An open letter to young hippies

Yeah, that I understand. I never read that article, but I have met people from "other countries" that have experienced this, and the biggest issue they agree on is how can Americans expect for their rights to be honored when we donot honor the rights of other countries?

How would we appreicated armed men from a strange land trampling through our yards and gardens, shooting and killing an enemy that really may not be the enemy but family?

It gives a new sense to the theory of Karma when you look how we have treated others, and no the shoe is on the other foot, and we are on the brink of going through what we did to them.

 

I agree with you. I think that for some that it was a true awakening and the beginning of a way of life. But I think in a way they were the minority. I still see some of the older onse that held on to the dream and truely wanted to change the world because the saw that it was fucked up so to speak (my dad comes to mind). But then there were the masses that wanted to change the world for ego gratification. So they could say "look how we changed the world" but their attachment to ego gratification and greed poisoned them. When it got to be too much work they entered the corperate "Greed is Good" world. And that ad seems to play right into that.

The wheels keep spinning. We can turn on the TV now and see a commercial with some stupid message about how drugs rob you of your individuality then see another one that tells you to be like everybody else and wear these jeans. The fact of the matter is that Advertising agencies hire Psychologists to help them make their ads more appealing to the lowest common denominator. Psychologists from "The Hippie Generation".

The other thing that strikes me as odd (or not really) about these ads is they all use the same stock footage of the "Big Summer of Love" party with the same Cream (Or Sound Alike) Riff and bastardise the same "Catchphrases" of the time. I often wonder if Pete Townsend ever regrets writing the line "I hope I die before I get old."

But to me another flaw of an ad like that to someone of my generation or younger is the other myths that it perpetuates. The rose tinged black and white footage (I'm speaking metaforically) of kids partying and saying fuck the system while a half a world away people were being bombed. People in our own country weren't being treated equally (still arent). But that shit doesn't sell bad hair coloring.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Rev- Its funny you mention>"The Revolution Will Not be Telivised."

I have this in my favorites-(found it on stunble upon) I refer to it often-
*********** *************** **************
http://www.gilscottheron.com/GILINTRO.htm
******************

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.

Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be right back after a message
bbout a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat.

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live.

 

Nice here's another one that came to mind last week. A BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Cop shot and killed a young handcuffed black man that was caught on numerous cameras then only got 2 years with one served. In Oakland there is damn near a riot every time the Raiders play so of course there were three over this. I couldn't help but think of this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OtmKwIEn9s"]YouTube - April 29, 1992

I don't know if you can,
But can you get an owner for Ons,
That's O-N-S,Junior Market,
The address is 1934 East Aneheim,
All the windows are busted out,
And it's like a free-for-all in here
And uh the owner shouldat least come
Down here and see if he can secure his business,
If he wants to...

April 26th, 1992,
There was a riot on the streets,
Tell me where were you?
You were sittin' home watchin' your TV,
While I was paticipatin' in some anarchy.

First spot we hit it was my liqour store.
I finally got all that alcohol I can't afford.
With red lights flashin' time to retire,
And then we turned that liquor store into a structure fire.

Next stop we hit it was the music shop,
It only took one brick to make that window drop.
Finally we got our own p.a.
Where do you think I got this guitar that you're hearing today?
Hey!

(call fire, respond mobil station.
Alamidos in Anahiem,
Its uhh flamin up good.
10-4 Alamidos in Anaheim)

Never doin no time

When we returned to the pad to unload everything,
It dawned on me that I need new home furnishings.
So once again we filled the van until it was full,
Since that day my livin' room's been more comfortable.

Cause everybody in the hood has had it up to here,
It's getting harder and harder and harder each and every year.

Some kids went in a store with thier mother,
I saw her when she came out she was gettin some pampers.

They said it was for the black man,
They said it was for the mexican,
And not for the white man.

But if you look at the streets it wasn't about Rodney King,
It's bout this fucked up situation and these fucked up police.
It's about coming up and staying on top
And screamin' 187 on a mother fuckin' cop.
It's not written on the paper it's on the wall.
National guard??!
Smoke from all around,

Bo! bo! bo!

(units, units be advised there is an attempt 211 to arrest now at 938 temple,
938 temple... 30 subjects with bags.. tryin to get inside the cb's house)

(as long as I'm alive, I'mma live illegal)

Let it burn, wanna let it burn,
Wanna let it burn, wanna wanna let it burn

(I'm feelin' Sad and Blue)

Riots on the streets of Miami,
Oh, Riots on the streets of Chicago,
Oh, on the streets of Long Beach,
Mmm, and San Francisco (Boise Idaho),
Riots on the streets of Kansas City
(Salt Lake, Hunnington Beach, CA),
Tuscalusa Alabama (Arcada Compton Mischigan),
Cleveland Ohio,
Fountain Valley (Texas, Barstow - Let's do this every year),
Bear Mountain, Vista View (Twice a Year),
Eugene OR, Eureka CA (Let it burn, let it burn),
Hesperia (Oh, ya let it burn, wont'cha wont'cha let it burn),
Santa Barbara,Cuyamca, Nevada, (let it burn)
Phoenix Arizona,
San Diego, Lakewood Florida, (let it burn)
Fuckin... 29 palms (wontcha let it burn)

Any units assist 334 willow,
Structure fire, and numerous subjects looting

10-15 to get rid of this looter..

