What was it like to be in the 60s?

I guess that was what southern hippie was getting at, that even though the planet has always been under some kind of stress, the wonderful folks who brought you Hippie also brought a new way of RESISTING the "fuckedness" of the world. Now, I haven't exactly been on the frontlines, but I haven't completely given up like many of my co-conspirators. I still believe things can be turned around if we just DON'T GIVE UP. Some of us DID achieve some balance in our lives, and some true happiness on the side. Me, I missed some of that, but I still like the menu. I really did dig the efforts people were making to make sure even the poorest among us had our daily bread (instead of the richest stealing the bread), that there was impartial justice (instead of black=criminal), that we all had some decent healthcare (instead of "if you don't have enough to buy good health insurance you are totally fucked).

And also, if I want to have a couple friends over and trip, why is this the business of the Rethuglican bastards? (OK I'm rambling here. 'Twas the White Nights clone) They always talk about how they are for individual freedom, but every time you turn around, they're trying to make rules about what you can do.

THAT is the hypocrisy. They are nowhere near having their own shit together (ya, I know, buying some clubs and joining the country club LOOKS so cool, but most of these people are living on their maxed-out American Express cards) but they want to dictate to us how we should live? I don't think so.

While I'm ranting, I think hip-hop is as reactionary as one can get. The whole message is not-hippie (I did not want to say anti-hippie); it's all about getting stuff, and getting sex. Stuff and sex. How is that any different from the Rethuglicans? Acquire stuff, get sex. All females are dumb and easily amused by bright shiny objects so get some stuff and get laid. Ultimately, the message becomes "females are stuff, so get some stuff to get some female stuff" which keeps all the little gerbils on the career/success treadmill. What the fuck do you think the "Spike" channel is all about? Our sisters are not our sisters, they're just stuff so keep your nose to the grindstone and maybe you, too, can get some "stuff."

If I were female, I'd be throwing bombs and be seriously thinking about castration.

It's like, we made such strides in the 60s and 70s, and now everyone has fucking decided that full rights for ALL of our citizens is of trivial import, and, well, the war ain't cool, but these guys know what is best for us, and besides Jessica Simpson is just so COOL!!! Ain't she!!! Fuck the Constitution, give me more Paris Hilton!!! More sports!!! More cooking shows!!!

Bill of Rights? I don't need no stinking Bill of Rights, the new Blur CD is out and ain't that fucking cool?!?!

Hey, Patriot Act, yeah, it doesn't mean nuthin' to me, 'cause I've got Doc Martens and I'm cool!!!

If only 1 person gets my point, and makes some different choices tomorrow, then all this typing was worth it.

 

Jessica Simpson. Heh. Let's not forget Britney Spears, the undisputed queen of crass corporate commercialism. Seems like whenever I see her she's on stage scoring more publicity with a rapper or hip hopper who was just indicted for assault or attempted murder. She has a great PR agent. But hey, hippie is an all-inclusive thing, right? She's just doing what she believes in (or what her agent tells her to do) so she's a hippie too.

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Ha ha, if Britney is a "hippie," well, just remember, the Diggers buried Hippie a long time ago. That obviously makes her a poseur.

Peace, and always remember to wear your seatbelt while tripping.

 

i know exactly how you feel, man. everything we would normally do in a day, is just put there as a distraction from the REAL shit, that really matters. its a matrix, our own little fake world. we get upset over the newestreality tv series, or cause so and so picked joey in stead of jim. all pointless shit. its our safe zone, we love our tv shows, our friends, drama, and our daily activities. that mean nothing, when what really matters, like the union of all of humanity, the understadning and respect of everyone and everything. We want to stay in our little "problems" we cant change it untill we all change as a race.

 

It would be so cool if you could go back and see what it was like. Image the land. No big houses And weird old cars that only go up to 60 lol

 

McDonalds looked different back then. They still had the giant yellow arches and lit up. Some also had cobblestone floors inside. The building itself looked more like a tin box compared with today's McD.

Many cars still had those fins. Wing windows were still popular. All those stylish frills are gone today. Attendants used to fill up your tank for you.

Some of those cars in the 60s can kick the butts of cars today, even without all the fuel injection and other stuff they have today. Many of them got better fuel economy than today's gas guzzling SUVs.

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yeah, I think Cold Phusion has an idea in his/her head of what it was like that isn't grounded in reality.

It really wasn't all THAT different, when one looks at the physical reality, from what it is today. We DID have different ways of looking at things, though.

And that is the point.

 

It was the time a lot of liberalism and freedom was created by the peaceful revolution (which was only possible because people got together and cared for each other), values which deteriorate the more individualistic (good or bad?) our societies get.

My sister is ten years older than me and she allways took me along to activities. To be quite honest, since then I nearly never got my ass up again to stand up for values important to me - up to a year ago!

