Hip Opinions

What it means to be a hippie?

Thanks again to all who contributed.

The following are opinions on what is or makes a hippie.

Some hippies feel that there is a need to...inform...(?) others of what a hippie is. This is because of the many young hippie(?) wanna-bes who think they are hippies because of the way they dress, or what they drive or smoke or eat... This is to show them, (and to educate others who want to know what makes a hippie) that there is a lot more behind the hippie than a pair of bell bottoms. So please, if you disagree with my need to educate and to inform others of what makes a hippie, keep it to yourself, I've heard it all. The sole purpose of this page is to educate and to straighten out the myths of the hippie.

Keep in mind, you can possess all the so-called "hippie" attributes and still NOT be a hippie. It's all up to you. If you want to be a hippie, then go ahead... and if you don't, that's fine. Personal choice and freedom for everyone.

Willow
PEACE
~pass it on~

I'd like to think hippies are peace loving people who do not praise their lifestyles andcut down others on their choice of lifestyle.
A hippie is some one that respects the earth and doesn't harm but gives love.
Being a hippie isn't about the way you dress, it's about what you believe in.
Being a hippie is all in your attitude. Hippies seem to take on the role of a mother; they look after people, are good listeners, and are always there for you. They know that love, peace, and understanding is the answer.
Must have an open mind, love your neighbor, be gentle and giving
hippies are the most honest, truthful, frank, caring, brave people you can ever meet. everybody is their race, everybody is their family: the human race. i've often brought friends together for "family discussions" where we put all distortions aside. no lies, no fighting, just put everything out on the table. it takes a little bit of getting used to, but hippies make the best friends.
it's all about peace, hope and love. And sure...it has nothing to do with how you dress and the way you look. It's all about the ideal...And these ideals fought for in the 60's have been passed down to us(I am 30). So let's pick them up, dust them off, and carry them with dignity and hope
being your self and letting every thing else be as it will
i think being a hippie is about peace ,love ,being aware envrimentally and socially. Knowing how to have a good time and enjoying it with friends. Being able to chill and be yourself is really important.
TO me being a hippie means that you are carefree and you don't stress to much on things, it doesn't mean you smoke pot, or wear bellbottoms, drive VW bugs, it's you're frame of mind where you try to keep peace, and are loving
someone who thinks with their heart
"Hippie" is not a person. It's a spirit, a love, a belief. It's beauty, and the knowledge of what beauty is. Speaking out for what you believe in...now that is true beauty
A hippie is your thoughts and ideas and your actions. You can't be a hippie if you see someone being mistreated and don't do anything about it. You can't just think like a hippie to be one. You have to think AND act like a hippie because if you just sit there and not do anything, you are just like THEM. A hippie has to stand up for themselves and other people!
I think that a hippie is one who who has a great peace of mind, one who cares for and give respect to other living beings and to mother earth. A hippie is not one who wear bell-bottoms and tie-dyes if he doesnt do all of the above.
A Hippie meets the world with an open heart and mind.
It's all about a carefree state of mind
A hippie is just a person who runs around this world care free just like everbody else should!!!
to be in tune with nature...understanding that we must conserve for future generations...music is key to your happiness... barefeet...moving away from consumerism...searching for answers... ready to travel at any moment.... a strong supporter of peace.....or a member of an awesome group like Peace Action...!!!!
To be a hippie, you don't have to take drugs or drive VWs; you just have to be yourself.
"Hippie" is an attitude. Down to earth, peaceful, loving, kind person.
A hippie is in the heart but has to express themselves and also try and make peace within themselves and at home.
Hippie is all about your outlook on life and relating to other people with the same interests.
Hippies don't have to have long hair, bellbottoms or take drugs. A hippie is a person who loves and cares.
I think a hippie is a person who is free-spirited. They just need to be themselves.
Being a hippie is a way of thought, to love others and to try to make a difference.
Someone who doesn't care what other people say about them but are more concerned with more realistic issues.
A hippie is a person who believes in freedom. They have a laid back attitude towards life.
Hippies have a down to earth personality; they are one of a kind.
A Hippie is someone who believes in peace, love and happiness. They will try to work out disputes with reasoning and rationalisation, not violence. Hippies don't have to have long hair, wear bell bottoms or smoke pot. It's all in attitude.
A hippie means being who you are while people still tell you you're different.
A hippie must believe in peace. If you don't, the you're not a hippie.
Being a hippie is not how you dress, how you vote, or what political party you belong to; it's what you believe in and how you live your life.
Being a hippie is a state of mind in which you're at peace with yourself and everything around you and love and care for everyone and everything.
A hippie is someone who transcends above all the hate in our world and tries their hardest to show what love can do.
Willingness to share everything you have; being kind and fair to everyone; satnding up for what you believe in.
Someone who believes in the power of love, who desires peace for all people, who thinks the world can change for the better.
Hippies are loving, beautiful people.
Hippies are people who are themselves. They care about people and people's rights and the world around them.
Being a hippie is about trying to live a simpler life in a lot of ways... you may never becaome a hippie; you can only try... it's a journey... I don't make the grade all the time... but I strive for it... I want to achieve it... It is a peace that you have to find within yourself... It's a goal... I hope I make it...
Being a hippie is all in the attitude.
A hippie is all a matter of attitude and athought, what you do and how you present your ideas for a better, healthier life and a way to convey your love for nature and all living things.
Being a hippie is a state of mind; a spiritual path that you've travelled, a path that some people so not know exists. Anyone can be a hippie; it's all in our hearts

