HIPPIES: RAISING OF A PACIFIC REBELLION By: Diana Katherine Gonzalez Ocampo. 4309032 Through ages societies have created specific behavior patterns to improving communication and high levels of coexistence between people belonging to it. In the same way, as an act of resistance, these communities have generated counterculture movements; with the purpose of diversify individual world comprehension and providing alternative life perspectives. In 1960`s hippie movement reestablished social stereotype of American society by creating substantially different lifestyles from those they used to obey before this age. As a consequence, United States faced a decade of pacific rebellion which influenced society later thoughts. This essay will examine the hippie movement as a counterculture movement, (assumptions, music, and ways of living) and its influence in current youth generations. With regards to counterculture, Roszack (1969) defines it as lifestyle then popular among young people and characterized by open rejection of mainstream values. According to that, countercultures seek change in the system people are involved by breaking the main accepted principles of the culture. Hippies were a counterculture movement created in late fifty and with significant increase during the sixties, ; at its first stages these representatives, musicians and writers, were know as Beat generation or Beatniks, the term hippie was given by them in reason to their constantly use of phrase Im hip or Im hipster. Cultural expressions such as written works were used by Beatnikss to express their frustration related to things were wrong in the world: segregation towards black people ,lack of willing to take part in the Cold War by university students and the experiences with atomic bomb in World War II. On the other hand they also used music as a resource to sharing these ideas to the rest of American society. At this point, is necessary to remark Howard (2009) jazz-cum poetry, drugs and casual sex were some of Beat Generation premises. In one of their songs the group the country Joe and the fish explained Vietnam`s war recruits by using sarcastic verses about get fun in battles. Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men, Uncle Sam needs your help again. He's got himself in a terrible jam Way down yonder in Vietnam So put down your books and pick up a gun, We're gonna have a whole lotta fun Evidently music was one of the extensive influences in hippie movement, due to the explicit messages and possibility to show inside thoughts of rebellion and anarchy. Janice Joplin who is probably the most widely admired female rock star of the times, summed up the hippie perspective based on no fear to future, in her songs. If you get it today

You don`t need it tomorrow Because tomorrow never comes, man It`s all the same fucking day, man Nevertheless, Hippie philosophy was constructed on idea peace, love and tolerance were the most effective ways to solve problems among people, ideologies and religions. Loving meant accepting cultural, religions, and racial differences; meanwhile peace and tolerance represent respect in people`s thoughts without judgments. Hippies established Communes as new forms of living together. Communes were households in which all the members had the same rank independently what they did. Most of them made in wood. Thence their emotional connection with all naturalistic matters, for instance: They did Self-made clothes and growing their own crops without chemical elements. Hippies also contemplated spirituality as an essential aspect in their lifestyles development. As was mentioned before, Hippies took over big part of Far East religions as Buddhism Hinduism, by searching new kind of consciousness and some other aspects from Christian religion like charity and humility to people. The main reasons they acquired those religions were: the abolition of Christian influence taken until that time, and pacifistic living precepts from eastern religions, Consequently Hippies gained taking away Christian and Converting USA into a very diverse country in religions matters. Undoubtedly, another principle was the human approach with earth. In connection with this Ellis (2007) indicates they look at the earth as one unique organism. Many of them also practiced shamanism and vegetarianism Hippies participation in activists green movements permitted them new planet recognition as a whole and hence disapproving capitalism and materialism as economical system (anti materialistic).. They rejected the corporate nature of the fashion industry as well as the powers individuals to dictate the way others should dress (Elli H,2007). To illustrate the mentioned idea above, it has been chosen a line of John Lennon song, Imagine (1971)

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 However, raising of hippies beliefs not just attacked social and cultural fields, it is also affected political conceptions in youth in the course of sixties and seventies. Such new changes took place under a war atmosphere. at that time, radicalization of government permitted the persecution of left people by the FBI, additionally the oppression and segregation through African-Americans mainly in southern states, caused unhappiness in a growing number of youth. Revolution became a fact when university students created the civil right movements and they also found the new left, both demanding first, same rights for every American independently on color skin, and second improving of living conditions of America`s lower social classes. All these manifestations afforded youth the re-creation of mainstream values, and as a consequence, recruitment and enlistment to war were even more difficult.

