Hippies

Right, last evening on my way home from work, I got stuck behind this little red Subaru wagon with several bumper stickers on the back of it. As we all know Subaru's are the car of choice ( next to VW buses ) for hippies, something about global warming and fuel economy etc. etc. In any event, as I start to get closer I have no choice but to read the various stickers because the driver, who was about 45 with glasses and short hair could not maintain a speed to save his ass. I am sure we would have been at least doing the speed limit if his dope was on fire at home, but this must not have been the case. Evidently, there is a 10-15 MPH variance when considering speed limits on sunny bright days. I am really glad I know that now.

So I am reading these very liberal bumper slogans and getting angrier by the second, and I thought " Maybe I should try to understand what these people are all about? "

For those of you who know me in real life, you understand what a huge leap this is. For those who don't know me let me just say that my utter contempt and hatred of the Hippie Sub Culture knows no bounds. Nothing enrages me more than Tie dye, unwashed, relics of an age long since past trying to tell me to love my neighbor etc. Like I am going to love someone who fails in the personal hygiene dept. " the Great Unwashed" Anyway, I looked up what a Hippie is supposed to really be and have included the article here for you all to peruse. I have to say that when I began reading this I was thinking it some kind of joke but it seems the author is in earnest, sad.

Oh yeah, I have made a few notes to the text.

The Way of the Hippy from "Hippies From A to Z
by Skip Stone

maybe it’s the time of year. Yes, and maybe it’s the time of man. And I don’t know who I am. But life is for learning. Joni Mitchell/CS&N (Woodstock) 1970

What’s a hippie? What’s the difference between an old hippie and a new hippie? Once a hippie, always a hippie? These and similar questions are the source of much debate today. New subcategories like web-hippies, cyber-hippies, even zippies have become fashionable. But what is a hippie and are you one? To answer this question, let’s see what defines a hippie. Some say it’s the way people dress, and behave, a lifestyle. Others classify drug users and rock 'n' roll fans or those with certain radical political views as hippies. The dictionary defines a hippie as one who doesn’t conform to society’s standards and advocates a liberal attitude and lifestyle. Can all these definitions be right? It seems to me that these definitions miss the point. By focusing on the most visible behavioral traits these limited descriptions fail to reveal what lies in the hippie heart that motivates such behavior. To understand The Way of the Hippy, we must look at those circumstances that preceded the birth of the hippy movement, the important events that changed our lives, our resulting frustration with society, and the philosophy that developed from our spiritual maturation.

So where is the Follow up? as usual blanket statements without any facts. If you are going to "look at those circumstances that preceded the birth of the hippy movement" then at least reference the social mores of the 50s and 60s that you find so heinous.

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. Timothy Leary (The Politics of Ecstasy) 1967

Frightening to say the least, it is these invisible members of the Hippies culture that frighten me the most, as they tend to do the most damage. They look all normal, but in reality they have black viscous fluid running through their dope weakened veins, and all they desire is to destroy the health and strength of normal society. I call this Hillary Syndrome.

My view is that being a hippie is a matter of accepting a universal belief system that transcends the social, political, and moral norms of any established structure, be it a class, church, or government. Each of these powerful institutions has it’s own agenda for controlling, even enslaving people. Each has to defend itself when threatened by real or imagined enemies. So we see though history a parade of endless conflicts with country vs. country, religion vs. religion, class vs. class. After millennia of war and strife, in which uncounted millions have suffered, we have yet to rise above our petty differences.

There is truth to this, however, what this does not take into account is the simple fact that humans " Covet". It also doesn't address that in wars and conflicts there are two sides at the least. If a country is invaded then someone must defend that country from the invaders.

The way of the hippie is antithetical to all repressive hierarchical power structures since these are adverse to the hippie goals of peace, love and freedom. This is why the “Establishment” feared and suppressed the hippie movement of the ’60s, as it was a revolution against the established order. It is also the reason why the hippies were unable to unite and overthrow the system since they refused to build their own power base. Hippies don’t impose their beliefs on others. Instead, hippies seek to change the world through reason and by living what they believe.

Peace, love,and, freedom? LMAO I daresay this Nation guarantees more freedoms than any other in the world. I am assuming what this line means is freedom to do whatever you want regardless of the consequences. Like not working, washing or contributing to society as a whole. Feared? I don't think so.

Hippies don’t impose their beliefs on others. Instead, hippies seek to change the world through reason and by living what they believe.

Excuse me? has this guy watched the news as of late?

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people sharing all the world. John Lennon (Imagine)

If you don't know that this simple song was about Communism I suggest you go back to school. It sounds nice, but ask yourself how did Communism work out for the Soviets eh? North Korea? " Sharing all the world" breaks down to Karl Marx's statement " From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs". Nice, so I am an able bodied man who works hard each day and this hippie is a useless slug, my abilities would feed his uselessness. Works out for them though, they can keep spewing forth bullshit and eating for free.

To be a hippie you must believe in peace as the way to resolve differences among peoples, ideologies and religions. The way to peace is through love and tolerance. Loving means accepting others as they are, giving them freedom to express themselves and not judging them based on appearances. This is the core of the hippie philosophy.

Unless of course you are a Republican then all bets are off.

…see the whole thing is a world full of rucksack wanderers, Dharma Bums refusing to subscribe to the general demand that they consume production and therefore have to work for the privilege of consuming, all that crap they didn’t really want anyway such as refrigerators, TV sets, cars, …all of them imprisoned in a system of work, produce, consume, work, produce, consume, I see a vision of a great rucksack revolution thousands or even millions of young Americans wandering around with rucksacks, going up to mountains to pray, making children laugh and old men glad, making young girls happy and old girls happier, all of ‘em Zen Lunatics who go about writing poems that happen to appear in their heads for no reason and also by being kind and also by strange unexpected acts keep giving visions of eternal freedom to everybody and to all living creatures. Jack Kerouac (The Dharma Bums) 1958

Yes. Yes I see it now, refrigeration is evil, throw off the shackles of frozen peas and enlighten your fellow man to the fact that cold storage is anathema to one's zen like happiness.

