An open letter to young hippies

Perhaps because I do.

 

When I say I wish "I could go back to the 60's". take it as a compliment. I know its impossible, and its just my way of saying, "I respect you elder who has experienced more life than I have yet to experience myself and find traits in you worth emulating". The truth is that the tea party wants to go back to the 1950's or even the 1850's to reverse the trend of progress. I'm fascinated by the counter-culture movement and civil rights movement, because it was a positive catalyst for social progress. I wish I could go back so I could better understand how to revive that energy today, if anything. I also like a lot of the music from the time and honestly wish I could have seen Jimmi Hendrix. I in no way mean that I want to reverse the social progress that was made at the time. Its a general way of saying that I'd like to revive that same energy from that era and bring it into the present to bring about more good.

 

I'd respectfully say that you wouldn't like coming of age during the 60's... there were many things that an awesome sound track cannot mitigate. For instance, being in your early 20's during 1969 meant being paranoid about receiving direct correspondence with your draft board... because the evening news features ever increasing body counts from out actions in Vietnam... chances would be fairly good that you would either know at least one person who was killed or badly hurt during the war or know someone who had lost a family member or friend. You would most likely would have been brought up by the generation that faced WWII and the great depression and certain lessons of frugality and unquestioning respect for God and Government were enforced in a manner best described "spare the rod and spoil the child"... and if you were very lucky your folks would wait until they had cooled off before doling out physical punishment- but "children were to be seen and not heard" might likely have been a parental mantra...

By now you'd have begun questioning the establishment- seen the hypocrisy in the rules- both written and unwritten... you'd be PISSED that you stood a good chance at being drafted to serve in what seemed to be an illegitimate war... that had only escalated since Johnson was in office- but now that new president Nixon was going to end Johnson's war (though in truth, Eisenhower and Kennedy shared some ownership as well)... this wasn't as though the Vietnamese ("or is it the soviets we are fighting?") had attacked Pearl Harbor. Depending on the local culture you were reared in, you opinions about civil rights may be different from where yours are now.... Fate's roulette wheel of injustice may have helped produce a moral compass that you would presently see as repugnant. You'd feel so incredibly fucked over in life for having been born into this shit... you'd very likely wish you were born in another time.

What defines any generation is how they behaved when forced to cope with unjust shit and generally bad circumstances. Complaining about it doesn't hold a candle to doing something positive that is intended to have a positive effect... and not be concerned that the chance that there are to be no witnesses to the deed.

 

I've read the history books. I know about the troop escalation and all that and the cluster bombing and Napalm that killed hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese. I don't want to relive that, and I hate that the government did it. It really was a war against the Soviets without actually waging war against the Soviets.They just decided to pick on the little guy, not the super power. I do respect how the youth movement and civil rights movement handled it, and I can't stress that. Today, young people are just bought off with toys. They're too distracted that they don't notice the war in the middle east and economic exploitation in Asia and Latin America because they have gadgets that can do everything but scratch their ass which are provided by our flimsy, unsustainable service sector economy which relies on that same economic exploitation. To be honest, I don't even like coming of age now, because I know our superpower status is on the verge of collapse, and things are going to get a lot worst. You're tight though. I wouldn't have liked being drafted.

 

But the fact of the matter is the reason so many young people (as we have been led to believe by the media) cared is because there was a draft. Now we just send our volunteers back for more tours of duty than is psychologically healthy.

The "Youth Movement" as such was also a media manipulation. That is like saying that Jerry Garcia was the leader of the "Hippie Movement". Garcia always said he didn't want to be the leader of anything.

I'd like to reiterate that the past is good to know because it tells you how you got here. But man saying "I wish I was there" just perpetuates negative stereotypes. Especially the one that Hippies are stuck in the past. It kind of fucks shit up for people that give a shit about what is happening right now.

Saying that it was the US fighting the Soviets with out fighting the Soviets is an outright lie. I fortunately had a Vietnam Vet for a US history teacher. Of all the western business that got hit by the Vietnamese the ones that mysteriously didn't get hit were Goodyear, and Firestone's rubber plantations. We weren't there fighting the Soviets. We were there protecting American business interests. We also needed a place to test all of our new weapons like Agent Orange (we already tested Napalm at the end of WWII).

On the race front. If a handful of white people didn't step up we probably would still be watching black people in the south getting dogs sicked on them and getting hosed down. It is hard to get White Upper Class and Upper Middle Class Americans to give 2 shits about people that don't look like they do.

Unfortunately, lets look at what happened to the "Hippie Leaders" for a second shall we. Jerry Rubin sold out. He and Abby Hoffman grew up Upper Middle Class. Sure Rubin said he wanted to change the system from the inside but his actions said something different. He became another greedhead yuppie. It wasn't about changing the system it was about Ego Gratification. Then when he got sick of being a "Broke Revolutionary" he became a Yuppie and a bunch of lemmings that followed the movement followed him off the cliff.