I was asked to post this:

Hippies are people who don't care what other people think of them. People can tell them what to do but they won't listen. It's like my main man Zainay always says, you can say what you want, you can feel what you feel, but I'll be free, till you can count to three. Hippes are like funk Daddy. They don't stay alone, they stick together so nobody can destroy all of them. I for one am a hippie and you can't take one of us without the other. I'm not into any of that flower power stuff. I think it's quite whack and more like the 70's. I am a hippie from the 90's and I will lead the hippies into the next millilium. Whoever says screw you hippie can go screw themselves because we are taking over the world.

Some wise words of an "old" hippie:
"After reading Willow's opinion and the opinions of other here, it does this old hippie good to know so many young people really do understand. Peace, Love and Happiness to all of you" -Ellis

Willow's Hippie Quotes

So far, I've only got a few quotes. The first one, I don't even know where I got it either; it's been so long since I've heard it. (So, if it happens to belongs to you, please let me know and I'll give you credit for it.)

"Hippies are like jeans. They never die; they just fade."

Though they rushed back and forth across the country on the slightest pretext, gathering kicks along the way, the real journey was inward.

~John Clellon Holmes

"Tomorrow never happens man. It's all the same fuckin' day man."

~Janis Joplin (from Ball and Chain)

"If you are going away from the light, you are going the wrong way."

~from Erikarose and her friends

Willow's "You Know You're A Hippie When..."

Please keep in mind that this is only for fun...Some people actually take this seriously.

You Know You're A Hippie When...

1. You are still driving a VW whatever.
2. If the VW is the ONLY vehicle you have ever owned.
3. If the VW is STILL painted multi-colours.
4. If you were at the original Woodstock and think about it as it were yesterday.
5. If you can't remember if you were at Woodstock or not.
6. If "groovy", "man", "trippin'", and "can you dig it?" are part of your everyday vocabulary.
7. If you are still wearing the clothes you wore in the 60's.
8. If you've never been shopping for clothes since the 60's.
9. If you still have and use your brownie recipe that includes ingredients that you cannot get at the local supermarket.
10. If all you own are records.
11. If you do not know what a CD player is.
12. If you get excited every time a protest or rally comes up.
13. If your Windows background, computor icons, or screen saver has something to do with the 60's.
14. If you happen to be visiting my page.