Meanwhile, by searching a significant social change reasoned on politics, New left members decided to not assist to war. Instead of this, they constructed a manifesto called Port Huron statement where they shared ideas in relation to peace, solidarity, antimilitarism and anti-totalitarianism. Some examples of these political revolutions were; primarily, they did not cut the hair, in opposition to military haircuts, besides, in 1965 at Berkeley University a place for political discussions and speeches was achieved for students after a year of protests with police. This event turned San Francisco in the capital of the hippie movement. According to last paragraph, after the free speech movement, San Francisco was recognized as one of the most liberal cities of USA, but a neighborhood called Haight-Ashbury was particularly the Mecca of hippies, in part because of the radical climate of its universities but and as a result of its music Ashbury was a middle class neighborhood, populated by first beatkins who came from north beach area of the city, blacks from south and a small homosexual colony. Howard (2009) points out Even before the hippies appeared, then, Haight-Asbury had become a kind of quiet Bohemia. This social diversity made it an interesting place for foreign, and as a result, youngsters from all over the country arrived to this area and suddenly it transformed in a trade center where drugs and alternative clothes were on the streets Kunkel (2009). During first years of hippie movement, Haight-Ashbury was an example of well community organization; thus as a significant touristic center of avant-garde culture in the sixties. This area was visited by theater and film directors, publicist and artists who needed a cheap space and a stimulated atmosphere for making their creations. Its population reached 10.000 people, ideally it was the little world of innocent liberation, the place to work creatively, free from inhibitions of conventional system. Moreover, Spann argues decadency of Haight Ashbury and hippie movement as well , was the product of several factors: formerly, Ashbury brought disaffected teenagers, as well as psychotics and hustlers, secondly, the overcrowding problems, which consequence was loose of living, third venereal disease skyrocketed cases, as did those of hepatitis, tuberculosis. And the main cause, excessive drugs abuse . (the Estimated use of marijuana and stronger drugs among it hippies inhabitant was reported to be 100 percent in Ashbury by1960). After that, more devoted hippies began to leave town, far from the people`s city, they set up rural communes looking for freedom and independence from social political influence. Summarizing, It is necessary mentioning hippie movement ideal was created by youth and in the same way they influenced to youth the sense of the need to acquiring a different society and politic conception by using the critical thinking. It was a counterculture because they were against to cultural order maintained in America during forty and fifty decades and finally they were the first in introduction the respect for diversity conceptions and civil rights. And surely the eastern influence in hippie`s let them a natural perspective of society assumptions

Nevertheless hippie movement is strongly criticized by some other theorist. For example, Spann# holds hippies had a tendency to drop out any responsible involvement that might help to correct social problems. And at the same time he explains effective democratic processes require willingness and they were not able to will, instead, they were more worried in drug consuming and making music. Which encouraged anti-political attitudes in youth by middle and late sixties? As a general conclusion it is important to say a counterculture movement provides the possibility of questioning any cultural system people is involved. In this case, Hippie influence was focused on changing mainstream traditional values. Socially and culturally it may be said before hippies there were just two types of youngsters in America, those who were according to the system and rebel ones. Hippie movement set the rules for later subcultures movements who show new identities, different values, points of view; music preferences and clothing choices. Etc. Those aspects allow youth to form gatherings where all their ideas are shared with their peers. Even, is noted youngsters are more concern in environmental issues and they create organizations which attempting salvation of the earth, it is also reflected (for better or worst) a complete liberation in sexual aspects, youth are more wide opened to these subjects, abolishing completely with the puritans stereotypes. Furthermore, Political achievements are appreciated too, such as universities manifestations where youngsters protest and request for better educational warranties. Hippie movement was an example what society is able to do if they want to transform a society or even a nation. The hippie revolution exhibited what a society is able to do if they get together and start to look at the same direction. And as Jefferson Plane said in his song, called the summer of love even though those times are gone the spirit still goes on in me and you.