Several key factors came together in the early 1960’s that would allow the hippie counterculture to flourish among young people in the US and Europe. Large numbers of baby boomers reached their teenage years at the same time. Increasing affluence and leisure time made it possible to consider alternatives to the established way of life in the US.
The beat culture of the 1950’s paved the way for the hippies with free speech, open sex, recreational drugs and connections to the Eastern religions and culture. In many ways, hippies were direct descendants of the beats who hung out in San Francisco and New York.
The music of the Beatles and others kicked off the youth revolution. Drugs, such as marijuana and then-legal LSD helped young people to question the status quo and seek alternative forms of consciousness.
 The social climate had become much more open in the sixties than during the conservative and conformist fifties. Large numbers of young people had access to unprecedented affluence and leisure opportunities. It was possible to drop out of the conservative establishment culture. Some of the young hippies had a safety net of family and friends. This culture was much more open to new ideas. The rise of television spread news, music and ideas around the world. At the same time, improvements in air travel and interstate highways enabled people to exchange ideas and gain personal experience with other cultures.
The civil rights movement was a clear inspiration for the hippies, for they rode along the waves of these and other important social movements. Both wanted to make the American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness available to all citizens, not just the white male power elite. Opposition to the Viet Nam war (especially the prospect of a draft) mobilized many young people toward active civil disobedience. There was widespread protest and rejection of the consumer culture that seemed plastic and stifling. Young people rebelled against authority and conformity in large numbers.
Although they did not start it, hippies were among the first beneficiaries the emerging sexual revolution. Sexual openness was facilitated by the birth control pill and an emerging “Free Love” movement. Public nudity, including in movies, became much more common. Women became liberated and led the way on many initiatives, such as environmentalism, health foods and new age spiritual practices. Gays started coming out of the closet towards the end of the sixties. However, compared to the current explosion in sexual materials and practices, the 60’s seem tame by comparison.
Hippies reflected the fact that many young people were no longer attracted to the established corporate society, wanting more out of life. Today, many young people face the same spiritual emptiness and emotional alienation that drove hippies to seek a more open and natural lifestyle. Psychedelics (including LSD) and marijuana led to moderate shifts in consciousness; which, in turn, led to breakthroughs in philosophy and art.
Comment on this article
You must login to leave comments...
Other Visitors Comments
There are no comments currently....
|
HipHappy Legacy 
