The hippie subculture

2 of 20

by Mac a'Bhaird

Created on: February 24, 2009

The hippie subculture, or the subculture of the sixties was a paradox. On one side there were people attempting to live an innocent ideal of peace and love, and on the other side was something very sinister. I was an eye witness to it, I saw it come crashing down.

The way I saw it, the age had four basic sociological elements that like some home brew caused society to boil over.

The first was the fact that the generation that was being affected was the baby boomers. Never before in recorded history was there ever a generation that had the material wealth like the baby boomers. Seventy-six million American children were born between 1946 and 1960. They were the generation that missed the world wars and the depression. For twenty years, from the end of the second world war until the mid 60's had been a time of incredible prosperity in the United States. Through the GI bill soldiers who had fought in the war were buying houses, spurring an incredible growth to the economy.

Secondly was the war in Viet Nam. These young people just didn't buy the war. They were disillusioned with the government and society in general. There is a lot of similarity to the way people feel about our government today. (On a side note, people are looking at Barak Obama as the last hope. If he cannot pull it off, we are in grave danger). In the late 60's with the war in full swing, things just came unraveled.

The third thing that impacted society was the music. It had a powerful influence. Beginning with balladeers like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Peter Paul & Mary, music really touched the nerve of society. The music connected the baby boomers with the disillusionments of society.

And the forth thing that impacted society was the rise of recreational drug use, specifically, LSD and marijuana. Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsburg, and of course, the promotion of drugs through the music of the decade.

These four elements mixed together resulted in what we know of as the Hippie Subculture.

These four elements were personified in the Beatles. The influence of the Beatles cannot be overstated. They were like the Pied Piper; leading people by their lyrics. Of course there were many other groups, but it was all very perfectly personified in the Beatles. Their lyrics seduced the boomers to question authority, to tune in turn on and drop out. I remember the day that the song "All you need is Love" was released. Local radio stations canceled everything else to play that song over and over, for 24 hours or more. I remember sitting in an apartment on Height Street in San Francisco listening to it. I thought I was high; and that I was really sailing. But I was actually sinking deeper and deeper... in my 'yellow submarine.'

And it's true, that many did not make it out. I could tell stories of people who lost their minds on drugs, lost their futures, lost their lives. And it is ironic, on one side I see nostalgia, and on the other side I see deliverence. Sort of like the paradox that the decade was.

It was an era of anarchy; no law. Why should they need law? Their law was peace and love, and communal living. Yet intermingled was the same human nature that dogs every facet of society and every ideal; greed. We read about it daily in the sports world, the entertainment world, politics, business, religion; where does it not exist?

Question:

What do I see before me

as I look into the flame?

Of hunger, thirst and loneliness

I somehow hear my name:

Ignore it I cannot,

Yet I must seek it by myself:

I must not kill the spark

Which is lit inside my Heart....

....The day is past yet I remain...

Where do I turn to keep from shame?

(circa, 1967)