Hippy
Why is hippy a derogatory term?
Were you a hippy/dropout/stoner/trustafarian/other in the 1970s in SW Wales? Or perhaps you were a sprog brought up on a commune, down a long track, with a dozen or so new 'brothers and sisters', and no electricity? Or were you a Welsh farmer who enjoyed free love? Come join the discussion of memory, history and social experiments in this effort to re-map an unusual existence in a beautiful place peopled by unique characters!
3 Comments:
It's funny how so many of the 'hippy' kids rebelled and became mainstream!
I have been pondering on what we mean when we refer to 'hippies', especially in the context of the west wales scene. My dictionary describes hippy as "a person of unconventional appearance, typically with long hair, jeans, beads, etc., often associated with hallucinogenic drugs and a rejection of conventional values" [concise oxford dictionary]
I found more variations of the definition on http://www.erowid.org/culture/hippies/hippies_definition.shtml
"The term hippie (or hippy) derives from "hip" or "hipster" used during the late 50s and 60s to describe someone who was a part of the Beat scene. Someone who was hip to the scene, or in the know. One of the first recorded uses of the term hippie was in a Sept 5 1965 article about the San Francisco counter-culture by writer Michael Fallon. The term was not generally used by those who were a part of the hippie culture, but rather by those on the outside writing about them. The term became popular with the media in the mid- to late-1960s as young people flocked to San Francisco, but also picked up negative conotations for many Americans.
hippie or hippy
[ websters unabridged ] a person, esp. of the late 1960s, who rejected established institutions and values and sought spontaneity, direct personal relations expressing love, and expanded consciousness, often expressed externally in the wearing of casual, folksy clothing and of beads, headbands, used garments, etc.
[ websters ] a person who rejects the mores of established society (as by dressing unconventionally or favoring communal living and advocates a nonviolent ethic; broadly : a long-haired unconventionally dressed young person.
[ websters world ] a person who, in a state of alienation from conventional society, turned variously to mysticism, psychedelic drugs, communal living, etc.
[ hyperdictionary ] someone who rejects the established culture; advocates extreme liberalism in politics and lifestyle
[ wordreference.com ] a person whose behaviour, dress, use of drugs, etc., implied a rejection of conventional values (esp. during the 1960s)
[ realdictionary.com ] youth subculture (mostly from the middle class) originating in San Francisco in the 1960s; advocated universal love and peace and communes and long hair and soft drugs; favored acid rock and progressive rock music
[ miscellaneous ] a person who believes in peace, love, freedom and happiness.
So quite a broad idea of what a hippy is; ranging from simply how someone looks, their tastes to specific values they uphold!
I think this broad range is very much reflected in the society in wales that we are talking about; some only really fit in the definition by their drug use, dress sense, and/or musical tastes. Less, in my experience of the scene, seemed to uphold the peace, love, freedom and happiness aspects of the definition. I have come across many more unconventional and peace and love attitudes from people outside the scene, than within it. In fact, at times i experienced the horrendous amount of malicious, bitchy gossip that to me seemed rife; the lack of 'green' living; the sexism; the capitilism that so many moved towards, an antithises of the so-called 'hippy' ideals. I accept that this is perhaps more the judgemental part in me who has high expectations of what kind of society we should have, than real expectations of what the 'scene' could have been.
I'd be interested in hearing from the 'olds' about what drew them to live in wales at the time; was it the values, culture, or simply a need to rebel?
When I came to live in West Wales in 1976 I was extremely surprised to be considered a "hippy" by the local Welsh people. This word had largely gone out of use in most of the rest of the urbanised UK and I wasn't sure whether to be insulted or amused by the tag as I certainly did not consider myself a hippy or any other variant. Most of the other people I met who were incomers like me did not think of themselves as hippies either. We were mainly young with small children. Most were concerned with what would now be considered as issues about ecology and globalisation and were trying to live in a more sustainable way. These attitudes and the way we dressed (which was perfectly unremarkable in London etc) made us stand out in an area which was deeply conservative in its fashion sense at least.
Our children who grew up in the area may have come to see us a bunch of old hippies but that is very far from how most of us saw ourselves.
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