question about the counter-culture hippie movement

I'm taking an American Culture course and need to find someone who was a teen or young adult during the counter-culture hippie movement to interview. What I need is someone's opinion about what caused the movement and/or history of the movement. Also, I was wondering about whether the movement stopped or if it just evolved and if so in which way.

Thanks in advance for anyone willing to answer. Other than referencing the hip forum in my essay as the source for my answers no names will be used.

Misty

 

I'm only 18 so I know my answers can't be used but in my opinion what started the movement was of course the country and world. People were fed up with Vietnam. It was a war that was generally not supported and the government kept sending more and more soldiers over with no regard for deaths. The people wanted a change. There were definitely more factors to what caused it but someone who was around back then could tell you better then me. And as far as if the movement is over, it isn't. You will definitely get other opinions saying that it died with the "Death of the hippie" ceremony. But to me a movement never dies because the movement was feeling that is born with many many people, throughout every generation. Peace and Love will never be any less important, no matter how many years have passed. I hope you find your answer on here, im pretty sure you will. There is a documentary about hippies that A&E (I think) did a while ago.


"Hippy is an establishment label for a profound, invisible, underground, evolutionary process. For every visible hippy, barefoot, beflowered, beaded, there are a thousand invisible members of the turned-on underground. Persons whose lives are tuned in to their inner vision, who are dropping out of the TV comedy of American Life." --Tim Leary, Rest in Peace.

 

Several things started the movement. Probably the most immediate kick in the butt at the time was the draft. Young men of 18 came to understand that LBJ was eager to risk their lives for what he was trying to fob off as a police action (like they did the Korean War). The reaction from these thinking kids, better educated than their parents as a whole and not interested in following authority for the sake of it, was explosive on a quiet political scene (except for a Civil Rights movement already in progress). That's why there's no draft today. The Middle Eastern mess (imo) we are in now is fought by a volunteer based armed forces, and, more primarily, mercenaries (called contractors).

This was a generation reared with a great deal of freedom (time, prosperity) and a decent education (better than what most kids get now). Our parents (now dubbed the Greatest Generation) were rearing kids after surviving a severe depression and WWII. They wanted a secure future and a good education for their kids; and they, for the most part, supplied that. Their generation also wanted to be left alone in peace with their belief they lived in the greatest most prosperous society on Earth. They believed in the acquisition of goods in a way their parents could not; and started a spiral of consumerism that we may see collapse in your, probably even my, lifetime. Part of what spurred the 60's movement was a result of being our parents' children.

The Vietnam War opened the 60's generation to a larger world view; kids joined the Civil Rights movement and were ripe for later movements (indeed, helped start them, including green, food, meditative...). It's a generation that came of age with the confidence to change the world. Kids ran away from homes where they felt their parents were more interested in prosperity than them; or where parents expected them to "do the right thing" and respect authority; serve their country (in war); or any of a number of differences created by a gap in life experiences between the generations. Many of those parents sent their kids away to college where the kids grew, changed; and again, experienced a big gap in life view from their parents', understandably.

Some other things spurred the hippie movement: The Pill and other birth control secured the possibility of sex without risking pregnancy, making the Sexual Revolution possible (until STD's and HIV created new restrictions); pot and mind expanding drugs, promoted by professors Leary, Keesey and Alpert (look 'em up if you don't know) helped kids see their own lives and the world at large anew.

So much more could be said, including the vibrant changes to society hippie-dom has wrought. These are still relevant. Our biggest battles still remain war; annihilation of our and other species, air and water; devastations of over-consumerism. I don't mean to make light of many other issues; most of them have strong hippie hands involved in conception/action. This in spite of that we believe in being before doing; relaxing/dancing/playing. Look at the size of this forum and know it's not alone on the internet. Hippie-dom remains a growing worldwide movement, still mostly peopled by the coming-of-age. It crosses all class/sex/cultural boundaries.

lw

 

Aw gee, you mean Shale Stone will have to remain anonymous?

That in itself is a small part of our subculture, all the anonymous names and nicknames that ppl took.

But the 5 paragraphs that LittleWing wrote pretty much sums up the whole cause and effect of it. I was there if you want to flesh out any more. However, I like everyone else who was there can only give you a first-hand of their own experience. Again, LW gave a fairly complete overview.

 

LOL Thanks Shale. I actually was alive during the end of this movement. I was too young though to remember much except my mom braiding flowers into either her or mine as she smoked cigarettes with no filters that left a sweet smell in the air. Oh, and I remember the music... I really loved the music, and still do. It's funny how the little things follow us through life. I grew up listening to Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Queen, and The Doors. My kids always made fun of my music but when I came home yesterday I heard Bohemian Rhapsody playing all the way outside.

I agree, it appears that LittleWing summed it up pretty well. Although, while the draft hasn't been used since Vietnam my 18 year old still had to sign up for the draft last month. I hope they NEVER reinstitute that again. Personally, I don't think the hippie movement ever died out. I think it merely evolved to fit the times.

 

LittleWing, thanks for the time you took to outline the causes and effects of the hippie movement. It was very helpful.

 

it seems it is starting up again- i really hope it does-we really need new visions, now.