Hippies: An Important Influence Upon Society Nowadays (Essay Sample)

Hippies: an important influence upon society nowadays
Introduction:
The World War II and US engagement in the Cold War were crucial factors that impacted considerably over lives of common people from different layers of social existence, namely cultural perception, religious interpretation, nationalism and economic crisis, which mainly was created due to arbitrary actions of the state by involving into several international political affairs in order to secure a stronger and more influential position in the world politics. Though very aftermath the Great War II, perception of common people about the United State’s social structure and cultural realization started undergoing some kind of transformation in an implicit manner, however, it is since the 1960 onwards these aspects were perceived in a more conspicuous manner (Browne 386). The Hippie Movement, which actually was a result of contemporary American counterculture, definitely played an important role in determining the nature of such perception of socio-cultural affairs and protesting against those through in their typical way of Hippie philosophy. History of the human civilization would show that each of the humanitarian movements has its own philosophy and specific ways of protesting against the anti humanitarian forces. Likewise, Hippies also used to believe that love, thinking beyond the realm of religious orthodoxy and realizing different layers of personal existence are the most important and essential ways to make the existence better for common people in social context: “Adherents of the hippie movement were often characterized by unconventional hairstyles and clothing; experimentation with drugs, meditation, and other methods of enhancement of personal awareness; investigation of alternative religious beliefs and practices; and experimentation with nonconventional forms of sexuality and family life” (Browne 386).
If an attempt is made to understand the features of ippiHimdkhkdklhcnxjmvnbvhcvjm kcljdjfgjirurigurgkjghjHippie Movement on a broader spectrum, it can be realized the basically traits of this movement were reflecting over certain important factors of human existence while trapped within a situation of socio-cultural, political and economic dilemma. Like the other humanitarian movements it also attempted to solve these problems in certain respective ways, which may have not received adequate support from conventional perspective but especially among contemporary youth section the kind of impact that the movement created, was realized both implicitly and explicitly in the longer run. The American people attempted to find a way out of the oppression that they were encountering since the 50s and ideological principles of the “bohemian aesthetic movement” (Browne 386), of which experimentations with drugs, inclination towards rock music and sexual liberation were essential traits (Howard 246), provided them with the “alternatives to the American Way of Life” (Etulain 413). While one hand, artistic figures like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg were playing the role of intellectual catalysts for the movement, on the other, musical personalities like, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and early influences of British rock music were acting as dynamic inspirations for the movement. The core philosophy of Hippie Movement was to ensure complete freedom to all people in terms of their psychological, spiritual and physical perspective. All forms of socio-institutional pressures and oppressions were contradicted by this movement and in this way the Hippie Movement also celebrated the eternal human desire to be free; consequently, within the domain of American cultural cosmopolitanism, ways of the movement received such response that traits of the impact can still be realized in different spheres of social existence, starting from fashion, to cultural experimentation, to art and philosophy of life.
Bohemianism, Hippie Movement and the Society:
Origination of the word “Hippie” has been generated from “hip”, which was widely popular among San Francisco opium addicts during early part of the 20th century. Scholars also find a close link of the term with that of “hipicat”, a West African terminology that suggests to an individual with “eyes wide open” (Falk, and Falk 185). Jyotsna Sreenivasan’s reflection over the term finds a close association with the West African terminology as she has suggested that a hip is “someone who is aware of or tuned-in” (Sreenivasan 162). During the 1960s, flourish of the Hippie Movement within the domain of American culture provided the entire scenario with a new impetus and also initiated certain novel outlook towards interpreting different issues of human existence in the contemporary times. It has already been suggested that liberalism lies at the core of Hippie Movement and ideals of the liberalist approach, though it received a diverse and personalized treatment from participants as well as enthusiasts of the movement, also helped to a considerable extent in altering various conventional perception towards social existence, gender, power and politics.
During the 1960s, Haight-Asbury became the main center for Hippie Movement, which was gradually taking stronger shape due to arbitrary actions of the government in order to attain a more powerful and politically secured position at the international level. Vietnam War is one such incident that can be cited as an example in this context. Indulgence in this act not only caused the nation huge amount of financial loss but at the same time a great deal of American youth section was exploited in name of nationalism. The Hippies strongly protested against this act and also regarded the War in Vietnam as a crime against humanity, resulting in alienation of American from rest of the world. College students, who occupied a major portion of the Hippie Movement, expressed their anger against political institution and at the same time were also ready to indulge in direct conflict with political and legal institutions in order to prevent the nation to undergo any more damage: “Opposition to that war was chiefly fueled by the anger of college students (but others, as well) over the drafting of young men for duty in a war that had hardly any popular support. The “hippies” led the anti-war movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and were willing to fight physically with law enforcement officials” (Falk, and Falk 185).
This observation becomes important in context of the discussion as it reflects a different scope to interpret the Hippie Movement, which is quite different from the general perception that sexual practices and drug abuses are its only features. Pondering over this observation, it becomes clear sex and use of drugs can be interpreted as methods of protest against socio-institutional arbitrariness; at the same time, participants of the Hippie Movement also elaborated their consciousness about cotemporary existential crisis, which was mainly a result of politics. By practicing the socially unacceptable norms, the Hippies were actually emphasizing on the theme of humanism and empathy towards each other; consequently, they also opined that to save the nation and fellow human beings from scope of political activism, virtues like love and empathy are only avenues. Use of drugs, according to the Hippies, provides people with a flexibility of mind and what commonly is known as sex, is actually physical manifestation of love that exists as a sharp contrast against any kind of anti humanitarian act. However, participants of the Hippie Movement were not always non violent. While some of the hippies used to believe in protesting in a non violent manner, for which they used signs, placards or placed flowers in gun barrels and inviting police or military personnel to join them, others took the path of ransacking schools or destroyed bureaucratic documents.
However, despite its different forms of expression, thematically, Hippie Movement can said to be a form of protest that “… [opposes] war and is active in supporting lifestyles and political views that are sometimes called extreme but are always concerned with issues of freedom and the right to self-expression” (Falk, and Falk 186). The Bohemian approach towards life or the philosophical ideals of Bohemianism also received a new light of interpretation due to emergence of the Hippie Movement, “Hippies gave bohemianism a new, immediate expressivity. They represented a counterculture, rather than a politically active movement…” (Brake 93). Traditionally, a bohemian is considered as a person, who is carefree and does not really engage himself in any kind of social confinement; however, philosophical interpretation of bohemianism received a further and expanded scope of interpretation through Hippies as compared to other bohemians the Hippies created a separate cultural trend and tendency of escaping the realities of life through intoxication received a different scope of realization.
According to Young, “The bohemian seeks his identity through the pursuit of subterranean values. He is intent on creating a culture which is short term, hedonistic, spontaneous, expressive, exciting and unalienated…” (Cited in Brake 93). At the same time, the trends of Hippie movement, especially abundant use of chemical drugs received such popularity that such habit has been regarded by scholars as “[a] ‘negotiated’ version of the basic values of self-exploration and self-improvement found in middle-class life” (Brake 93). While remaining within domain of a social structure, Hippies also had their respective social divisions or hierarchy just the manner general trends of the society function. In this perspective, hippies can be divided...