Demonstrations in protest against the Vietnam War ranged from 1962 all the way through to the end of the war in 1975. There were protests all around the world over western involvement in the war, but the bulk of protests were held in the United States, particularly from the mid to late 1960s.
Hippies originated through protests over Vietnam and the authorities that involved western countries in the war . Rage against the war raised a cadre of people in favour of world peace. They developed a counter-culture that was itself a protest against everything ‘establishment’ – free love (lots of it), drugs, psychedelic clothing and adornments, long hair, lack of interest in establishment norms like full time jobs, little respect for authority, and a love of rock and roll, which really came into its own in the sixties.
Hippies are synonymous for war protestors, and as wars have continued to be waged right down to today, where did all the hippies go?
I did some research online, and one self-declared 1960s hippy said that he doesn’t have time now. In those days, students and the unemployed had plenty of time for sit-ins and marches. Now, he’s busy raising kids, and keeping his family together.
There are occasional protests over wars these days, but they don’t get anything close to the media attention that the hippy movement in the 60s did, and media exposure is critical to having your cause heard by the greatest number. The hippies were, despite their laid-back attitudes, organized and passionate. There were dozens of protest organizations.
But why haven’t new generations of hippies continued to evolve in protest over the many wars around the globe? Were the later generations (and that includes me) simply more complacent?
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Why am I talking about hippies?
Because Vale will be released on Friday! Featuring Nial and Sebastian, it is the last chapter in their personal story, set before the events in Blood Knot. Which one becomes the hippy? Ah…but that would be telling!