, to stop dreaming, to squander your creative gifts. Life is short. Don't squander it with that attitude. 3. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you use mind-altering substances. Are you using those to remind yourself that you're a little part of the fantastic big picture, or are trying to escape from life? Drugs doesn't equal hippy.
There's not too much point in worrying about how people label you or how you should label yourself, as long as you do what makes you happy...
i think the 60s movement was cool because it was something that people had never really done or seen before... It goes to show the spirit in all of us. Which is always timeless.