Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Anthro Essay on the Hippies

Better Essays
1653 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Anthro Essay on the Hippies
Tasmiyah Chowdhury
BHSEC II- Anthropological Encounters
05/10/13
The Hippies
1960-1969 was more than just a decade; it was a state of mind. In the United States of America “the Sixties”, is a term used to describe the counter culture and social revolutions which occurred during the end of the decade. During this time period, a subculture youth movement called the Hippies emerged. The hippies’ opposed the middle-class value/ideal, higher education, and the Vietnam War. They embraced sexual liberation, music, peace, love, and advocated the use of psychedelic drugs which they believed made one freer, compassionate and intellectual. They used music and drugs as a way of expressing their feelings. The hippies were against the social and political norms of the Western society and favored the peaceful, love and freedom philosophy. Some of the books that we have read in class we see that sometimes the others described in the beginning turn out not to be the other; the positions switch and/or everyone but the elite/higher authority is an “other”. Since the hippies rejected the conformist values of Cold War America, they formed their own subculture and obtained their own philosophy which was the opposite of America’s social norms. The so called Westerners look down upon the hippies, and this put the hippies in the position of being labeled the other. But at times according to Perry one who may seem like the other in the beginning may not necessarily be the other, as the other is just made to make the rest of that specific society feel better about themselves.
The hippies did not emerge for any particular reason, in fact they emerged due to many events which were taking place that were against their moral beliefs. During this time period the Vietnam War was taking place and Americans were fearful of what was going on in the war. This fear is due to America receiving a communist threat on a daily basis. This was a trigger in the formation of the hippies because they believed in nonviolence, and did not trust the government after thousands of young American soldiers was drafted to South Vietnam for a useless reason which the public found out later on. “…the television screen had taught the young the power of a symbol, the importance of pictures without words, and the significance of a few words of truth, well chosen” (H.Perry). The hippies opposed the government; they did not trust them and wanted to overthrow the government as well as the middle-class complex which was made by the government. Haight Ashbury was a neighborhood in San Francisco, California where the hippie counterculture first developed since California was accepting more of new ideas, thoughts and people who go against the norms.
“In a 25-square block area of San Francisco, in the summer of 1967, an ecstatic, Dionysian mini-world sprang up like a mushroom dividing American culture into a before and after unparalleled since World War II. If you were between 15and 30 that year, it was almost impossible to resist the lure of that transcendent, peer-driven season of glamour, ecstasy, and Utopianism… The Summer of Love also thrust a new kind of music—acid rock—across the airwaves, nearly put barbers out of business, traded clothes for costumes, turned psychedelic drugs into sacred door keys, and revived the outdoor gatherings of the Messianic Age, making everyone an acolyte and a priest. It turned sex with strangers into a mode of generosity; made “uptight” an epithet on a par with “racist,” refashioned the notion of earnest Peace Corps idealism into a bacchanalian rhapsody, and set that favorite American adjective, “free,” on a fresh altar” (Suddenly that Summer).
Since there were thousands of people in that one district the police came and the hippies put flowers in the police’s barrels and guns as a way of showing that they want everyone to be united and peaceful. These actions and this specific counter culture does not have much of a correlation to any of the anthropological texts that we have read about the culture contact, probably because there is no colonizing or harm done in these situations. But in this specific culture contact there is a question of identity; some people began to question their ideals and if they were a part of society (Westerners) or the hippies (the “others”).
Drugs and Music played a big role in the hippie 's culture as this allowed them to freely express themselves. Music and drugs served as an escape to the hippies in which they could break apart from the social norms of the American society of the 60 's. In my opinion the music they listened to and produced , and also the drugs which they took are not morally bad in its intention , they are just used to help people be at peace and be happier and escape from a problem, in an odd way they could be therapeutic. The hippie 's main motive was not to resist reality but to join together and try to make some changes in the way society functioned. Music changed radically by the hippies; the themes, lyrics and genre of the music in that century took a turn. We always listen to music to escape from the world around us, so that we could be content in our own bubble and emerge our own thoughts and ideas, and this helps us be in a peaceful state of mind. The music during this time period had a deep meaning in it; a popular example could be The Beatles ' song "All You Need is Love". For the hippies their music incorporated lyrics with themes of anti-war, freedom and peace. In a way we can relate the significance of music in a work of fiction called The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell. In Russell’s novel, it was later shown to us that the beautiful music the protagonist of the story Sandoz heard on the radio transmitter was actually ballad pornography, where the musician expressed his sexual exploits. In both of these examples music played a major role as it helped the people express their emotions, whether it be about someone’s sexual exploits or about peace, freedom and anti-war. The society liked to label the hippies as the outcast/”other” so that they themselves could feel better when in reality society was also a part of the others as they were under the governments rule and blinded by the government as the government only has power. Unlike the majority of the society, hippies wanted a change and they were not afraid to express how they felt about a particular situation or event. The society was all bound by the social norms and feel as if they are obligated to follow all of the rules otherwise they will be shunned or be considered as the “other”. But who made this middle-class complex? The government did, and they control us, we may have freedom but it is very limited and has a boundary line to it; the government’s rules are very contradictory due to the fact that they offer freedom with a set of rules. Whatever the media says the society believes, even if society knows it may not be true. But somehow the people get sucked into this contradicting policy of the government since the government controls what the media is allowed to say and what to keep to themselves. During this time period the Vietnam War was a major issue and when the citizens of America found out that the media was not reporting the truth, and then some of the citizens created a subculture known as the hippies. “From the perspective of the interest group model we have employed here, it seems that most of us who are not members of the small political and economic elite do, indeed share some of the interests of these populations”(R.Perry). So the people are all sucked into this vortex controlled by the government in which all of society including the hippies becomes the other. But the government puts an ideology into the people of the society’s brain that anyone who goes against the social norms is an outcast otherwise known as the “other”. From the Vietnam War since America had no personal problem against Vietnam, America going into war meant that only the government will benefit from this not the people, most people will incur losses as their brothers, sons, fathers or even friends died or became emotionally wretched from the war. An example of men becoming emotionally damaged could be the frontline: The Dark Side, video which we watched in class, where after a week or so a happy man who was sending videos to his girlfriend became violent in the home videos. This culture contact resulted more peacefully, as there was no violence. Though the hippies were labeled as the outcast/the “other”, this label slowly vanished. The new generation’s youth during the 60’s did not feel as if the values and ideologies which they have learned all their life and would have to follow the rest of their life were right. They wanted a new philosophy to live by and they especially believed in non-violence which the government did not follow since thousands of American soldiers were at war in Vietnam. What I learned through this specific culture contact is that sometimes conflict is not the result of a counterculture, and if you want to get your point of view or ideology across society you will be labeled as the “other” but that label will eventually in the long run be removed from you.