The following is my opinion.

What TRULY makes a hippie? Is it how long your hair is? The kind of clothing that you wear? Is it the music that you listen to? Is it where you live? Does it come with the car you drive like a manual does? Is it the beaded necklaces you wear? Is it the flowers in your hair? Is it how you walk? Is it how you run? Is it the drugs you take? Is it the food you eat? Is it the quiz you take? Is it the words you use? These are all questions whose answers would not constitute the fact of being a hippie.
Sure, you can LOOK like a stereotypical hippie by wearing bell-bottoms; butterfly-collar, polyester shirts; Birkenstock sandals; a bandana 'round your head; flowers in your hair; cruisin' 'round town in a VW van or beetle, blaring your Grateful Dead; munchin' on veggie burgers, alternating eatin' with tokes of weed; bein' dragged down by the pounds of love beads 'round your neck; headin' back home to the commune or the Haight; with every other word out of your mouth being 'man', 'groovy' or 'can you dig it?' You could do all this and still NOT be a hippie.

What some people don't seem to understand it that being a hippie is not how you look, act, talk...It's what's inside YOU that constitutes your being a hippie. It is an ideology that (in my opinion,) more people need to adhere to. "Hippies" are peaceful, caring, down-to-earth people. Personally, I have found that hippies are very easy to talk to; we are open and honest. Myself, I am this way. I also accept people the way they are; I do not judge them. It is so simple to understand, I wonder how come more people don't want to be like this.

With the hippie ideology comes a simple way of life (by caring for and using Mother Nature to produce natural, organic food (none of that pesticide crap) and to provide shelter.) The ideas of communal living are an excellent idea. I believe that living in a commune can benefit all of us. (Especially one that is on a farm or that involves people working with the land) We learn to co-operate, how to get along with others. Everyone learns to love each other, how to get along and how to live in harmony all under one roof.
The simple slogans of "Love is better than Hate" and "Peace is better that War" should be in no way ignored. If the remainder of the planet would of just listened to the hippies in the 60's, we could be living in a better world than we do today.

In the early 60's, hippies were reffered to as the beatniks. They didn't like being called beatniks, nor did they like being called hippies later on. Everyone seems to puts labels on people. There are "geeks", "nerds", "jocks", "skaters", "punks"...
In today's society, I have noticed a small percentage of young people who are interested in the beatnik/hippie era are only doing it for the outside points. What I mean by the outside points is that all they seem to care about is the drugs, "free" love, looking like a "hippie" and so forth. They are almost using it as a reason to party... Sure I could dress myself as a maxed-out, stereotypical hippie by wearing the bell-bottoms and the tye-die shirt, bandana, flowers, beads, sandals, drivin' around in a VW blaring the Dead...but I don't...Maybe if it was halloween, yeah. I feel I don't need to dress like a stereotypical hippie- I wear what I find comfortable- usually bell-bottoms, a t-shirt, some beads, etc... Nothing extravagent, just simple. I don't usually wear shoes. (I'm lucky to work in a place where they don't mind that I'm barefoot.)

Another thing that I believe many people (especially older people-those who weren't part of the hippie generation) misinterperate, is the drug issue. OK, it's a fact that many hippies took drugs at one point in their lives.(Some still may do.) In the 60's, there was no way of knowing that these drugs were "bad" or how long-term use would affect them and stuff.(It was the same with cigarettes and alcohol). It seemed that the hippies died at one point in history; they seemed to have gotten out of the limelight and underground... the hippies didn't die, they just faded. Now in the 90's, there is a new "wave" you could call it of what could be considered the (young) hippies or neo-hippies. There is only one problem, some of them don't have the same ideology and way of thinking as the originals did. Those who did think in the "old" way, I consider them the (young) hippies; anyone else would be neo-hippie (or even flower children) to me.

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