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Hannah Cunningham
ENG 112
Clint Burhans
April 20th, 2016
I Love the Smell of Marijuana and Revolution in the Morning
The beginning of the Vietnam War was the beginning of the hippie counter
culture movement. This group of people believed in peace and unity between all people.
Hippies rejected the common middle-class lifestyle, and generally referred to
established institutions as Big Brother, or The Man. These people lived in large
communes together and relied on each other to survive. Most hippies quit their jobs and
were classified as hitchhikers or nomads. They embraced aspects of eastern philosophy
and generally followed religions such as Buddhism. The hippies promoted use of
psychedelic drugs with the belief that it would expand their consciousness. The 1960s
hippie movement made great impacts on the world today, both good and bad.
Hippies and the counter culture movement go as far back as the early 1900s.
Similar movements from the 1960s hippie movement include the Wandervogel in
Germany between 1896 and 1908. This movement happened as a result of the
urbanization that was occurring in Germany at the time. These people searched for a
simple, nature and spiritual dependent life that their ancestors once had. Some of the
Wandervogel Germans moved to California, where many Americans picked up on their
beliefs. This was the beginning of the Vietnam War and the hippie counter culture
movement in the United States.

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January of 1967 was the beginning of the Summer of Love. The Human Be-In
event was held in San Francisco and made the hippie culture a popular trend in the
United States. The hippie movement took Europe and America by storm, and many
mainstream magazines began publishing about how to become a hippie and what
guidelines to follow. An article in Time Magazine read, Do you own thing, wherever you
have to do and whenever you want. Drop out. Leave society as you have known it.
Leave it utterly. Blow the mind of every straight person you can reach. Turn them on, if
not to drugs, then to beauty, love, honesty, and fun, (Time Magazine). Over 100,000
hippies made their way to San Francisco for The Human Be-In event during the
Summer of Love. Once the group of hippies grew too large, many of them fled to
quieter, more remote parts of the country to embrace the earth and what it has to offer.
After the Summer of Love, the hippie movement died out in Europe but thrived in
the United States. The hippie movement was very important to the mainstream public
around these times. Many groups of hippies began protesting the Vietnam War and
caused havoc in large cities around the country. The only problem with this group of
people was that they were never really accomplishing anything. The hippies were the
outcasts; crazy and scary people who were aggressive and angry and, lets not forget,
high. Hippie mega-stars such as Janis Joplin and Jimmy Hendrix overdosed on drugs.
The Manson family was a hippie cult whose violence contributed to hatred towards the
hippies. The hippies were soon being attacked by other youth subcultures because of
this inhumane tragedy.
Overall, the hippie movement inspired many new genres of music, and
influenced television and film. Rock music experienced immense increases in sales and

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that increase still goes on today. Religious and cultural diversity became more
accepted, the fashion industry became more casual, and people became more frank
with their sexual matters. Some people do say that the hippie movement hindered the
youth of today. Young people dress more provocatively now, and there has been a
sense of degradation of moral ethics and values. Some people believe this primitive
mindset has put the youth of today on a path to mindlessness and violence. Others
think that the youth of today have done a lot to benefit the world today and how it works.
People all around the world use marijuana for many different reasons. American
millennials happen to be the recreational kind of users. It has been said that this
recreational use of marijuana has helped create a more peaceful generation. Many
millennials believe that marijuana brings them closer to the earth and centers their inner
mind. Some even believes it opens their spiritual third eye, and can help bring you
closer to God. With the progress these people have made in the 20 th century when it
comes to many different social issues, its almost not unbelievable that marijuana really
does that.
The hippie movement of the 1960s consisted of the people known as the baby
boomers of today. The baby boomers are the children of the soldiers that came home
from World War II after the long sixteen-year fight. Once the baby boomers (or the
hippies of the 1960s) had children, the new hippie movement was bound to happen.
The baby boomers were raised in a generation of turmoil and war. These individuals
made it through the end of the Great Depression and the whole span of the Vietnam
War. There was nothing simple about these peoples lives. Many of the millennials that
are children of the baby boomer generation were raised around the time the attacks on

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9/11 transpired. Since those attacks, the United States has been at war with the Islamic
state. When president George W. Bush was in office, America went through one of the
most intense economical crises since the Great Depression. The millennals are the new
baby boomers. These people are ready to fight with raised fists, whether we want them
to or not.
The hippies of the 1960s were a strong group of people, but not much was
accomplished during their protests and boycotts. After a while, instead of being viewed
as peaceful and loving people, hippies were seen to be savage and violent. The
millennials have been viewed in the same sort of context, but theyve actually
accomplished many things. The 20th century has consisted of the legalization of
marijuana and same sex marriage. Racism in America has been brought up once again
by the millennials, and policies and beliefs are changing because of it. Transgender
people are gaining more rights and respect because of the millennials. Hippies may
not be a proper term anymore. The correct category these people fit in now is
revolutionaries. These people have identified that fact that the United States has been
failing its people for generations, and they are ready to put a stop to it.
Some individuals may say that the progress the millennials are making in the
United States is hurting rather than helping. People have very diverse beliefs on things
such as marijuana use and same sex marriage. It is no surprise to catch an older
gentleman or woman talking about how we are hurting the country by making all of
these absurd things legal. The older generations of today have a strong argument
though. The United States was working well just the way that it was. Yes, there may
have been illegal drug use and individuals complaining about not being able to marry

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their significant other, but whats new? That is the foundation that the United States was
built on. War and conflict is a fundamental part of how the United States works. Without
battles we would be unable to establish our capitalist economy like we have so far. But,
maybe our capitalist economy is hurting us rather than helping us.
Nearly 45 million or 14.5% of people who live in the United States are living
below the poverty line according to a Huffington Post article. It is no surprise that there
is so much support for the change to a socialist economy. The millennials are leading
the fight to accomplish just that. Bernie Sanders is one of the presidential candidates in
the 2016 election. Sanders is by no means pro-capitalism, and you can tell by the things
he stands for in his campaign. His primary mission is to create peace and equality for all
individuals. Sanders himself was a large part of the hippie movement in the 1960s,
which shows why many of his beliefs are the way that they are. The millennials admire
the fact that he has been standing up for what he believes in for decades, and they
believe he can make large, crucial moves for the United States development with social
issues. Its possible that conforming to socialism could hurt America rather than help,
but there is risk with every decision that is put in place. If Sanders is elected president,
things are going to start changing quickly when it comes to many social issues the
country has been facing for decades.
Most hippies of today are feeling the Bern, and supporting Bernie Sanders on
his socialist viewpoints in the election now. Sanders believes that education should be
free, marijuana should be fully legalized for medicinal and recreational use, and that the
war should be put to a stop. These are all things the millennials have been battling for
over a decade. Many people say that a more socialist approach to our country will

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defeat all of what the United States stands for, which is freedom and capitalism for all.
Sanders has identified that the approach towards a better life that America has been
taking is failing us all.
Currently in the United States, the fight for transgender rights is transpiring.
Roughly one year ago, Midland, Michigan went through a crisis concerning a Planet
Fitness locker room and a man who identified as a woman. A Midland woman sewed
Planet Fitness for their no judgment zone policy, but the lawsuit was dismissed. The
woman who caused this havoc lost her membership at Planet Fitness, and called the
decision to dismiss the suit reckless, according to a MLive article. This lawsuit spread
country-wide, and sparked a huge explosion on the topic of transgender rights. Many
transgender people claim to be alienated from the rest of the world because of their
complications in identifying things like what bathroom should I go in, or what is the
doctor going to think. Transgender people have been facing these issues for
generations, and something is finally being done about it. Recently, Target stores have
made the decision to have gender neutral bathrooms, leaving an individual to choose
what they identify as. Planet Fitness is still upholding their no judgement zone policies in
their locker rooms and bathrooms. This is just another step the millennials have taken to
world peace and unity.
It is no surprise that the millennials have managed to take the United States by
storm when it comes to many topics up for debate. With these people being over 75% of
the American population now, they are bound to accomplish great things. These are
things that the hippie movement of the 1960s strived to accomplish, but there just
wasnt enough power for them to do so. With the development of social media and

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television, an idea or a revolution can start overnight. For example, the current
presidential election is taking the millennials to a whole new level of rebellious.
The millennials are on the track to creating a world that they want to live in
without war and full of peace and unity. It is no surprise that these people have
managed to tear down some of the most complicated issues in United States history,
and it is believed that this is just the beginning of the new hippie revolution. These
individuals are continuously bringing serious social situations into the American
governments spotlight. The strength and integrity these people have adapted from the
hippies of the 1960s will continue to benefit the United States for many years to come.
Overall, the hippie movement of the 1960s and the current hippie movement
have brought about many benefits in the United States. These nomads have proven
that the citizens of the United States have more power than they think, and that
anything can be accomplished with enough perseverance. Many people may say that
the hippie movement will die out like it did before, but history is always repeating itself.
Even if the hippie movement dies, people will never stop standing up for what they
believe in. The millennials are the generation of change; the generation of warriors.

Sources

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"The Hippie Counter Culture Movement (1960s) Mortal Journey." Mortal Journey.
Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

Bob_johnson@mlive.com, Bob Johnson |. "Lawsuit Dismissed against Planet Fitness

for Transgender-friendly Locker Room Policy." MLive.com. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

"5 Reasons Why the Hippie Movement Declined." The Culture Trip. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

"Could It Be? Millennials Are The New Generation Of Hippies, But With Better Weed."
Elite Daily Could It Be Millennials Are The New Generation Of Hippies But With Better
Weed Comments. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

Gongloff, Mark. "45 Million Americans Still Stuck Below Poverty Line: Census." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.