History Mysteries: What did you remember about the Hippies in the 60s? How did you view them?

[Help]

At first the college student radicalism of the 1960s was separate from the hippie movement but gradually the two phenomena became inter-related. "Hip" was defined to be "in the know" and particularly about the drug underworld.

The appeal of the hippie mystique to young people in the 60s was social protest along with normal feelings of rebellion characteristic of adolescence. They craved for love, joy and self-realization and they believed that their needs could satisfied through drugs. The culture of the hippies involved electronically amplified rock music, psychedelic art and communal type relationships. Arguably, the spread of the Hippie movement was popularized by the drug LSD, a "conscious expanding" medicine.

From the primary sources available to me, the media at the time referred to these people as the "flower children" or the "love generation." The largest colony of Hippies was in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, which was where the Summer of Love was held.

There was a broader appeal to the Hippie movement other than drugs, there was the Vietnam War to consider. A lot of young people believed that their country's participation in the Vietnam War was morally indefensible and their hatred of the war was a major factor in their feelings of alienation from the whole prevailing system of society. For the first time, there was a fierce public debate over a war and this was due to the influx of information that was available. Causalities of the war was shown on the TV screen and people became aware of not only the conditions that the soldiers had to deal with but also the innocent civilians who were dying.

[tham153]

As one who was involved in some of the events of that era, my main split with hippies was not using drugs and being a bit more motivated to a work ethic. However, I tended more to the political end of the spectrum, and had friends in all elements of the hippie scene. We would be a lot better off if it were still big, instead of fruitcake power brown nosers like the Tea Party

[Gerald Cline]

Not everyone in the "counterculture" was a "hippie." Real hippies tended to be more extreme idealists than they typical college kid who identified with the movement. Not all antiwar activists were "hippies" either. Most of the college kids at least paid lip-service to the hippie's ideals. In a lot of respects the "hippies" were used by Marxist and political extremists as a front for their agenda of revolution. The "hippies" wanted social change, the far-left extremists wanted to overthrow society and take it over. Most of the kids in the "youth movement" were a lot less idealistic and more conservative. But they (both the real hippies and the run-of-the-mill college student wannabes) allowed themselves to be led by the extremists.

[American]

I liked the clothing style, and the black lights and head shops, and the Beatles. It was a good time in some ways, but it was over shadowed by the horrors of Viet Nam, and the assassinations of the Kennedys and MLK. I was a Republican in those days. I wasn't a hippie, but I suppose I had many friends who were considered to be. Some seemed content to live only for the day. I was too Conservative and a bit more ambitious, but the "Peace and Love" movement didn't bother me. It wasn't until recently that I saw what was brewing. I regret not paying more attention.

[Adrian]

I was just a little kid in those days. What I remember was long hair, protest music about the Vietnam war and love songs. They were also big into drugs and sex. They were big on the peace sign and flowers.

[Hippie_Rebel]

Hippie's are alive and well, they may not wear tie dyes, live in VW vans and follow the Dead (although some still do). They still hold true to their beliefs, they are into their communities, weather it be volunteering at the local food bank, or growing communitie gardens, and keeping busy being "Green" .They may not march the streets protesting, but thru the internet are busy writing their politicians trying to make the earth a better place. They continue to stand up for their beliefs, no mater how large of an obsticle that may stand in their way. They may not overindulge in mind expanding drugs, finding solace in smoking the occasional joint and bottle of red wine while jamming with other musicians. They continue to live their lives by the morals of "hippies" before them, standing up for their beliefs, trying to right the wrongs of todays society.
I've seen the youth of today, not being boxed in or steroetyped by yesteryears terms, continuing to stand up to the "man" , by doing things they know in their heart is the right way.
So Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and Gerry Garcia (to name a few) may not be with us any more but there are still people out there that will continue on with their ways of thinking, their philosophy's and their ways of life. For I as one believe that if not for the "Hippies" of yesteryear this world would be a much worse place to live.

[balloon buster]

I preferred, and prefer their company to that of the politicians and lawyers and other scum that run this society. I am not a peacenik and was a Goldwater fan although too young to vote in that election. I avoided them as their take on politics was not mine, and I did not want my message or theirs to be polluted by proximity if it became necessary to shoot the President.
There are somethings I will not do, some orders I will not take and some people I will not take orders from. Nixon nearly made the cut on all three. It was that close, and that violent an era. I did, and do, still wish them well.