Pop Culture In The 60's

In addition to changing Canadian mentality , Hippies have created an era of pop culture and lifestyle that has been carried into present times . During the early 60’s , many Hippies migrated to rural areas of Canada and lived off the land as a way to get in touch with nature . For those who could not afford to live in remote locations , communal living was the next best option as many Hippies were homeless and could only live comfortably by sharing with others . Communal living was the most preferred way of living as it promoted the concept of sharing utilities (slightly communist) although it was not always effective as depicted in the Rochdale College experiment of 1968 . Rochdale college in Yorkville was considered a “Hippie Haven”
because of all the communal dwellers and was a free education experiment gone wrong ( many illegal unauthorized clinics , handicraft stores and other services running ) . The Hippies living here were despised as they let the drug scene in Yorkville boom and created a lot of filth in society (Martel, N.A) . Despite being known as “good for nothings” , the Hippies who truly believed in the concept of sharing/living off the land , set up successful communal living arrangements on farms after being driven out of Rochdale . Farms were a better source of communal living as the Hippies grew their own fresh produce/marijuana and sold handicrafts at local town shops to make income .
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)
. Music of this era was made for the purpose of portraying meaningful messages , often reflecting upon the problems in society as depicted by one of Joni Mitchell's famous lyrics , "you don't know what you've got Till it's gone ,they paved paradise and put up a parking lot" is sung in reference to the destruction of nature (Bowman,2013) .
Although pop and indie culture back then was used as a platform to promote peace , those styles of music have developed and formed into genres that not only resonate with people and change the way they listen to music but has broadened the horizons for prospective artists wanting to take psychedelic music to the main stage . In the same way that Canadians have adopted and developed the music of the 60’s , we have also taken inspiration from Hippie fashion as most of what the youth culture finds appealing today is very much influenced by the vibes and colours of the “Hippie Flower Child Movement” . Just like today , fashion of the 60’s corresponded to pop-culture as styles worn by people at festivals like Woodstock would become popular as day-to-day wear. Back then , Strawberry Fields was the Canadian version of Woodstock and many Hippies would take opportunities of events like these to display their colourful clothing which was a reflection of what they believed in as “flower children”
. Hippies often kept long unruly hair , wore minimal neon/pastel clothing , and displayed peace signs but were infamously known for the fact that they preferred to be nude as possible and therefore wore clothing that showed as much skin as possible (Britannica,2006) . Because of this , some argue that the movement has led to a degradation of Canadian cultural values and ethics , but the exact opposite is what it is . The fashion of the 60’s was a way for youth to rebel against the conservative values of mainstream media and it paved the way for a society that appreciates uniqueness over assimilation into one style/way of living . The positivity of the Hippie movement and their initiative to bring unique styles of expression to normal society is the reason that Canadian culture is what it is today .