Works Cited
Suddenly that Summer by Sheila Weller…Vanity Fair,2012 http://faculty.atu.edu/cbrucker/Amst2003/Texts/Hippie.pdf The Human Be-In by Helen Swick Perry
The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell
From Time Immemorial by Richard J.Perry

Cited: Suddenly that Summer by Sheila Weller…Vanity Fair,2012 http://faculty.atu.edu/cbrucker/Amst2003/Texts/Hippie.pdf The Human Be-In by Helen Swick Perry The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell From Time Immemorial by Richard J.Perry

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In many cultures around the world people have the same problems to face as we do. They just refer to them by different words and or different meanings. In “The Spirit Catches You,” a young girl by the name of Lia has a condition that Western Medicine considers to be epilepsy, but in her culture of the Hmong they believe it to be qaug dab peg. Some might consider these two conditions of the body and soul to be the same thing or quite different. Western medicine's way of dealing with the issue is far from the same as Hmong culture and in most cases with different results. As much as Western medicine proves to be right the Hmong are still questionable about accepting a new way of treatment in their culture and so are many other cultures for that matter.…

    • 756 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    America had two rebellious eras which was The Roaring Twenties and The Sixties but however there were distinguishable differences. The Roaring Twenties experience the change when people started to migrate from the rural to the cities. For instance, women begin to express themselves by dressing more revealing, drink publicly, smoke publicly, and are more sexually active. Not only that, during this time it was illegal to sell, consumer, or create alcoholic beverages but people however rebelled against the law to the point where the congress repealed prohibition with the 21 amendment. The Sixties however almost the same, except they went above and beyond when it comes to society norms. During this time, there was a dramatic growth of a counterculture…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Darry And Soda

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages

    It was the 1960’s in America, and S.E. Hinton was a 16 year old author living in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This was a decade of change. America was fighting a war in Vietnam and a war over racial equality at home. Because it was a decade of change, divisions among people became more apparent. The author believed that teenagers must lean upon families and friends in order to survive and succeed. “By the middle nineteen fifties, most of their parents had jobs that paid well. They expressed satisfaction with their lives. They taught their children what were called middle class values.” (American History) Obviously,with the addition of the middle class, divides among the social classes became more evident. It was the inequality among social…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Woodstock was a gathering of all the now called “hippies” who were the icons of American counterculture. This group of people believed that they could change the world that was rooted in hatred, war, and greed, by focusing on loving each other. The culture that the Woodstock Youth was rejecting was that of their parents, which included radical segregation and support of the Vietnam War. This was an example of counterculture because in 1969, 50% of the nation supported the Vietnam War. The rock and roll was played at the festival was also a symbol of the overpowering counterculture and served as the engine for cultural and social reform movements like these. Rock and roll is also seen as an expression of the youth revolt against conformity and adulthood.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over many lifetimes, our society has grown to become a powerful and intellectual presence to inhabit the world. As time moves forward, we, the people, strive to better ourselves by creating standards of normalcy in our vast variety of cultures. However, as new generations arise, changes begin to occur and challenge the status quo. To protect their standards, older generations step up to try to combat the effects of change, which then leads to generational conflict between the two parties. In the short story “A & P,” John Updike uses symbolism, imagery, and characterization development to exemplify how younger generations begin to battle against the status quo and exploit generational conflict in the 1960’s.…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pleasantville

