The hippies’ impacts on American society and global culture are still around today through a legacy of free speech, environmentalism, consumer activism, and natural foods. Above all hippies showed how to nurture the creative sparks we need to promote positive solutions.
Stewart Brand, creator of the Whole Earth Catalog, stated that “We owe it all to the hippies. Forget antiwar protests, Woodstock, even long hair. The real legacy of the sixties generation is the computer revolution.” Hippies’ rejection of centralized authority helped shape the decentralized Internet. Hippies basically started the personal computer revolution against the Big Blue mainframe computers. Hippy hackers wanted to makes sure computers could be tools of liberation rather than enslavement. We now have all the tools at our disposal to organize another hippy revolution. Hippy music, fashion, and slogans endure today and are increasingly popular among young people. The hippy lifestyle and mindset is reflected in New Age practices and beliefs institutionalized in our culture. Women’s rights and affirmative action were nurtured by the hippy counterculture. Although many hippy men were not very enlightened by today’s standards, women hippies were among the first to reject male chauvinistic attitudes and behaviors. The Sixties counterculture helped put an end to the war in Viet Nam. This provides lessons for the current war. We must give peace the chance we all deserve. Hippies showed us how to enjoy every minute. We were able to turn on, tune in and drop out (of the rat race). Hippies honored and nurtured individuality. Weirdness (freakiness) was respected. Hippies recognized the importance and fun of being a nonconformist. We learned that you don’t have to look or act like everybody else. It is fun to rebel against the powerful elite. Hippies also learned that sometimes you need to take what you want! Hippies revived earlier utopian visions that they carried out through experiments in alternative lifestyles (such as communes). Hippies felt a sense of continuity and connection with the past and other cultures. Hippy values of environmentalism, nonviolence, and equality appeal to many Americans who would not see themselves as part of a counterculture. Research shows that millions of people worldwide still live by and agree with hippies’ fundamental beliefs and values. Younger people are usually more likely to contribute new ideas and energy. Looking back from midlife, we now see that life is short. Hippies know that it is important to make things last (resources, materials, experiences, good times). For instance, the concepts of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” started with the hippies. We shared with our friends and tried to use things fully before disposing of them -- waste not, want not. The latest personal care and food products in the market place often reflect these types of innovations brought to us by the hippies. Instead of trying so hard to get what we want, hippies believe it is easier and more fulfilling to want what we already have.
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