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Hippies versus Yippies

I noted a little dissension in the thread called What is a Hippie and thought it would be fun to explore this issue.

According to John Q. Antichrist:
"The yippies were about rebellion. Hippies have a more "who gives a shit" attitude."

According to Don:
"Not at all. Real hippies gave a shit for sure. Indeed, caring deeply about change and how to stimulate benign and necessary evolution in the culture were the hallmarks of the movement. In contrast, "yippies" were a minor, acerbic, ineffectual off-shoot, as their belittling moniker would suggest."

According to Wiki:

Yippies are:
The Youth International Party, whose members were commonly called Yippies, was a more radically youth-oriented and countercultural offshoot of the free speech and anti-war movements of the 1960s. It was founded in 1968.[1] They employed theatrical gestures — such as advancing a pig ("Pigasus the Immortal") as a candidate for President in 1968 — to mock the social status quo.[2] They have been described as a highly theatrical, anti-authoritarian youth movement of “symbolic politics.”[3]

Since they were better known for street theatre and politically-themed pranks, many of the "old school" political left either ignored or denounced them. According to ABC News, "The group was known for street theater pranks and was once referred to as the 'Groucho Marxists'."[4]

And Hippies are:
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. These people inherited the countercultural values of the Beat Generation, created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as cannabis and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.

So, What do you say?

Where you a Hippie or a Yippie and do you agree with John Q. Anti-christ or Don? :-)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 16, 2009 at 4:49am

I inherited the counter-cultural values of the Beat Generation, I created my own community in college, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs like cannabis and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness.

Now I'm just waiting for someone to say there's a revolution.

Permalink Reply by Trance Gemini on July 16, 2009 at 8:39pm

Yes I was more on the Hippie side of the fence too but was very socially active ....

Permalink Reply by Trance Gemini on July 16, 2009 at 8:58pm

LOL! I didn't dislike the Yippies and while I was political and socially active they just weren't my style.

Hope you didn't mind me quoting you...

Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 16, 2009 at 11:03pm

"The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world. The word hippie derives from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. These people inherited the countercultural values of the Beat Generation, created their own communities, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sexual revolution, and used drugs such as cannabis and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness."

Well, is that really half-assed? I'm not sure it is. In fact I don't even think it's shallow. It leaves a bit to be desired but it isn't terribly far off the money.

1. Inherited the counter culture values of the Beat Generation:

Counter-culture describes the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group or subculture in conflict with those of the cultural mainstream of the day and that describes my values precisely in that they are in direct conflict with those of most others. While one could engage in almost unlimited conversation regarding values, hippie values and mainstream values, the description of a person as having counter culture values could obviously be voluminous and its depth is significant. I grew up in the 1950s, in an era in which you were expected to be a logically thinking, level-headed individual whose purpose was to work hard, raise a family, and be patriotic to your country. It was a society of rules, order, and materialism with little, if any room, for individualistic behavior.

2. Created their own communities:

That we did, and many of them are still alive and kicking today although they may have undergone from minor or insignificant changes to complete metamorphoses. These alternative communities using alternative values sought to not only satisfy the participants but to educate the world that the current paradigm of life isn't all there is, there's more. By engaging in spontaneous, open and passionate dialogue without the social distinctions society labeled us with we changed the face of communication and thus lifestyle. Creating an alternative community says a great deal about a people, a culture.

3. Listened to psychedelic rock: Well, just a too true statement, donchta think?

4. embraced the sexual revolution: Well, I believe the sexual revolution still isn't finished being written about and it's certainly still discussed, perhaps its failures as much as it's rousing successes. The sexual revolution for this society was a culturally, socially, economically, spiritually and financially altering phenomenon. Was it ever.

5. and used drugs such as cannabis and LSD to explore alternative states of consciousness: Sounds precise to me. The significance of a culture using and learning from altered states of consciousness occured throughout history with every advanced culture since the beginning of time. It's an important aspect within the development of any culture but is frequently overlooked.

