The Hippie Subculture Essay - 1440 Words

The Hippie Movement: The Philosophy behind the Counterculture The sixties was a decade of liberation and revolution, a time of great change and exciting exploration for the generations to come. It was a time of anti-war protests, free love, sit-ins, naked hippie chicks and mind-altering drugs. In big cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Paris, there was a passionate exchange of ideas, fiery protests against the Vietnam War, and a time for love, peace and equality. The coming together of like-minded people from around the world was spontaneous and unstoppable. This group of people, which included writers, musicians, thinkers and tokers, came to be known as the popular counterculture, better known as hippies. The dawning†¦show more content†¦They chose to rub against the grain of society, not with it. The very clothes they wore were a testament to their individuality. From bell bottom pants, halter tops, tie-dye prints, all the way to their preferred style of long, straight hair or picked out afros, the hippies were a nything socially undignified (West, 2008). They listened to the sounds of Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and the Grateful Dead while experimenting with recreational drugs, most specifically marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and LSD. In a time where adults were going to work, church, and attempting to stay a virgin until marriage, the hippies were anything but conservative and society rejected them for that. They enjoyed living a life of deviance and being unconventional and were happy living outside of the mainstream (West, 2008). Their way of life can be best described by the labeling theory, the idea that deviance and conformity result not so much from what people do as from how others respond to those actions (Macionis, 2008). Conforming was bad and diversity and difference was to be celebrated. Authority was bad and it was popular to ridicule anyone no matter what their position in life. Anything regarded as a â€Å"social grace† was tossed and therefore t heir society was looked down upon. The social movement of the hippies can be explained as part of the new social movement’s theory,Show MoreRelatedThe Hippie Subculture of the 1960s Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesThere was a major turning point on the idealistic life in the sixties its effect tarnished many families.  ¶ The corner of Haight and Ashbury marks the spot of where the hippie subculture began. â€Å" Initially it was a youth movement that started during the early 1960’s and spread all over the world† (Stone, Skip). The word hippie derives from â€Å"hipster which is someone who rejects the established culture† (Web Dictionary). Hippies rejected and established institutions, criticized middle-class valuesRead MoreThe Punk Subculture And The Hippie Counter Culture813 Words   |  4 PagesSubculture is just a smaller culture within a much broader and mainstream or dominant culture and is used to study cultures. It basically explains how some groups behave towards society or other subgroups. The punk subculture is a counter culture and has a sundry selection of ideologies, music, and fashion. In the late 1960s is roughly when punks came about. They are more centered on their style of music called punk rock which is a more aggressive and fast-paced style of rock and rol l. This musicRead MoreEssay The Hippie Movement of 1960s America1422 Words   |  6 Pagesconvictions. The American hippie movement of the 1960s was strengthened by the drastic increase of the youth population because of the the baby boomers, a longer adolescent period due to the improved economy, and the use of media and communications, such as TVs and radical college newspapers. There were two reactions to the hippie movement: the first, an angry uproar across the fifty states from the elder upper classes, and second, an inspiration for a few to try the hippie ways themselves. â€Å"A few†Read MoreHow Was Sgt? Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band By The Beatles1025 Words   |  5 Pagesreleased and the album that would change the way people looked at them as a band and as music as a whole. ‘ Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was The Beatles eighth studio album and took them 5 months to complete. At the time of the release, hippie culture was prevailing and this year is widely remembered as the summer of love. 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However, where most hippies were pacifists who desired peace andRead MoreThe Hippie Movement of the 1960s Essay example646 Words   |  3 PagesThe hippie subculture was originally a youth movement beginning in the United States around the early 1960s and consisted of a group of people who opposed political and social orthodoxy, choosing an ideology that favored peace, love, and personal freedom. The hippies rejected established institutions, criticized middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War, were usually eco-friendly and vegetarians, and promoted the use of psychedelic drugs. They created their own communitiesRead MoreCarnatic Music888 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction 1. The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. 2. The word hippie came from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into New York Citys Greenwich Village and San Franciscos Haight-Ashbury district. 3. The origins of the terms hip and hep are uncertain, though by the 1940s both had become part of African American jive slang and meant sophisticated;Read MoreThe Hippie Culture And Style2286 Words   |  10 PagesIn this essay I will be discussing the ‘hippie’ culture and style, their impact on the 60s and their continued impact in modern life. In today s world, hippies are known because of the distinct way in which they behave, dress and their overall lifestyles. There are also some who have come to believe that hippies are synonymous with drugs or that they have radical political views on environmentalism, capitalism, religion e.t.c. The dictionary defines a hippie as one who doesn’t conform to society’sRead MoreSociology Forrest Gump Essay809 Words   |  4 Pagessocial norms, but it seemed to work to his advantage. Jenny Curran, a complete contrast to the character of Forrest Gump, is the love of Forrest’s life. Jenny leads a rebellious, independent life of a hippie and drug addict. The counterculture of the 1960’s could be described Elliott 4 as a subculture which rejected the conventional social norms of the 1950s.Hippies differentiated themselves from the larger culture from which they belonged. These counterculture youth rejected the cultural standardsRead MoreContrasting the Contemporary Hipster with the Classical Hippie1899 Words   |  8 Pagesof trendsetters. This esteemed title however has been recently craved by so many, it has incubated the newest and most recent trend in subcultures across the globe: Hipsters. What’s curious about it, however, is that unlike massive and contagious movements in history (as with hippies), Hipsters are characterized by their unrevealed sense of identity to the subculture that surrounds him/her. Hippies on the other hand, although with similar characteristics, physical traits and beliefs, stand parallel