10-4

It's not about race it's about assholes.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Riots on the Huntington Beach streets?- - -we,re doomed for sure

Good stuff-
-Even here in NY/NJ we hear Oakland is a rough place when the Raiders are home- -

Best>
Jack

Btw- Dr,Suess wrote some terrific stuff-

 

Yeah he did. I remember when I first moved to the Bay Area One weekend the Raiders lost a game so there was a Riot. The next weekend the Raiders weekend the Raiders won a game so there was a Riot. The thing is most of the people who riot and loot in Oakland come from other places to do it.

I have a solution. Since people are comeing from all over to Riot in Oakland we should Quardon off about 4 blocks, Replace the store windows with candy glass like they use on movie sets put some Junk cars on the street and charge an admission to come in to riot and loot. Take the money we make off the admission to fix up the rest of Oakland. Maybe build a Grocery store where they can get decent food at an affordable price without haveing to spend an hour on the bus. Hire some more Police officers (Dude this is the 4th most dangerous city in America and they are laying off cops not good) train them properly etc.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-TGRLdE950"]YouTube - What is this Country doing for the Doomed?

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

That's one funny video- -
-========= fuck the doomed=====================

 

So, I went back and re-read all this to see if perhaps I was just being bitchy that day... and I was a bit... but only in delivery...

What you said about the story was;

My point was that the story is not about that... It is about what the writer thought would happen if no one played the game. He thought wrong. The whole premise of the story bothers me, because it makes assumptions about people's behaviors that in no way reflect how people actually behave.

The whole premise behind your assertions that a few have stood up and made great changes and therefore it shows that anyone can, is wrong... I don't say this to be argumentative... You say you are a student of history... History is not a single point to be referred to. Gandhi freed India from Britain, yes... Was it an amazing display of what can happen when one person stands up? Yes... Was it an example of how people in general can stand up? NO... a thousand times over... NO... It was an example of how people will follow a person who stands up.

But that isn't even the point of my not thinking these (or any others) are good examples like you say... It is because they only changed things momentarily.... as soon as that one person who stood up (in this case Gandhi), the system reverted right back to where it was before (with different labels), because the people, no longer had someone to follow...

The idea that all people CAN stand up and make a real change is a great one, and it is a true one... IF people would stand up... we could change the world... But what we CAN do, and what we CHOOSE to do, are vastly different things.

And none of this (on my part) is theoretical... it is based on history... We don't need to peer into the future and wonder how people will act... We already know how they will act...

They will act in a manner that will put them right into the situation we are in right now...

We KNOW this as FACT, because it is what has happened throughout history, repeatedly from culture to culture through time... leaving us sitting here discussing this...

You talk about personal responsibility... part of that responsibility is to recognize the nature of people and not sugar coat it or pretend that we are better then we are... Recognizing who we are (as individuals, and as societies) is the absolute FIRST step in taking responsibility for our lives.

 

Thanks for the "second chance".

Perhaps so but that does not change the fact that individuals can and do act that way.

I've actually seen people behave that way many times.

Actually no, I mentioned well know examples because you would know them. If I had mentioned how Martin, Hubert and Leopold would not back down to the Nazi, even though they ended up in the concentration camps for it, you probably would not have believed it, since they did make "major" changes in the World and are not well known.

I never said that it was an example of how people in general can stand up, only that it was an example of how a single person can change the world by standing up.

Here you seem to be saying that there is no point in taking personal responsibility for changing the world. That if I can't make a "major" change in this system of things and now, then I shouldn't bother. The thing you don't realize is even if you think that the "system reverted right back to where it was before", it did not. This world is changed for the better for every human that has lived, that has stood up for what is right, whether you notice the change or not.

Once again you make the point that what is needed to change the system is for all people to stand up. Myself I have never made such an assertion, I have repeatedly stated that I believe that just one person changes the world by standing up.

It may be based on history but it is still theoretical. You select only to look the part of history that supports your theory but ignore the fact that history also contains examples that don't support what you say at all.

Some will but some will not and the more that do not the more the world change for the better.

Yes it is a fact that is pervasive though out history but not in all cultures though out all history.