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Analyse how Nineteen Eighty Four and Pleasantville imaginatively portray individuals who challenge the established values of their time.…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Freedom of expression through music lead to people living their lives with these values. Hippies in the late 60’s and 70’s were very influential in making changes in American culture and living a free and creative lifestyle. Hippies fought for what was wrong with American society. Hippies stood for many things like women’s rights, civil rights, and gay rights. Hippies were most prevalant during the 1960’s and 1970’s during major social changes in…

    • 1793 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociology of Potheads

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages

    the hippies hit the scene in the late 60's. The hippies were the first real potheads as defined by…

    • 1366 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The hippie movement was during the 1960s. People did not care about what they looked like. They did drugs and partied and hooked up with whoever. There were many major events that happened during the 60s. The Pentagon papers was one of theses major events.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pop Culture In The 60's

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages

    By doing this , they made it clear that anyone could live off the land as long as they had the motivation and resources to do so . Through growing organic food , Hippies also promoted the vegan diet which many people turn to today as a way of reducing their carbon footprint and becoming a healthier person - inside and out (Gloin,2007). Besides a change in lifestyle , musical history was made in the 60’s as the artists who debuted in that era shaped pop-culture as we know it today . Many legendary Canadian artists such as : Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot debuted in this era . The new Canadian music scene put Canada on the map globally and was major influence in the creation of what is known as indie and popular music today as many of the artists had different cultural influences in their music (sitar , reggae)…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Times back in the 60s are much different then times in the 90s. Since the 60s, the 90s made lots of technology changes, and society changed so much. In the 60s (as portrayed in the movies) everyone is nice to each other. They held a nice party, everyone is kind, and if they feel different about a person, they keep it to themselves. In the 90s, (also as portrayed in the movie) everyone is mean. What used to be the nice, colorful 60s, where the grass is green, in the 90s, no grass, and graffiti and liter everywhere. 1 example on how society changed so much is how marriage is looked at. In the movie, society was fond of marriage. Everyone was married, and if you weren’t married, you were looking to be. In the 90s, marriage is disgusting. They portrayed marriage In the 90s like it was a waste of time, and that everyone was either divorced, or single. Another way things have changed is gender role.…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    History

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Question 1 Response: The decade of the 1950s might be considered to be a tale of two Americas or even a paradox for various reasons. Even though this time period can been seen as a decade of prosperity with the freedom of consumer choice, ethnic minorities were excluded. This decade was a time of confidence and a time of fear. The United State believed that they could do whatever; for example end poverty and prevent the revolution on communism in other countries. Even though Americans were confident they knew that there was still a cold war going on. During this time period school had to regularly practice taking cover against atomic attacks. The 1950s was also a time were America was prospering but still felt at an unease. Eisenhower was the president during this period of prosperity. The economy was prospering and liked by Americans because workers had more disposable income than ever before. This seemed to benefit everyone but there were not enough family-wage jobs for all of the African American and Latino workers. Many Mexican Americans were still farm laborers and worked in sweatshops. Minorities always resulted affected by the changes in industrial jobs and the shift of jobs to suburban areas that were isolated from their neighborhoods. The unemployment for the blacks was twice of the whites; this frustrated many African Americans and other minorities. During the fifties Americans were turning to religion but also to materialism. Eisenhower advocated churchgoing to remedy Communism. The percent of people attending church increased. But spending habits were also increased. With new highways, malls, and cars people were beginning to spend more and becoming materialistic. They would buy fast food, T.V.s and many other items that they had never owned before. But with all of this whites withdrew to minimize contact with people of other races. The Brown v. Board of Education opened up a new civil rights movement that impacted the sixties…

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The purpose of this paper is to provide a critique of the group presentation on William Perry. Through critiquing the presentation, I will offer additional information about William Perry’s theory and provide context for how my understanding of the theory has grown.…

    • 144 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Actually, it is an opposition between the parents and their children that is conscious on the level of a society but is irregular in the hippie culture as it applies on the whole society. This schism is huge in comparing the values, which are deliberately so contradictory and can be linked to a concrete historical fact, which is the Vietnam War in this period of the decade. It is a war, which oppresses a country with the ’freedom’ catchword. Contradictory values are polygamy, free love versus monogamy, ragged, shabby clothes against groomed outlook,…

    • 6575 Words
    • 27 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Passions of the Young Mind

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The story begins in the 1960s, and the 1960’s, “were to some extent years of conformity,…

    • 1015 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays