MAIN Society Subcultures Hippies

From the American Beat Generation in the 1950s, the "hipster" community arose in the free thinking Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco in the early 1960s.

Hippies who questioned authority and traditional values eventually made inroads into the mainstream, and spawned a cultural revolution that still resonates worldwide.

While the popular anthem of Sex, Drugs and Rock n' Roll sent shock waves across middle America throughout the 1960s, the politically-charged message of peace, love and brotherhood also spoke directly to the newly-formed Civil Rights Movement, as well as the unpopular war raging in Vietnam.

In retrospect, the hippie generation had direct global influences on music, television and film. It also made its mark on politics, 1960's fashion, '60's hairstyles, the arts, and religion including an emerging interest in Buddism, Eastern philosophies and meditation.

Today, small groups of aging hippies continue to maintain the lifestyle, while in the Internet Age a fledging band of neo-hippies have emerged in online Web communities.

The movement as a whole is generally thought to have peaked near the end of the 1960s with Woodstock, but the hippie legacy and its influence can still be seen and felt in everything from the popularity of free summer music festivals to a sustained interest in organic foods.

Such concerns as environmental pollution, recycling, global warming, and Earth Day observances can all trace their origins back to a hippie-inspired world view.

More about Hippies around the Web:

The Old Hippie's Groovy Blog - Like it says, with leftist rants for environmental & social causes courtesy of a "tree-hugging music-loving deadhead retired old-happy-hippie."

The Hippie Museum - Good fusion of current hippie culture and history - featuring news, an event calendar, photos, writings, information on hippie communes present and past, related links & resources.

Hippie - Wikipedia - Good overview from the online encyclopedia featuring a history of the movement's origins in the 1960s, with its political and social impact on the present day, including photos, related resources.

1960's - The History Channel - Check out a multimedia extravaganza of information, photos, audio and video covering the hippie & civil rights movements, the Vietnam War, and the music & protest songs of the period.

Protest Songs - Featuring photos of album covers and complete lyrics to such pop hits as Imagine, I Ain't Marching Anymore, Universal Soldier, Blowin' in the Wind, and lots more.

Erowid's Hippies Vault - Hippy dictionary, historical timeline, tie-dye instructions & how to's, suggested reading, related resources.