The statements above fairly adequately define the most significant differences between hippies and anyone else, I think, when viewed in perspective and context.

We changed the fabric of mainstream society more so than any other single group of people at any other time in history. It's hard to describe that.

I think it's sad that so many of us lost sight of our collective goals and pursued the accepted paradigm that makes up mainstream society today. Many of us have accepted most of that which we objected to so vehemently as though the time that's elapsed has somehow softened the edges of the fabric of our lives; frayed them a bit and created comfort within. Somehow our concerns no longer manifest themselves in our actions though collectively they may consume our subconscious. With action comes change and the changes we imagined were eclipsed, the light that finally shown through illuminated only the darkness we had so enthusiastically sought cover from with that familiar glimmer of hope in our hearts.

The single most important change that we did manage to affect within the American society and the global society as well, was paramount. We were what created and we precipitated what was an evolutionary change in human language and communication. We provoked the recognition that other perspectives were not only viable but acceptable and we permitted open discussion of the same. The truth is, we removed the taboos associated with language and what was termed unaccepted behavior and opened the door to a certain freedom that comes from within as a result; one that people today take for granted as though it were always this way.

Permalink Reply by Gold Guy on July 18, 2009 at 2:16pm

Those five characteristics are accurate but omit the very a fundamental essence of the movement. We were focused on changing the world (society) to make it better. At the core of the values of hippies (freaks) was the principle (if you an ignore the traditional sexist language) of a brotherhood of man. The dedication to reduce suffering and increasing love and harmony. To recognize our connection with others of our species, and by extension all life. That idealism is not reflected in the description cited.

Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 18, 2009 at 2:48pm

Well, you're right.

Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 16, 2009 at 11:10pm

In regard to John Q. Anti-christ and Don, they're both correct. Everything we believed in could be categorically labeled as rebellion of one kind or another. And the "who gives a shit" attitude still comes round to haunt me from time to time depending on the circumstances. But we also cared deeply about change and how to stimulate benign and necessary evolution in the culture we came to understand. We were far more complicated than could be discussed in these little comment boxes, huh?

Permalink Reply by Gold Guy on July 17, 2009 at 1:25am

We called ourselves "freaks." Hippie was a straight media term. Freaks were political and idealistic activists, not lazy do nothings. Yippies were a specific group of freaks that enjoyed guerrilla politics and street theater. Yip, Yip, Yippie!! So I agree with Don, hippies (freaks) were actively trying to change the world.

Permalink Reply by Trance Gemini on July 17, 2009 at 6:05am

I think what we were, to a large extent, is what we wanted to be and that was really the key.

Some were into the commune lifestyle and escaping the world. There was a desire to build communities that reflected the values that people held.

Others wanted to change the world, deal with social injustice, end war and were involved in social activism.

Then there were the philosophers, artists, musicians, journalists, and other creative people who were putting the values out there.

I often "didn't give a shit" but what I didn't give a shit about was what anyone thought of me and what I chose to do with my life.

I was very involved in women's rights issues and was frequently told that I must be a lesbian and all I needed was a good fuck to set me straight. Lol.

My response was usually that the person wasn't man enough to do it ;-).

And why did they think that calling me a lesbian was some sort of an insult?

I'm hetero, but if I was a lesbian I'd have happily come out of the closet at the time because "I didn't give a shit".

It was really about not being forced into a mold.

I was never into the drug thing just because I never liked being "out of control" but I agree it was very much a part of the hippie culture. For some it was just pleasure and for others it was an exploration of alternative consciousness and philosophy or involved attempts to expand creativity, etc.

Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 17, 2009 at 7:17am

The drug thing doesn't necessarily equate to out of control.

Permalink Reply by Trance Gemini on July 17, 2009 at 9:36am

It was how I felt.

I considered myself "naturally high" ;-)

Others obviously didn't feel that way. Lol.

Permalink Reply by Jeff on July 17, 2009 at 1:01pm

Cool