 

Many parallels can be drawn between then and now, Vietnam / "Iraqnam", history repeats itself, since evidently we haven't learned from it, and the self serving "Rethuglicans" are at it again. I recently read an editorial outlining the similarities between the Nixon administration and the Bush administration. We can only hope that Bush meets a similar demise as Nixon did, some silly scandal like Watergate to bring 'em down...

There are some major differences, though. I could be wrong (I was only 4 in '68, so what would I know?), but it seems to me America was more socialized in terms of health care and social programs, and folks were more family and community oriented, and less materialistic. People could and would demonstrate openly their political beliefs without the fear of being arrested, the Constitution meant something, and there was more of a sense of unity. Contrast that to modern-day American culture in which we're so caught up in day-to-day distractions, being bombarded by the media in all of its insidious forms (most of the content being useless information about Michael Jackson or Paris Hilton), working our asses off to afford the stuff we "need" to be happy, that we're apathetic to the big picture. And what better way for the Rethuglicans to fulfill their agenda? Divide and conquer, demoralise and alienate the would-be resistance, ensure there are package stores on every corner, and support the pharmeacutical industry to provide meds to the masses, that's an effective way to keep 'em down...

It does me good to read some of the view points on this forum, though, there's still a grass-roots movement that won't go away, you just gotta find it and embrace it...

 

...a poser along with the diggers and everyone else.I'm the hippie!

 

i'm 58 years old and seen alot from the 60's and 70's. to me it was a great time of social change and civil rights, equal rights, women's rights. i was in an abusive marriage in 72 and saw a article by gloria steinem. she gave me the courage to get out of the abusive marriage and start living my life. i became a hippie activist and still am to this day. protested the vietnam war and now i'm protesting this war bush got us into. the 60's were a very enlightening time. yes, there were too many drugs and sometimes the free sex wasn't so free, but going from the uptight 50's into the free 60's was a gas. loved every minute of it. so happy the younger generation is protesting the war too. i go to a lot of spearhead concerts and it is mainly the young that are dressed like hippies and protesting bush war II. going to a spearhead concert is like being back in the 60's. so cool.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
hippiewise

 

3 words. GET OVER yOURSELF. Jesus!

 

Yeah and look how he ended up

 

Hmmm, i suppose you're trying to suck up? Gotto go mate

 

So Jesus died for our "self-esteem issues"? Where's this from,the Church of Oprah?

 

I am SO hurt.Mocked and scourged like the 12-year-old Jesus for speaking out against the schmucks in the temple.Obviously the number of posts next to someone's name is more important than the content of the post.I must now pray that Superhero Jesus will use his mythological powers to help me with my "self-esteem issues."

 

dont take it to heart... your views are important whatever your post count...just give as good as ya get mate..

 

As tears roll down my cheeks, I reflect upon my youth. Yes, the times indeed were turbulent, here in the USA as well as throughout the world. There were some serious issues, riots, demonstrations, natural disasters, political scandals, a moon landing and violent murders. While the war in Vietnam raged on, the draft threatened every male in my age group. College students demonstrated on campuses all over the country and in spite of all that, 67 had become dubbed as "The Summer of Love," and "Make Love Not War," became the mantra of my generation.


The sixties were strange and wonderful times. There were fun times and there were tragic times. There were sex, drugs & rock-n-roll, and in my opinion the music of the 60s, has never been topped. In 69 the Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on students at Kent State University, killing four. Still in the middle of all that, for three days in August 69, the world took notice of an event held in upstate New York, that promised three days of Peace, Love and Music "Woodstock." Over thirty years later the affair is still legendary. I think it's because our dream of "Peace, Love and Happiness." is still with us. It seems that today there are more and more young people reviving that dream. Maybe there's hope for the world yet.

 

theres definately hope

 

The first half of the 60's seemed like the last half of the 50's (i.e. more rigid and up-tight), but moving toward a more free and hip society. I was a child during the first half. The last half of the 60's was more free, wild and hippie orientated. I was a teenager in the last half of the 60's (15 years old in 1969). For me, the 60's were wholesome, but fun and hip.


The JFK assasination took place in the first half, but most of the action was in the last half, with powerful social changes taking place, like: equal rights for minorities and woman (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Malcom X), the Vietnam War and the resulting anti-war and peace movements and protests (with much billy-clubbing of heads and tear gas, like the University of Wisconsin protests), the formation of left wing radical groups (the Weathermen, Black and White Panthers groups, Yippies, etc., sometimes violent with bombings), Kent State incident (Kent, OH/"Four dead in Ohio."/w/students and the Ohio National Guard) and civil disturbances and riots in Detroit (1967), the Watts district in Los Angeles and Washington D.C. (which me and my family drove by, on vacation to Virginia Beach, VA, but didn't stop there, due to rioting).

The 60's, a decade of violence and dramatic social change or love and peace? Both of course. It all depended on your own life trip. Some hippies chose politcal activation (and sometimes evoking violence, like Jerry Rubin and his "Yippies"), while other hippies chose the peace (Jerry Garcia of the Deadheads) and psychedelic/mind-expansion route (Timothy Leary/"Turn on, tune in and drop out." and Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters/"Never Trust A Prankster.") to CHANGE THE WORLD, man. I chose the latter route.

