No longer Re: bible class

[Alan McKendree <amck@thenetdr.com>]

>Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 10:25:15 +0000
>From: John Hughes <john@pureneasy.fsnet.co.uk>
>
>I think, speaking as someone who was the right age (born in 1950), that
>over here we *played* at the idea of being hippies.
>...
>Unfortunately, there was just a little too much British reserve and
>stiff upper lip (not to mention a lot of parents shouting "You're not
>going out looking like that!!"), lousy weather, and not quite sufficient
>political polarisation for the British to get involved in hippiedom.
>
>I don't think we scoffed at it, I rather fancy we envied it, especially
>what was reported as the free love aspects of the whole thing;-)

I'd like to follow up on this a bit.  I was a bit too young to get in on
the leading edge, but I definitely identified with the hippie movement due
primarily to its anti-Vietnam position, which in turn was because I stood a
fair chance of being shipped off to fight in it and really didn't see that
the issues at hand (or the rationale) were worth getting shot at.  It's
hard to express the sadness and disillusionment that resulted (at the age
of 13) from seeing my government drafting men only a few years older than
myself to fight for reasons I didn't understand, and I opposed what I did
understand.  I think that single issue (Vietnam) was most responsible for
leading people to live the hippie life rather than play at it. Beyond that,
the music was omnipresent and I "dug" (if I may) quite a lot of it. I won't
go into a list of my favorites at the time, but at the time Woodstock
seemed to me an amazingly cool place to be -- not that I got within 1,000
miles of it -- all those groups playing and in an atmosphere of (if I may)
peace and love, along with earnest opposition to the Vietnam adventure.

Given this background, I was shocked when I read later (but at a still
fairly young age) Pete's putdowns of the Woodstock scene.  I can't remember
his exact words but it was something along the lines of "all those people
rolling around in mud" -- there might have been something in there against
all their drug-addled states of mind, as well.  I assume we all know the
stated objections of The Who to their Woodstock *performance* as one of
their worst (due no doubt to the backstage tensions and screwups), but Pete
in particular seemed very dismissive of hippies.  I get the feeling that
his being a fashion aficionado had something to do with it, but there was
probably more to it than that (?).  Then, just a couple years ago, I read a
book about the British skinhead movement which evolved out of punk, and it
went to some length to explain that both of these, at heart, were
working-class young men and women who were too busy trying to make a living
and hopefully get a bit ahead to have any sympathy for flowers and
crash-pad communal living.  Does any of that trigger any thoughts, John?
anyone else?

As for the free love, I understand that was quite enjoyable :-).  But of
course it turned into a parody of itself (see the movie "Shampoo" for
details) and in the mid-'80s the chickens came home to roost.

Cheers,

Alan

"Never never hesitate, communicate, communicate..." --Pete Townshend