Hoffman went underground. Then the Bipolar Disorder which combined with blow that made him such a dynamic speaker and attention hound finally got the better of him. The official reason he hung himself was depression over Reagan finally being president.

Leary well I'l just have to quote Hunter S. Thompson on that one:
"After Westpoint and the Priesthood LSD must have been the next logical step for Timothy Leary. That was the fatal flaw in Tim Leary’s trip. He crashed around America selling ‘consicousness expansion’ without ever giving a thought to the grim meat-hook realities that were lying in wait for all the people who took him too seriously . . . All those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy Peace and Understanding for three bucks a hit. But their loss and failure is ours, too. What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole life-style that he helped to create . . . a generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers, who never understood the essential old mystic fallacy of the Acid Culture: the desperate assumption that somebody—or at least some force—is tending the Light at the end of the tunnel.”

Hunter S. Thompson couldn't stand to be alone. He always said that what made life bearable for him was that he knew at any moment he could end it. So he did.

The thing is we can learn from these "Leaders" is not only what to do but what not to do. I don't believe that any of them ever said they wished it was still the sixties. I don't believe that any of them wanted to hear their kids and grandkids say they wished they were there.

As for economic exploitation that is what America was built upon. So is fighting a war on drugs and arming drug kingpins at the same time.

Be here now.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

The whole post was great, but that part deserves quoting...

 

There are a couple of leaders that you forgot to mention Rev.
This may be hard to believe but I think that one of the things that inspired people to go out and start trying to change things was the speech given by JFK. In that speech he said " ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. " I believe that expression inspired alot of people to go out and start working for change. Another one that you may find hard to believe was Hugh Heffner. He and his Playboy magazine were the catalysts for the sexual revolution. There was a philosophy in the magazine that went something like this: you should feel free to do anything you want as long as you don't hurt anybody. Hurt should be in capital letters.
My personal feelings toward Jerry Rubin and Abby Hoffman are that they were nothing but self-serving individuals who were no different than Lenin and his cronies .

PAX

 

I'm glad someone else gives Hef and Playboy its due as a catalyst for changes in our culture. I grew up on Playboy, from stealing them as a teen in the innocent years (bare breasts only) to subscribing in the '60s. Oh, no joke - I read the articles. And, besides the hedonistic stuff there was stuff of substance, such as the struggle for sexual freedom. (remember, homosexuality and oral sex even within marriage were against the law in much of the US).

It was sometime in the late '60s that Playboy had an article by Ho Chi Minh and that let me know that we had no business (well business yeah, but not legit) in Vietnam. Reading his words made me see that we were the aggressors in that civil war.

 

Also Hef was also an outspoken advocate of racial equality, and a saner drug policy. There are several others I could have mentioned. I just didn't want to go all day with it.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Is that magazine still around? LOL ... sorry, I just never see it anymore.

 

It's banned in the state of grace.

 

Well, shoot I guess I'm more conservative than I thought! Ahh well. Thanks for the "be here now" reminder. That delightfully brings Ram Dass to mind. I forget I can be what I want now, that I don't have to go to some other time to do that. I may be white but I'm certainly not upper middle class. And is 28 considered a kid?

 

It is arguably the absence of a draft these days that helps enable the widespread apathy an inattention that allows the federal government to act as a criminal organization- not only by waging illegal wars but through market and currency manipulations; working in concert with sectors of the economy to fraudulently transfer wealth while ruining the lives of regular folks.

Look up "mortgage backed securities" and "sub-prime mortgages"... and take a moment to process all that has transpired since the economic collapse and consider that our government has acted mainly to further transfer wealth out of our hands into big banks- to speculate and manipulate markets as they see fit- most of what is done for regular folks is make to speeches. There's far more being done to destroy the lives and livelihoods today than the Johnson or Nixon administrations could manage- post depression regulation has been dismantled... the real war is an economic one and we're on the front lines of it... but collectively we're far too distracted to realize that the middle class is being willfully destroyed.

People need to resist the media's allure and not permit themselves to be distracted by non-issues. There are ample reasons to take to the streets and bring the fine art of protest not only to government offices but to the residences of those responsible for the direction the world is headed.

"Be here- be now" -yes... because there's plenty to be concerned about- without waxing nostalgic about an era that I'd wager no few would enjoy having to live through. We've allowed a consumer economy and media drivel to effectively neuter us as a part of the political balance- we are active partners in our own subjugation.

 

Look at it like this here is an ad I just saw recently:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAsi-KTG3L0"]YouTube - splendAd - Just For Men Touch of Gray - Beach commercial.flv

Pretty fucking sad really. I wonder who they are marketing this shit to. The commercial Geniouses behind the whole thing. I think the discussion went something like this:

"We have this crappy hair coloring that only halfway works."
"Hmm we have some aging yuppies that are feeling nostalgic."
"Good, Good, what do we call this crap."
"What was the name of that Greatful Dead tune?"
"Nah, too many drug references we'll never get that past standards and practices."
"Not that one. The one that actually made the top ten."
"I will get by."
"Yeah that one. I think it was called something like 'Touch of Grey'."
"Oh yeah, good good."
"How are we going to market this shit?"
"I know. We'll use stock footage of the sixties and cash in on that 'Summer of love' nostalgia."
"Their kids will love it too."

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Oh no!!- say it aint so* * *
I hadn,t seen that Touch of Grey commercial- - were doomed****:afro:

 

I know I was shocked and outraged when I first saw that. I am constantly surprised at how low advertising sinks. Un fucking real.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Alright, I've read through most all of this forum, and I am really convinced now that I'm happy to not be growing up in the sixties. Come to think of it, If I were living in the sixties right now, I would probably save one of my friends from the draft by getting pregnant and marrying them. That's just kinda something I could see myself doing, if it would save them from being sent off to war and possibly getting killed. Come to think of it, that would be terible! I mean I'm only 17!

Not to mention all the other nasty stuff going on back then, what with the opposing movements and assasinations and what not. Not my idea of a peaceful time period... And really, what time period is all that peaceful?

I realize I'm young, and need to find who I am before I try to fight for others, but really, this forum along with other things I've been coming across lately, has made me realize what a turbulent and exciting time I find myself growing up in. While one small individual can't fuel an entire revolution, every piece in the puzzle can make a whole picture. And I hope to be a part of that, to fight for something I believe in.

What can we do? People my age I mean. And if nothing now, when? What methods will work in today's society, where the media blocks out most traditional protests? Or if not protests, how can we set the example?

Btw, I think its really cool that you work with the disabled, Rev! I work in the summer at a camp for disabled girls through scouts, and I've even considered going into the field.

 

Hell, I wish I was alert enough in the early 90's to see Jerry Garcia on stage, or Nirvana even lol, with no comparison there of course. But I am, or seem to be alert enough now to hone my potential by way of admiration for those who came before us. As for the constant change that swarms all around us, try to give my opinion where I feel is right or more importantly, needed. Indeed tho, your words open a potentially "blind eye" lurking between the past and the present. Nice post man, and very wise words (for the somewhat misguided and, more or less, the ignorant tendencies of youth. Hey, I was young once... like, yesterday ROFL)

That's crazy about that commercial! I never thought about it. They seem to use Cream a lot in commercials depicting the 60's. It'd be messed up if they actually used Touch of Grey in the commercial... WOW!!

 

So what's your take on this?

Here's my thoughts:
The spirit that drove the previous generation to go to Woodstock and other festivals is the most visible part of a sea change in thought.
The commercial depicts it as a passing fad, a youthful folly, but for some of us, it represents the birth of sustainable living, appropriate technology, a rebirth of compassion and community.

If you are a middle-aged corporate sellout, you are enslaved by your own greed and short sightedness. A lot of us here are still living the dream and taking it to the next step.

As for the imagery of a moment of levity with beautiful women... some would say, "seems harmless enough", but is it so innocent? Is this just another example of the advertising industry affirming our shallow superficial dating games? Women pursuing affluent men. Men pursuing party girls.
If that is the American dream, it feels more like a nightmare to me.

Before the message gets lost in eternity, here are a few words from Joni Mitchell:

I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, where are you going
And this he told me...
I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm
I'm going to join in a rock 'n' roll band
I'm going to camp out on the land
And then try and get my soul free

Chorus*
We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it's the time of man
I don't know who l am
But you know life is for learning

*
We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation

*
We are stardust -
Billion-year-old carbon -
We are golden
Caught up in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

 

Unfortunately they didn't care if you had kids. Keep the war machine turning (Thanks Oz).

As for real Change. It starts with you. How do you spend your money? I read someplace about 20 years ago about Snapple giving a couple of Million a year to the right to life groups that shoot abortion doctors. So I quit buying Snapple. I told a couple of friends so they quit too. They told about a dozen people between them and they stopped too.

The people higher up on the ladder believe that they are the center of power. Unfortunately for them it isn't really a ladder it is a pyramid. In that situation it is the bottom that has all of the power not the top. Here's how it really works the base of the pyramid moves. Left, right, frontwards, backwards it is movement and it keeps all of the other levels of the pyramid in a state of insecurity. So do something. Be the change you want to see. Go to the soup kitchen and help out. If you live in San Diego a little civil disobediance is necessary get a loaf of bread, a jar of penut butter, and a box of sandwitch bags. Make some sandwitches and hand them out to the homeless. Be prepaired though for you do face legal problems if you stand up like that.

In the wise words of Gil Scott Heron "The Revolution Will Not be Telivised."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix6Kz-1ev-4"]YouTube - Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Peace Out,
Rev J