Now I'm curious, given that "boomer" is a term generally used as a dismissive and derogatory reference to seniors by enlightened young liberals.
The hippie movement was part of the way to make that generation sever ties with the past ("Don't trust anyone over 30") so that anything could be written on their blank slates and on all slates moving forward. I was a little young to have been involved in The Movement (born in 1954.) I thought flower girls were cute. But it makes one wonder if this wasn't another concocted thing for the media to put a magnifying glass on and tell us that this is the direction the country is moving, when in reality it was maybe 5% of the young people that are always lost in every generation. All that The Movement provided was a catch-all cult for them to loosely affiliate with for The Narrative. Regarding the excursions and retreats for people to go "find themselves"...what is horribly tragic is they don't even have enough self-awareness to be grateful that they live in an era where they have the resources (time and money) to be able to go gaze at their navels for a month "just because." They obsess over what they think they have discovered to the point they have stopped learning.
Where, exactly, is this aging hippie woman living? You mentioned her in your second paragraph, as above. I'd like to get together with her to do some research! For many, in the 60's, the hippie movement was just another fad, another style of clothing, nothing heavy. For me, it opened my mind to counterculture ideology. I was changed, forever. QUESTION AUTHORITY!
I believe in questioning authority, but if the answer you decide on is based on political narratives by mainstream media, then therein lies the danger. I question any ideology that depends on drugs or alcohol to comprehend. One of the worst things I see coming from the hippie culture was the idea that freedom is living without rules while you are supported by people that have to live with rules in order to keep society from crashing and the appropriation of cultures that we still see among wealthy liberals in art, music, and religion.
i blame “hippiedom” on the Beatles. Think about it. The Beatles made their first appearance in the U.S. around 1962 which started the long hair movement. Together with the long hair and after meeting with Dylan, the group got well known for their cannabis habit and even sang a sort of ode to pot around ‘64 called Revolver. After the advent of the pot driven transcendental meditation era and Guru stuff the Beatles introduced to the public, the fun really got started. Dr. Timothy Leary published in ‘57 but his mushrooms and LSD claims didn’t catch on until the early 60’s but got a huge reception when the Beatles (John Lennon in particular) taped their first psychedelics album in ‘74 and Ringo’s No-No song in ‘76. Fans being what fans do, everything the Beatles did and wore was meat for an entirely different lifestyle, free from the encumbrances of what was deemed as socially acceptable prior to the Beatles arrival. Other groups, bands and Hollywood actors further influenced the public with their own versions of what the new society should look like and sound like and even though we can call two decades of Beatle mania and their offsprings a fad, it lasted until the entrance of the likes of the Bee Gee’s, ABBA……and Disco. Enter…….The Yuppee age……
Yep, it was the Beatles. Their song Rocky Raccoon tells it all. At least Gideon tried even though he failed. Now somewhere in the Black Mountain Hills of Dakota There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon And one day his woman ran off with another guy Hit young Rocky in the eye Rocky didn't like that He said, "I'm gonna get that boy" So one day he walked into town Booked himself a room in the local saloon Rocky Raccoon checked into his room Only to find Gideon's Bible Rocky had come, equipped with a gun To shoot off the legs of his rival His rival it seems, had broken his dreams By stealing the girl of his fancy Her name was Magill, and she called herself Lil But everyone knew her as Nancy Now she and her man, who called himself Dan Were in the next room at the hoe down Rocky burst in, and grinning a grin He said, "Danny boy, this is a showdown" But Daniel was hot, he drew first and shot And Rocky collapsed in the corner Now the doctor came in, stinking of gin And proceeded to lie on the table He said, "Rocky, you met your match" And Rocky said, "Doc, it's only a scratch And I'll be better, I'll be better, Doc, as soon as I am able" Now Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room Only to find Gideon's Bible Gideon checked out, and he left it, no doubt To help with good Rocky's revival
One of the most interesting accounts of the Hippie movement that I have read is the book by Dave McGowan about Laurel Canyon, and how many of the celebrities and rock musicians from that era got their start in Laurel Canyon and that vicinity. He thinks that a lot of what happened was by design, and points out that some of the most famous singers and band leaders were the family of high military officials. The book is on Amazon, but if you go to Dave’s website (now managed by one of his daughters, after Dave died), you can read most of what is in the book right from the website. I noticed that there are also some videos on youtube, but I haven’t watch any of those , so I didn’t want to post a link until I had actually watched the video. Here is the link to Dave’s website, and it also has some of his other information there, which I enjoyed reading as well. https://centerforaninformedamerica.com/
The oldest members of the Boomer generation experienced the hippie movement as young adults; Gen X didn't. Apparently, "hippy" is spelled out that way in British English: https://www.lexico.com/definition/hippy
I remember riding around with my father in the 60s in his Nash Metropolitan. There was a free spirit riding a bicycle kinda partway in the car lane, and my father got all knotted up in frustrated anger. To borrow a line from "A Christmas Story"...My father worked in profanity the way other artists might work in oils or clay. It was his true medium; a master. He was so flustered, he could not recall the term "hippie" and it just made him angrier. He finally stammered out in an Archie Bunkeresque manner "G** dam...G** dam...G** dam yip-yap!!" The term "yip-yap" hung in family lore for quite a while.
I like the synopsis of that video by the author, David Hoffman. He ends it by saying... Here is a quote from Hesiod in the 8th Century BC: “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint."
I am with you on that. I don't see America coming back from this. It's a very sad thing, especially for the young. But like all the empires before it I think this has fallen. A guy named Lewis wrote a good book on this. I forgot his first name.
I think the hippie was just another cultural part of the communist within. The best way to destroy a nation is to take away its principles and morals. I had family members playing hippie along with friends, but I never did like it. I was trying to be a wife and mother and the mother I married had 'free sex' women on every job site. While I had 3 kids he had 7 during our married. I didn't blame it all on hippies of course but they didn't help the situation. Seems once these commies got in office the end was on its way for America. I do think McCarthy was right about the infiltration.