For those of you that were there in the good old days, how did you deal with the "hippie hatred"? For example, today there was a man and his dog who was selling t-shirts, incense, tapestries, hemp jewelry, etc on campus at my college. He was really nice, but some kids would yell things like "Take a shower hippie" and "F--- you hippie" at him. Really, is there any need for that? How do you deal with the backlash?
I am a young hippie, but I felt I should say something. That doesn't sound like hate to me, it sounds more like ignorance which is a lot of the times the reason behind hate. There are two things you can do to contest something like that, maybe three, maybe even an infinite number. One, ignore them, why? Because it doesn't matter what people say, it matters what they do. Two, you could try yelling back to them and teaching them manners, but obviously they were failed way before meeting you. Three, send them a peace sign and go about your business. Those people may have needed to vent, and yes a lot people have no respect for differences in humanity. Should we dispose of the people who behave wretchedly? Well if we did then how could we call ourselves being true to ourselves?
some of us use to hold up mirrors when they would bring the tour buses down haight st to gawk at the animals, I mean hippie. It gave them a chance to see themselves as they really were.. little piggies faces all screwed up with distaste and prejudice, talking behind their hands and bat their eye over their greedy noses pushed up against the bus window. And they thought WE looked wierd ?!? In fact I think it was The Merry Pranksters that started that trend.
Not so much hate as ignorance and prejudice. And many ppl get that treatment, just Hippies were in vogue for it in the '60s & '70s. Like hitching on the interstate and watching ppl pass you at 60 mph and lock their car doors when they see you. When I was arrested on "suspicion" in San Francisco in '70 they did a strip search in booking (thankfully, no cavity search ). Of course wearing sandals on grimy city sidewalks make your soles dirty but the pig made a point of telling me to take a bath. I bathe daily but the stereotype of unbathed Hippies is what he believed. No point in arguing with ignorant pigs. They won't learn until they are ready. Just know them for what they are and move on.
Ignoring it was the easiest way or just smiling! People will always attack what they don't understand or what doesn't fit into their interpretation of what is normal. And yeah, Shale, getting arrested on suspicion was par for the course. Then again, a night in the cells wasn't so bad especially as it usually came with breakfast.
They probably were white kids with their hats on backwards, acting like gangstas, wearing FUBU, whishing they were Tupac.
thats how I saw it too as I read it, those kind feel they have to prove how bad they are to each other all the time, but when they walk alone, its a diffrent matter.
The tour busses on Haight always gave me a giggle. I wasn't sure who was getting the better show, but I always knew who was getting the better education from it. I remember seeing a documentary on hippies a while back. They showed video from inside a tour bus. It was just a riot to see how rigid, uptight, and bewildered the passengers looked.
Oh, how sad and ironic that so many see the solution to ignorance and hostility to be ... more ignorance and more hostility. When people used to comment about the way I dressed or the way I looked, I would try to talk to them and find common ground. You can almost always find something. It's true there were some people who wouldn't accept me no matter what I said, and in that case all you can do is go on your way. But as often as not, people would listen to me if I showed that I respected them as human beings. They do have a right to their opinions, after all. Being a hippie does not automatically make us right about everything. But if we can at least talk to each other in a civil, respectful way, than at least we could come to some kind of an understanding, and agree to work together to make a better world for our children. I think that is a triumph.
When i was 21 and with my son living on a protest site someone shouted at there car window 'get a bath' to my horror as we wer walking along a road! At the time my son was about 4 and i felt awful, it really hurt and panicked me .... I took out my dreadlocks at the time but remained just as 'alternative as ever' I was worried people would think I was a junkie etc.. and wanted to protect my child from this kind of abuse. Still it didnt change me I grew stronger & even more 'hippy' than ever and decided i wasnt going to let it worry me anymore. Now ive dreadlocks again since 2003 my 3rd and set and am keeping them til my grave! It doesnt matter what people say as long as you remain in your truth you can take anything! :grouphug:
wait a minute....so you are doing exactly what the op is dismayed about except towards a different group..whats up with that ps...get into this decade....fubu?
there was no need for that, but unfortuneately some people are narrow minded pricks.... why don't you ask him how he deals with it?