The hippy movement erected signposts for all to see. Some warn us of impending danger, others direct us towards richer, more fulfilling lives, but most show us the road to freedom. Freedom is the paramount virtue in this system. Freedom to do as one pleases, go where the flow takes you, and to be open to new experiences. This engenders an attitude that allows for maximum personal growth.

The road to freedom eh? Who says I am not free already? Oh that's right I forgot. I am free to do pretty much as I please because I worked hard and built a life for myself. I want for nothing, though I confess I do Covet. It would have been so much better if I didn't have to work and it was just handed to me, and lets not forget my lovely new refrigerator, what was I thinking?

If you want to be free, be free, because there’s a million things to be. Cat Stevens (If You Want to Sing Out)

Cat Stevens, enough said, France likes him so let him stay there.

Our society only permits you one or two weeks a year of freedom to pursue your own agenda. The rest of the time we are slaves to the system. Hippies reject the 9 to 5 lifestyle and therefore are objects of ridicule by those whose lives run by the clock. Programmed people are jealous and resent the freedom we possess. The unmitigated freedom that hippies represent is the greatest threat to any system in which control equals power.

Ahh that's it, I am a jealous Programmed robot that resents the fact that hippies can do as they please. This is far from the truth, I resent hippies as they are so full of shit they are weakening the ozone with their smell. Peace love and care? Where was that " Way of life" when my Uncle came home from Vietnam? Tolerant? when was the last time you saw a Hippie tolerant of a Republican? Free? really? so never knowing where your next meal is coming from is freedom? I've been there mate and there is a lot of stress that goes along with that scene. If you don't know how you are gonna feed yourself you have a multitude of decisions to make, you are " Chained" to the goal. The only decision I have to make when hungry is " Chicken or Ribs or Both".

I like ideas about the breaking away or overthrowing of established order. I am interested in anything about revolt, disorder, chaos, especially activity that seems to have no meaning. It seems to me to be the road towards freedom - external freedom is a way to bring about internal freedom. Jim Morrison

Too bad Mr. Morrison had to die of an overdose of drugs before the world could be thrown into the state of chaos he advocated.

With all this freedom comes a lot of responsibility. The system does not make it easy for us to survive without sacrificing our values. Therefore we must discover alternative ways to make a living without being a drag on our planet’s resources and our fellow humans. Hippies have pioneered numerous lifestyles and alternative businesses including communes, cooperatives, holistic medicine and health food. We focused every one's concern on the environment to highlight our responsibilities to our planet and to future generations.

Holistic medicine and health food, isn't that nice. However, aren't these two industries suspect as to their actual benefits? What I see here is Hippies, taking advantage of hippies pure and simple. " Dude, you have to eat this all natural Plains grass to clean out your spirit as well as your bowels". " Oh yeah, that will be $49.95 Dude. I'd love to give it away but the MAN just wont let it be."

I’ve been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one. And I believe it could be, someday it’s going to come. Cat Stevens (Peace Train)

This guy isn't dead yet?

Other beliefs that spring from our core philosophy are: an earthy spirituality such as a belief in Gaia (the earth as an organism), the Greens movement (political activism), even shamanism and vegetarianism. These philosophical and political views reflect a respect for nature and the planet as a whole, something lacking in our capitalistic and materialistic societies. The world needs hippies to point out alternatives to the entrenched system and warn of the impending disasters that await us if we don’t change our lifestyles. The goal is not to make everyone a hippie (what would we have to protest?). Rather we can try to influence others by example, through tolerance and love and teaching the virtues of the hippie way.

Again the Tolerance card, which is false and misleading to say the least. There is some honesty in here though with the statement " What would we have to protest?" You see, they really don't want change, just to protest. Evidently there is no concept of victory in their philosophy. Peace love and care my ass!

You create your own reality. Seth (Seth Speaks)

You can....That's why mental wards have a booming business with crazies. I bet whoever Seth is, his doctor is taking good care of him now.

So being a hippie is not a matter of dress, behavior, economic status, or social milieu. It is a philosophical approach to life that emphasizes freedom, peace, love and a respect for others and the earth. The way of the hippie never died. There have always been hippies from the first time society laid down rules, to Jesus, to Henry David Thoreau, to John Lennon, to you and me. I believe there’s a little hippy in all of us. It’s just been repressed by our socialization process. We need to find it and cultivate our hippie within. Only then can we reach our true potential.

As hippies age they come to terms with the same situations all humans must face. Wiser than before, let’s help the younger hippies find a way to save the earth and achieve more freedom than exists in our wildest dreams. Let’s find our common ground, build a worldwide community, and once again let our freak flags fly and become all we are destined to be.

I agree, let your freak flags fly high and proud, somewhere else. I hear Vermont is nice, and it seems they like this sort of thing.

In conclusion, my thoughts and beliefs as concerns Hippies and their hypocritical ideals haven't changed one bit. I did try to see what it's all about but came up short. What it boils down to is that Hippies want to do whatever they want whenever they want, and damnation to those who don't agree with them. They want the rest of us to support and tolerate them even though they contribute nothing to society and despise our very way of life. It is too bad that so many people fall into the trap the hippies have laid out. Drop outs and drug addicts, are their leaders and Idols. Nope it's confirmed, Hippies suck and always will. Too bad we have a few of the invisible ones in government now.

Slainte'
Blighter

Óró, Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile
Óró, you are welcome home!