Comment

Comment by Loren Miller on August 12, 2012 at 2:40pm

The hippies shook the trees, but did very little else.  They pointed out the corruption, but ultimately took no action to correct it.  And when you consider that the period of the late 60's and early 70's was the period of the King and Kennedy assassinations and of Watergate, there was a lot to correct.

There's an old phrase: "Dream big dreams, then put on your overalls."  Some of the hippies may have been wearing overalls; how much actual WORK they did in them is another matter.

Comment by James Yount on August 12, 2012 at 2:22pm

The hippie method seems to be: challenge authority and bitch about things until the world changes.  And maybe that method works, idk.  It seems voice to companies that we want alternative products than the status quo.  I'm an electrical engineering student and I can say that there are a lot of companies pursuing better and cleaner methods of utilizing energy.  For instance there is a company working on clothing that converts your body heat into electrical energy so you can charge your cell phone, iPod, etc just by having it plugged into your shirt while your going about your routine. 

Comment by James Yount on August 12, 2012 at 2:14pm

It's valid to be against certain businesses for x,y,z. But we can't just generalize everything. I don't believe in moral absolutes in religion and certainly not politics or anything else. I don't think it's necessary for me to defend any one company because I might not agree with it either. And I'm not exactly certain how we can progress in technology without some negative byproducts. I'm not against limiting the rights of certain corporations when it is necessary via legislation to preserve the environment when we can. But unless your philosophy is that human progress is something that we shouldn't be pursuing, I'm not exactly sure of the alternative than corporations. Now, that being said, hampering the development of alternate products (alternate fuel vehicles) via the government is also a violation of capitalist freedom because the market is being unnaturally narrowed. I guess what I don't understand is what is the hippie philosophy's alternative method to development and progress? What is a better method of living and do we have an real world examples of it?

Comment by Richard Goscicki on August 12, 2012 at 1:56pm

James, To answer your appropriate and important question, “If you're talking about corporations then how can you characterize all corporations or businesses as bad?” 

 

I’ll do the best I can in the confines of this forum.

 

Of course there’re a lot of corporations that are achieving charitable and noble aims.  But let’s look at the big picture:  humans are defiling and plundering the natural environment such that even a tiny polyp in the Great Barrier Reef is being blanched to death by human engendered toxicity and pH changes.  Humans are devastating every aspect of the planet from air pollution, to water contamination, to immeasurable non-biodegradable rings of garbage floating in our ocean (to me the ocean is one entity) in the billions of tons. 

 

To my mind, the system is perverse, inhuman and mindless.  Corporations require money; that’s their raison d’etre.  Corporations put human and environmental needs aside.  A corporation doesn’t care if the cod fish population off Newfoundland is fished to the point of extinction.  Money is all the counts and if not regulated commercial fishing would no longer exist.  Consider the wonderful sockeye salmon of the Pacific Northwest.  Corporations would have us look at them with dollar signs in our eyes, rather than fellow creatures of nature, worthy of our respect due to their grueling, self-sacrificing (literally) life cycle.

 

In other words, corporations (not all) are taking away our humanity to the point of our own extinction.  From Mirror Reversal, “Coca Cola cans need thirsty mouths and monster trucks need heavy feet to burn up gasoline.”    

 

To pursue this further, check out Reason #7 in my “Ten Reasons Not To Believe” essay.  Let’s hear you defend the Vale Mine in the middle the Amazon Rain Forest.  Take a look at it.  It’s by far the biggest mine in the world and they’re using earth moving equipment the size of office buildings.  What chance does a tiny bee hummingbird have? 

 

 

Comment by Lillie on August 11, 2012 at 7:47pm

Young people today aspire to be a part of the 1%.  They vote conservative because they think that is the way to get there.  No matter that the gap is ever widening between the 1% and the middle class.

Comment by Napoleon Bonaparte on August 11, 2012 at 5:32pm

         ATHEIST ROCK

Comment by James Yount on August 11, 2012 at 5:32pm

Relax Edward, I was just commenting on the term, not reading into your comment specifically.  This is just a conversation, it doesn't have to degrade to insults.

Comment by Edward Teach on August 11, 2012 at 5:18pm

James,

Waaaaaay over thinking my comment. Geez, I apologize for being whimsical. I appreciate your instruction on critical thinking though. I've clearly met my better. I'll bow out. And, congrats on making the cover of Hubris Magazine... You da man!   Later

Comment by James Yount on August 11, 2012 at 4:39pm

No problem Richard.  If you haven't seen South Park, you have a lot of catching up to do.  Isaac Hays played chef until they offended scientologists by dedicating a whole episode to show how asinine it is (one of the funniest episodes). 

Anyway, some of the best people I know are ex-hippies and there are good and bad things about most political movements and ideologies.  I'm always hesitant about vague words and generalizations.  "The man" for instance.  People mean different things when they say that.  If you're talking about corporations then how can you characterize all corporations or businesses as bad?  There are a lot of good businesses that contribute a lot to the betterment of the world.  Further, even the ones that most people consider to be bad, like the tobacco industry, pay a lot of money to charitable causes and contribute a lot of money via taxes. 

Comment by Edward Teach on August 11, 2012 at 12:20pm

I was a little kid in the 60s, but that scene still got in my bones for life... kindness, generosity, and a general frustration with "the man"

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