Why Conservatives Love Hippies

[babylonsister]

http://prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=04&year=2011&base_name=why_conservatives_love_hippies

Why Conservatives Love Hippies
By Paul Waldman | Posted 04/01/2011 at 11:08 AM


History's greatest monster. (Flickr/Nelson Piedra)



Jonathan Chait noticed that the Weekly Standard loves hippies an awful lot; he put together a slideshow of Standard cover illustrations depicting hippies engaged in various acts of malfeasance. "Though the influence of hippies culture has been on the wane for the last, oh, 40 years," he notes, "on the cover of the Standard, they're as ubiquitous as ever."

This is something that has amused me for some time. During the 2008 primaries I wrote a column on the way conservatives kept insisting that Hillary Clinton was some kind of hippie, despite the fact that even back in the actual 1960s, the "Goldwater Girl" was hardly some tie-dye wearing, acid-dropping radical. There are still a few hippies around, but when it comes to our political life, they are about as harmless and ineffectual as any group of citizens you could think of.

But they still exert a powerful grip on the imagination of conservatives. For right-wing baby boomers, I suspect a lot of it is about resentment. Back in the day, the hippies were the cool kids, the ones who got laid and seemed to be having all the fun. Not only that, they were in large part vindicated by history. They won the argument about whether the Vietnam War was a good idea, and over time, their ideas about a whole range of things -- race, gender equality, child-rearing -- have come to dominate our culture, while the ideas conservatives held have been marginalized. If you were a square forty years ago, it's enough to make you still mad.

It's also, of course, a convenient shorthand. If you caricature your opponents as hippies, then they're self-evidently frivolous and stupid, and you don't have to bother addressing the substance of whatever argument they're making. I'm not saying liberals don't mock their opponents -- I myself have found Tea Partiers' penchant for dressing up in Revolutionary garb to be amusing. But that, at least, has something to do with our current political situation, as opposed to something people felt really strongly about four decades ago.

[H2O Man]

1. Interesting.

I agree that the characterization of people as "old hippies" is an attempt to marginalize them, and distract from serious discussion of their opinions and values.

Over the years, I have been good friends with numerous hippies. Good and decent people, as a rule.

[gratuitous]

2. I own no fewer than two tie-dyed shirts

And I am indeed the worst nightmare for repressives, as well as certain know-nothing bigots who claim to reside in the progressive camp. As Yoda would say, "Fuck with me not, or up your shit I will mess. Hmmmmmm!"

[supernova]

3. Nice to know someone else

has thought about this.

I've often thought of conservatives as having a delayed response to national conversations, instead of in the time in which they occur.

The present hippie bashing is what they would have like to have said 40 years ago when there were hippies in the national conversation, but couldn't articulate ... as a group.


I suspect that in 40 years Pres. Obama will be the "new" conservative darling.

:crazy:

[liberal N proud]

4. What they are good at is putting people in silos

And project negatively on those they don't like which is everyone that is not in the same silo as they are.

[Webster Green]

5. I've been saying for quite some time...

A lot of these pissed off old conservatives were the assholes who couldn't get laid during "The Summer of Love". They were afraid to eat the acid, though they are the ones who needed it the most. :hippie:

[JHB]

6. Hippies are one big tie-dyed projection screen...

...on to which they focus anger at anything that ticked them off over the last 40 years.

It's not "reality based" and never has been. Or perhaps the appropriate way of putting it is that the hippie-haters are wallowing in an altered state of consciousness.

[teach1st]

7. I'm a hippie

I'm a fifty-eight year old hippie. I believe in free expression and individualism and in active disengagement from the corporate monster. I would rather listen to the Dead than assemble a portfolio; hang out in the woods than shop at a mall; make life rather than money.

I believe hippies carry on the spiritual spark of creativity and rebellion borne by long line of often disenfranchised, creative souls throughout history, including Jesus, Harpo Marx, Sojourner Truth, Jim Rockford, Bugs Bunny, and Satchel Paige. I couldn't define "hippie" for you, but I know one when I see one. The first thing to look for, by the way, is an almost stubborn clinging to childhood dreams.

I'm full of contradictions. I don't trust anybody who isn't. Consumerism scares me but I love Disney World, comic books, and excellent technology. I think technology is both humankind's savior and its destruction. I'm an Anarchist who thinks order and rules are important, but not as important as breaking the rules and creating art through disorder. I'm an Athiest who believes in God, but not necessarily in that order.

I believe in peppermint tea for stomach aches, long showers to de-ionize auras, and chocolate doughnuts to soothe the soul. I think that marijuana can be a sacrament and much safer and saner than alcohol, but I'd rather have a drink. I usually think love will save the day, but wonder sometimes how much the day really needs saved. Sometimes, I think love is simply a vestigial itch useful to justify sex, but I'm more likely to look for love than sex.

I think "hippie" makes the most sense in this world. Who cares what the others think?

[bengalherder]

11. +1

I'm a bit more punk than hippie, but you summed up the contradictions of the counterculture well.

The big thing is that we don't need absolutes or need to think in black and white.

My best friends are undefinable, crazy free-energy, health food, pot-smoking over-acheivers. They are the future, thanks to the original 60's crew. If you believe in such things, astrology is predicting the 60's part deux...this time with more cowbell! :)

[immoderate]

8. It's stereotype worship.

--imm

[Zorra]

9. LOL! Yep. And they still won't pay attention to what we say. After Fukushima,

they will go on supporting nuclear energy until it kills them.

It's so frustrating; how are we ever going to evolve in the face of the constant regression brought about by conservatives?

Like this:

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change" Darwin

We change when we see something is wrong, and adapt as necessary to the aggressive insanity of conservatism that is forced upon us. Conservatives do not easily change, and they don't adapt well.

Here's hoping they don't kill off all life on the planet before they become extinct.

[Quantess]

10. Freepers and our stalker websites

seem to think we're all hippies here at DU. It's inconceivable that most of us look like "normal" people.

This mental block is what causes some of them to spew out right wing comments at work in the lunch room assuming that you're in agreement with them. I stay out of politics at work, because it's wise.

In general, appearances are not an accurate indicator of political leaning. Go ahead and think we all look like hippies, you RW morons.

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. We are pretty damn AWESOME!

PEACE Baby! Those were GREAT days. The article is right, THEY'RE JEALOUS. We had FUN.

:hippie::hippie::hippie::hippie::smoke::smoke::smoke::smoke::headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang:

[Cherchez la Femme]

13. The hippies were right about everything. n/t

[Enthusiast]

14. They were.

Seriously.

Just one example. I remember the corporate insanity when the first emission controls were mandated on cars. They were crazy mad because their industry had been inconvenienced. They hated that damn hippie's idea of clean air. Now cars are better than ever. Cars now have more power yet still achieve better mpg, are far more reliable and way cleaner running. This all happened because some hippies felt there was a need to rein in unrestricted air pollution. That's my take anyway.