Once again I disagree with your conclusions. The first step in taking responsibility for our lives is taking responsibility for our lives, not coming up with excuses, like the absolute FIRST step is recognizing who we are (as individuals, and as societies). If the society we live in is murderous does that give us an excuse for being murderous ourselves? No! It doesn't matter who we are individually or what kind of society we live in, it does not change the fact we need to stand up for what we believe and that very standing up changes the world.


To me that is the new revolution, not armed revolt, looting, burning buildings or blowing things up (although I like seeing things blown up) but individuals standing up one at a time and saying you no longer control my life.

 

I almost agree with everything you say...

The part I disagree with though, is the most important part of it all..

I totally agree that one person can stand up and make a difference, and cause change in the world...

I don't agree that it ever goes beyond that individual.

You keep saying that you can name individuals who have done such... I don't disagree... there are many many individuals throughout history that have stood up and made change happen...

I don't agree that it has ever translated beyond that... In that one moment in history, they stood up and changed things... but usually within their lifetime, but sometimes not til after, things went right back to where they were before with a different set of labels.

MY conlclusions are not questionable in this, seems my conclusions were that we are HERE, RIGHT NOW as result of the collective choices WE AS HUMANS have made over history... (We aren't somewhere else now are we?)

An alien race didn't pop in and say, lets divide the world up into countries and give all the power to a select few and make slaves out of the rest...

WE DID THAT TO OURSELVES...

Yes, one person can stand up, and yes they can make a change... BUT the only way that change will ever matter, is if EVERY human does it... If JUST ONE human decides to either try to control another, or allows themselves to be controlled, your whole theory breaks down...

Because it doesn't take two to start a fight... It only takes one.

You can argue about the power of the individual all you want, and I will agree 100%... Until you start saying that everyone will make that choice to be an individual... There is NOTHING in our history that even comes close to even hinting a suggestion that that could be true...

 

I think what bothers me most about this, is something that would bother you if you saw it the same...

When people go around saying that one person can change the world, one person can fix it... It allows people to brush the issues off and say, great, someone else can be that one... I'm busy...

I would LOVE to see everyone stand up and stand behind what they say when it comes to fixing the world... Unfortunately, the simple fact is that the majority never will. I see no point in giving those who won't, any more excuses to avoid it...

One person will never fix this world... only if everyone works together will we... and although I would love to see it happen and think it would be great if everyone would try.. I have never seen anything that even comes close to suggesting that the majority will ever do anything beyond bitch about it...

 

There is a place for sugar in the "New Revolution". It's place isn't on the message put out. It's in the gas tank of the machine that runs the whole business. Just a little at a time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP65fJu7_J4&feature=fvst"]YouTube - The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again (live with Keith Moon)

Stay Brown,
Rev J

 

haha me and my friend had a conversation on this not to long ago i actually brought up some of the points you made. hah oh and i brought it up after reading this and doing more research in the 60s to get a greater understanding of the what vyou were talking about

 

^ I'm glad you did your research. It makes me feel like I reached someone.

Stay Brown,
Rev J

 

Quite honestly, the VW trip method sounds fun.

Not that I want the 60's. I feel lucky to be alive when I am, though we still have just as many, if not many more, battles to fight.

 

I'm bumping this because I'm starting to see more of the threads that inspired it pop up.

Stay Brown,
Rev J

 

Sorry, i know that this an old post. But gosh, reading your comments have really helped me, thanks so much to all of you! <3
i am one of those teenagers who have complained about living in the wrong era. You have truly opened up my eyes though
however, one of main reasons why the counterculture seems so desirable to me (even though it wasn't perfect), is because community seemed to be so much stronger, and people seemed to treat each other with more respect and kindness.
i would love to help out with causes, but i feel like my generation does not have that same sort of enthusiasm, idealism, and belief that we can truly change the world, as the hippies of the 60s had.
also, there were only about 3 or 4 TV stations, no cell phones. sometimes i will be hanging out with friends, and all five or six of them will be on their phones. or in the summertime, when it is SO nice out; on their xbox.
sorry for such negative energy, just trying to explain the desire for such a revolutionary time. i understand that it was very chaotic, and even dangerous, but that is what's so appealing. that sort of adventure, community, and belief.

i am creating these things called Free-Ins; a mix of the human be-in/love-ins and the Diggers. many people have donated clothes, accessories, books, tents, blankets, and all sorts of other things. at the free-ins we are giving all of that out for free, along with bands playing, face and body painting, bunches and bunches of flowers I'm so excited! i guess it's my way of trying to "be the change that you wish to see in the world"; an alternative to capitalism/spending money, and hopefully an acceptance and love may form in my community.

 

That's really cool try'... :daisy:I would love to attend your Free-ins.
Let us know how it goes!

 

:2thumbsup: thanks rev