The hippie counterculture throughout the 1960s and 70s were quite interesting. Who would have wanted to be a hippie anyway? They were just a bunch a rebellious young kind that didn’t want to conform to the way things were in that time in society. They were attempting to pull away from the ways of the conservative ways of the 1950s and become their own society and how they saw it. Rebel is defined formally as “opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler” (“Rebel”). Whereas, my informal definition would be along the lines of someone who is going against what the normal standards are. Such as the hippies were doing in their time. The hippies were rebel in their own time because they used drugs, were vegetarians, and dressed in bright …show more content…
According to Tom and Sara Pendergast “Hundreds and hundreds of young people "tripped" or used LSD and puffed on marijuana cigarettes, called joints. Participants slept in the streets and flashed each other a new greeting, a peace sign made by forming the first two fingers into a "V".” (par7). The use of these drugs helped the younger generation change their view on the world. But in all reality the drug does alter your state if mind and not everyone’s brain chemistry works the same way. So everyone’s reaction to LSD will not be the same. Some people experienced the negative effects of the drug, which is called a bad trip. “The best-known negative effect of the drug for the user was the "bad trip." In a "bad trip," the drug user experiences intense and irrational fear and frightening sensory perceptions, sometimes to the point that the user considers committing suicide to escape” (Tom and Sara Pendergast par19). Not many people suffered a bad trip so the majority of hippies continued to use it, even with the word of precaution. To make the situation even worse a professor by the name of Dr. Timothy Leary who taught at Harvard was promoting the use of LSD as if it were a vitamin the promoted your daily health. According to Tom and Sara Pendergast
The emergence of the American counter culture in the 1960s was directly connected to the youth of the generation. They vehemently opposed fundamental economic, social, and political doctrines, which they believed previous generations of Americans blindly accepted. The anti-establishment crusade of the counter culture created a Civil War like divide with in the country between traditionalist and reformist. Because the cultural movement was led by young people who opposed authority, traditionalist belittled reformist by attaching a stigma of rebellious adolescent behavior to their cause. Traditionalist ignored the core message of social
LSD-25 or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide was first synthesized and used by pharmaceutical chemist Albert Hoffman. LSD-25 is an illegal drug belonging to the hallucinogen category. The physical effects are eye enlargement, pupil dilation and sweating. However the common psychological effects are euphoria, no recollection of time, visual distortions, and mentally visualizing geometric patterns and shapes, which lasts about 6-9 hours or sometimes longer. Though non-addictive LSD-25 can induce anxiety, paranoia, negative perceptions such as frightening visuals and sounds, feelings of insanity, and produce long-term effects such as flashbacks.
American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests with their alternative lifestyles and radical beliefs or drop out of society completely.
From all the three distinct characterized political subcultures the moralistic political subculture, individual political subculture and traditionalistic political subculture I believe that Houston is both individualistic and traditionalisticpolitical subculture. There many reasons that pushed me to that conclusion, some of these reasons are crystal clear if you are walking in Houston down town you would see all of things that do not add up together meaning seeing a Latino or Hispanic restaurants next to a complex apartment building by itself or a club next to a complex building, or even a dentist next to a bar therefore Houston in known for its lake of zoning. Also in old neighborhoods many of the residents set up a town meeting to decide
Counterculture During the Vietnam Era With a country in shambles as a result of the Vietnam War, thousands of young men and women took their stand through rallies, protests, and concerts. A large number of young Americans opposed the war; with a common feeling of anti-war, thousands of youths united as one. This new culture of opposition spread like wild fire with alternative lifestyles blossoming, people coming together and reviving their communal efforts, demonstrated at the Woodstock Art and Music festival. The use of drugs, mainly marijuana, has become a staple in the community of anti-war youths. The countercultures’ radical views and actions caused American society to turn its head and look to the young.