I was too young for the Draft and I was still a Jr. High/High School student. I had to deal with that in about 3 years (next decade).

1967 was the famous "Summer of Love" (in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, CA). Love, peace and mind expansion. I was only slightly too young for that scene. Ann Arbor, Michigan was close to that scene, though not as popularized. The 60's had stark contrasts of opposing forces and sharp divisions.

Male hippies constantly heard the famous 60's slogan: "Get a haircut!" and "Is that a boy or girl?". That "Generation Gap" thing (another common 60's term) . Teenagers went barefoot ALOT. Broken glass, nails, bottle caps and chewing gum weren't cool to step on, man. The word "man" was also used ALOT. The word "dude" seemed more 70ish. Conservative parents ("squares") would always preach anti-drugs: "If I ever catch you doing drugs, I'll kill you." We're still living.

People in the subdivisons that I lived in (during the 60's/totalling two) were extremely neighborly. All the neighbors knew each other and invited each other over for good food, drink and talk. They'd have barbeques, parties even neighborhood events, with parades They exhibited brotherhood and love for one another. "It's a nice day in the neighborhood. Won't you be mine."/Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. They dressed "square", but were hip as hip can be. The only "mind altering" substances they used were: alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and tea. Alot of them moved to other states, but we would visit them, if we were close to them on our family vacation trips. I still have contact with many of these "good hearted" people. Lifetime neighbors.

A 2-story COLONIAL house (a very popular house-style built in the Detroit Suburbs in the late 60's, while ranches were popular in the early 60's) cost only $35,000.00! Now it'd sell for $235,000.00!

Fresh bottled milk (in glass containers) was delivered in milk chutes, by your garage. An "egg lady" (not "I am the eggman. I am the walrus.'/the Beatles) home-delivered fresh eggs, from her farm. An Awrey's Bakery man would deliver fresh bread, coffee cakes, Danishes and other fresh baked goods. Typical 60's middle class.

Gasoline was about 17.9 - 35.9 cents/gallon! What it costs for one gallon of gas today, would fill your entire tank in the 60's (even into the early 70's). Also, gasoline was pumped by service attendants (gasoline stations were "service stations"), who wiped your windshield, checked the oil and sometimes would give you a gift, like: a glass, soap or a florescent orange styrofoam ball to put on your vehicle antenna, to help find your vehicle in a parking lot). Service with a smile! Then, you wonder why many wish to return to these past times.

Neighborhood children all got together and played many sports like: baseball, softball, football, field (black asphalt, really) hockey, badminton, croquet, horseshoes, and so forth. The "frisbee" and "superballs" were invented and got plenty of use. Integrated chips and lasers were also invented in the 60's. Sorry, NO video games, VCR's, CD's, IPods or computers, more concrete games, and not virtual ones. 60's kids and teens had to move to play, and not sit down alot, except for board games and card games, which were extremely popular in the 60's.

60's fashions? In Junior High ('66-'69) dress shirts and "V-necked" T-shirts were popular. Wide leather belts, with big buckles, ruled. I'd call it the 60's MOD look. The short-sleeved dress shirts had like yellow polka-dots on a purple or dark blue background, or paisley designs on brightly colored backgrounds, like yellow. Florescent orange or lime green "V-neck" T-shirts were for the summer.

In 1969 (Woodstock and Neil Armstrong's moon landing were major worldwide events), I became a hippie, as I entered High School. I also liked to research "X-file" and spiritual things. After Woodstock, many Michigan teenagers seemed to turn hippie. Then the 1970's "party decade" resulted, with pot smoking circles and acid dropping. 60's MOD turned into 60's/70's HIP.

1969 fashions? Wide-bell bottoms (dark blue stripes, multi-colored stripes, tie-dyed (tan/brown), and blue jeans w/sewn on patches). I wore Native American, leather moccasin boots (TAOS tribe), but cowboy boots were also popular. Later on, I had ROOT's leather EARTH SHOES (Made in Canada) and leather Chukkaboots (but more in the 70's). Army jackets (olive drab) and blue jeans jackets were popular, especilly with sewn-on patches (like in the movie: GO ASK ALICE), as were leather fringed (brown) jackets, also navy coats. Blue jean "cut-offs" for summer. Big, floppy leather hats, headbands and beads were accessories. Mostly army/navy surplus and western-styles were dominant in the 60's (in Michigan). Indian (from India) and Pakistan styles came later in the early 70's.

Teen boys had shoulder-length hair (which became longer in the 70's) and girls had long, straight hair, unless "kinky", then they went "fro". John Lennon ("Just give peace a chance.") and John Denver ("Far-out!'), round-styled, wire-rimmed glasses and the BYRDS square wire-rimmed glasses (aka: "granny glasses") were common. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!

Can you groove on that, baby? Far-out! Just give peace a chance!