Hippie Culture....

Most of these people were young. Most of them came from middle class homes. On the average they were well educated or could be if they wanted to. But they didn't want that, or for that matter anything else in our civilization except on their own terms. In many ways their terms had the glitter and attraction of the bright, the bold and the noisy. They objected to the ills that besotted society like war, social hatreds, money grabbing and spiritual waste. Their remedy was to withdraw into “private satisfactions”. "Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out" was the motto of this counter cultural phenomenon of the 1960s and early 1970s that grew partially out of young America's growing disillusionment with U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. An individualist culture, whose social behaviour was determined by personal goals, attitudes and values of collectivizes. This new culture formed such a radical society that they were given their own name which is still used today. They came to be called the "Hippies". In this week’s entry I’m going to talk about the Hippie Culture that according to me is quiet bizarre but at the same time endearing.

The Hippies didn't follow the traditional beliefs and teachings of their elders but instead rejected them for an alternative culture which was their very own. The Hippie Culture brought together youth that rejected their parents' ideas, those that just wanted to get away, and a few that simply were outcasts, who could only fit in with a "free thinking" culture like this. Hence, Hippie Culture provided them with a sense of identity and belonging to a group. Most Americans believed that they were spoiled rich kids wasting their lives away. But to Hippies themselves this was a "way of life" and no one was going to get in the way of their dreams and ambitions. The Hippies were so different that the conservative American middle class could not relate to them and began to look upon them as aliens. Hence the hippies created their own ingroup rather than follow tradition.

Culture influences as well as interprets behaviours. One of the highlights of the Hippie Culture was the flagrant use of illegal drugs. There were many drugs that the Hippies used but "marijuana" topped the list. To some Hippies, drugs and music were the most important aspects of their lives. Some Hippies used LSD as they thought that it “put them in touch with your surroundings”. On occasions hippies would take bad LSD and would experience a "bad trip" or would "freak out" and sometimes they never came back. Even with this bad LSD everywhere people still used it, they went as far as to make a religion out of it.

The hippies communicated to the rest of the world through their protests. While the popular anthem of Sex, Drugs and Rock n' Roll sent shockwaves across middle America throughout the 1960s, the politically-charged message of peace, love and brotherhood also spoke directly to the newly-formed Civil Rights Movement, as well as the unpopular war raging in Vietnam. Some Hippies tried to make their own colonies where there was no racism and persecution.

Hippies didn't care about any of that. Their cultural beliefs represented their understanding of what they believed to be true. They were party animals. Many didn't work unless it was completely necessary, They never went to church nor did they care for saving their virginity until after they were married. They were anything but conservative and their families rejected them for it. Hippies easy going attitudes and fun and games lifestyles were put away when the topic of politics came up. Indubitably the instigator for their existence, politics played a huge role in their lives. This culture was passed down generation. Today, small groups of aging hippies continue to maintain the lifestyle, while in the Internet Age a fledgling band of "neo-hippies" have emerged in online Web communities.

Many believe, hippies at their best were trying for a "group sainthood" and saints running in groups were likely to be ludicrous. They depended on hallucination for their philosophy which hardly ever worked. People who can grow a beard and make love are supposed to move from the innocence of youth to the wisdom of adulthood; a quality this culture clearly lacked.