People have been using mood and personality effecting drugs for centuries, from coffee, to marijuana, to cocaine, including alcohol. We know these things change our brains in some way. Though some intellectuals such as Malcom Gladwell have expressed points of view that, "The modern personality is, in this sense, a synthetic creation,"(252) not many seem particularly alarmed by this idea in the above quote that Malcom Gladwell calls a "disquieting notion,"(252) beyond a few offhand jokes about their reliance. This is especially true with coffee and tea (anything with a reasonable amount of caffeine). However the public perception of other drugs, such as alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine, does vary a bit. It is useful to note that most people
During the sixties Americans saw the rise of the counterculture. The counterculture, which was a group of movements focused on achieving personal and cultural liberation, was embraced by the decade’s young Americans. Because many Americans were members of the different movements in the counterculture, the counterculture influenced American society. As a result of the achievements the counterculture movements made, the United States in the 1960s became a more open, more tolerant, and freer country.
“Of all the Buddhist groups in America, those focusing on meditation have been most attractive to young people from the drug scene, and it is these groups that have taken the strongest stand against drug use. The psychological literature as well as the literature on Zen abounds in descriptions of the altered states of consciousness experienced under the influence of LSD-25 and other hallucinogenic drugs. Descriptions of these drug-induced states often compare them with the experience of satori or enlightenment which may result from Buddhist meditation. Frequently the opinion is expressed that, under certain circumstances, the LSD experience is a satori experience. ”
In 1960 professor Timothy Leary urged people to try the drug LSD. Leary thought that it could help people therapeutically and he saw many benefits in the usage of the drug. LSD was first available in tablet form but when it became illegal people began to use it in other forms such as liquid acid which was taken orally, through the eyes or mucous membrane or mixed with other drugs such as marijuana.
A psychedelic drug is one that alters the brains perception and cognition. Drugs of this sort can cause visual hallucinations. People have said it feels as though everything is alive, breathing, dancing. Of course, like any drug, there is the possibility of having a “bad trip.” This is where things seemingly go wrong. The person tripping feels trapped, frightened, and extremely uncomfortable. The
v) You must include a list of references – at least three different works / sources must be used and referenced.
I would define rebellion as an act of opposition against the already occurring rules or guidelines. Rebellions can occur on a very large scale such as the American Revolution, or a small scale where everyday actions could be rebellious. An example of this could be the clothes that people wear. I am very grateful to be going to a school where individuality is encouraged and students wear different clothes that represent themselves. In some areas, however, some clothes may be discouraged. For example, in the business environment, there is a standard for the type of clothing that people should wear to meetings and other events. So, going against this and wearing something different could be a way of rebelling against the standards of clothing
Unlike the society before this movement, the hippie did not try to change America through violence, the hippie tried to change things through peace and love. The Hippie Movement was a moment during the mid 1960s through the early 1070s where sex, drugs and Rock-n-Roll, was at the forefront of mainstream society. No one really knows the true definition of a Hippie, but a formal definition describes the hippie as one who does not conform to social standards, advocating a liberal attitude and lifestyle. Phoebe Thompson wrote, “Being a hippie is a choice of philosophy. Hippies are generally antithetical to structured hierarchies, such as church, government, and social castes. The ultimate goal of the hippie movement is peace, attainable only through love and toleration of the earth and each other. Finally, a hippie needs freedom, both physical freedom to experience life and mental freeness to remain open-minded” (Thompson12-13). Many questions are asked when trying to figure out how this movement reached so many of America’s youth, and what qualities defined a hippie as a hippie?
When people hear the term hippie, they think of men and woman in loose clothing with flowers weaved in their hair. Although these men and women did in fact wear these things, they left a significant impact on society. Hippies were a part of the Counterculture movement, which basic ideals were to reject the ideas of mainstream society. The movement itself began with the protesting of the Vietnam War. Eventually, the movement was more than just protesting the war. Hippies promoted the use of recreational drugs, religious tolerance; they also changed society’s views and attitudes about lifestyle and social behavior. The Counterculture movement was the most influential era in the 20th century because the people of this time changed society’s outlook, and broached the topics of drugs, fashion, and sexual freedom.
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 of the Age of Aquarius in the late sixties was more than just a musical orgy. It was a time of spiritual missions to fight for change and everything they believed in. Freedom, love, justice, equality and peace were at the very forefront of this movement (West, 2008). Some wore beads. Some had long hair. Some wore tie-dye and others wore turtle-neck sweaters. The Hippie generation was a wild bunch, to say the least, that opened the cookie jar of possibilities politically, sexually, spiritually and socially to forever be known as one of the most memorable social movements of all time (Hippie Generation, 2003).