hippie

        Slang terms are a part of every day culture and communication.  From the geographical speech trends of �Pittsburgheeze� to the evolving Ebonics of the inner city, slang has become more of a main stream in American English. Slang words are passed from culture to culture and from land to land. Current American English uses words from other languages as its own, in a type of cross culture lingo.  An example is the term �vise versa�, which is actually a word that was originated and used in ancient Rome. Some terms have a short run in the American language�, they are a part of a fad or a short lived lingo. Others stick around and become a part of the language�, evolving through out the years.  One such word that originated in America was �hippie�.

Hippie: By Definition

The word hippie is listed in many dictionaries with very similar definitions. In accordance to the Oxford English Dictionary the word was first heard slipping off of tongues in the year 1950. The OED states that the definition of the word is:

1.  A hipster; a person, usually exotically dressed, who is, or is taken to be, given the use of hallucinogenic drugs; beatnik
2. Of pertaining to or characteristic of hippies. A hippie is an LSD equivalent
to a beatnik.
 
The New Dictionary of American Slang defines the word Hippie as:
1. Especially 1960 counter culture. One of a group of the usual young
persons who reject the values of conventional society and withdraw into drifting communes etc.
2. Espouse peace and universal love. Typically long hair and beards and
use of marijuana or psychedelic drugs=Beat, beatnik.
 
The Dictionary of American Slang defined the word hippie as:
1. A person who is hip or cool, generic for a character who is supper cool, over blasé so far out that he appears to be asleep when he�s digging something the most.
Many slang words are interchangeable: as if they were synonyms. The word hippie is no exception. For example some commonly used synonyms are: Pot Head, Head, Hash head, Burn out, Flower child, stoner,Beatnik, etc.

Hippie: The Original

        Through out its first 30 odd years the word itself went through a redefining period. As the people that it pertained to continued to evolve, so did the word. In the 50�s, hippies were the product of the beatnik generation that preceded them.  The beatniks started out in San Francisco and by 1967 were recognized as having their own district in the city. The beatniks gave hippies their start into nature, poetry, and drugs. They also expanded on their concepts of music and culture, for they were very into poetry, protest, and free and homosexual love.  They adopted these cultural habits from the writings of such intellectuals as William S. Burrows and Jack Kerawack. These writers gave the initial push in the direction of the liberal mindset that the Hippies so eagerly gobbled up. Hippie defined this broad new range of people. As a part of American society they were the most intricate in the counter culture of the day.

Hippie: the love train picks up speed

        During the early and mid 60�s the Hippies were generally considered to be the people of peace. They as a group made the peace sign as common a symbol as the American flag.  These people were very influential in the anti-war movement during the time of the Vietnam War. During this part of the 60�s the hippies gained most of their popularity. These folks took pride in sharing the same characteristics that made them what they were: being pro peace, pro love, and anti war.  They, as a culture had the common similarities of such things as fashion, music, and life style.  They were identified by their tie-died clothing, faded out bell-bottom blue jeans, and home made shirts in bright colors with flowers. Love beads, beaded bracelets, silver jewelry with large gemstones, beards and long hair adorned with flowers, ribbons, and dreadlocks made hippies stand out from the societal mainstream. The hippies got enormous amounts of support from the popular musicians of their time.  The hippies were the group who supported and listened to Bob Dillon, The Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Janice Joplin, Iggy Pop, Phish, Neil Young, Credence Sweet Water Revival, Pink Floyd, and Jimmy Hendrix. They were the people of the single most popular concert of all time. The Rome, New York extravaganza, known as Wood Stock (the original), personified the feelings of the hippie culture.  The nakedness that they revealed, the drugs that they used, the parties that they had, and the love they shared went down in history as one of the greatest musical events of all times.   During this era hippies became synonymous with peace sign covered Volkswagen Busses, which were the cars of choice as they followed their favorite musicians across the country. Hippies were the first large scale American culture to take up the life style of drug use.  They characteristically used marijuana, LSD, cocaine, heroin, nitrous oxide and, of course, alcohol. The concept of mind-expanding drug use was very �in�.  The craze of LSD exploded onto the scene at this time. These people felt that by using LSD, they could open up the gates of their minds.  Their gates became open by literally altering their minds. They had no modern worries about STDs or AIDS. This allowed them to fully indulge in the freeness of the times. The �free love� that they embodied was spurred on by the experiences and feelings produced by the drugs. These people were comfortable with nakedness; it was a part of a natural connection to the earth. This type of behavior and life style were carried on through the early and mid 70�s.  The hippies, as they strived to stay together with their peaceful oneness, gathered to many places around the globe.  They established communities in which they could live, keeping up the ideals of their counter culture. In these established living societies, free love reined superior. A common living situation would consist of multiple men with multiple women. These living conditions often resulted in  �love children.�  Children often had no idea who their real parents were. Due to the escalated amount of sexual contact taking place between all of the occupants of the �home,� all elder members raised children. The initial communes were located in San Francisco, where the beatnik predecessors had begun.  There were similar establishments all over the globe.  In London, the hippie district had 1000 occupants in 1968.   It was an example of the global message that was being transmitted from the USA.  In a 1969, Time Magazine reported on a Hippie Republic that had formed in South Jose, Costa Rica.  It housed, in its tropical climate, 1000 peace loving flower children. There have even been instances in which hippie communes have been held accountable for violent actions. Such was the case with the Sharon Tate murders in California.  The followers of Charles Manson were convicted of the murders. They were also accused of being legally insane, due to the excessive amounts of LSD that they were using before and during the murders.  By the late 70�s the group of people started to lose their popularity as natural, peace-lovers. This was due, in part, to the �disco fever� that had taken over the country.  In today�s terms, hippie is a word that is becoming dated.  It is well enough known that people are looking for a new classification for this current generation. The terms that are used to describe a person with hippie characteristics in today�s societies would be: Burn Out, Stoner, Pot Head, and yes, even at times, Hippies.

Hippies:  An Encompassing Definition   

        When the published definitions, background, general knowledge and personal perception of the term hippie are combined, they produce a very simple product.  The definition of the term that I have been able to come up with relies on just a few fundamental elements. As I see it, the term hippie is defined as follows:


Are You a Hippie?

Ryan Kruljac