Free Essays on Hippies In America

The Role of the Hippie in American Culture American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests or drop out of society completely. The government and the older generations could not understand their way of life. Hippies were often portrayed as criminals, subversive to the morals and best interest of the public. Although misunderstood, the hippie had a great impact throughout the country, still surviving today in American culture. The term â€Å"hippie† itself became a universal term in the late sixties. It originated in a 1967 article in Ramparts, entitled â€Å"The Social History of the Hippies.† Afterward, the name was captured by the mass media as a label for the people of the new movement. Even before this, the word â€Å"hip† described someone who was â€Å"in† and â€Å"down†, wise to what was going on around him. By the 1960s, some of America’s youth created a gap between themselves and their parents. They grew their hair long because it was natural and therefore considered beautiful. At first, the idea of men with long hair was absurd and society considered it a sign of homosexuality. When it became clear that the establishment felt so strongly about hair, the attitudes of young rebels changed. One young man responded after being questioned about his unkempt appearance: Growing hair does not mean that I am or am not a homosexual.In contrast to the short crew -cut style that every young man adhered to during the fifties, the hippie popularized a diversity of ha... Free Essays on Hippies In America Free Essays on Hippies In America The Role of the Hippie in American Culture American society and culture experienced an awakening during the 1960s as a result of the diverse civil rights, economic, and political issues it was faced with. At the center of this revolution was the American hippie, the most peculiar and highly influential figure of the time period. Hippies were vital to the American counterculture, fueling a movement to expand awareness and stretch accepted values. The hippies’ solutions to the problems of institutionalized American society were to either participate in mass protests or drop out of society completely. The government and the older generations could not understand their way of life. Hippies were often portrayed as criminals, subversive to the morals and best interest of the public. Although misunderstood, the hippie had a great impact throughout the country, still surviving today in American culture. The term â€Å"hippie† itself became a universal term in the late sixties. It originated in a 1967 article in Ramparts, entitled â€Å"The Social History of the Hippies.† Afterward, the name was captured by the mass media as a label for the people of the new movement. Even before this, the word â€Å"hip† described someone who was â€Å"in† and â€Å"down†, wise to what was going on around him. By the 1960s, some of America’s youth created a gap between themselves and their parents. They grew their hair long because it was natural and therefore considered beautiful. At first, the idea of men with long hair was absurd and society considered it a sign of homosexuality. When it became clear that the establishment felt so strongly about hair, the attitudes of young rebels changed. One young man responded after being questioned about his unkempt appearance: Growing hair does not mean that I am or am not a homosexual.In contrast to the short crew -cut style that every young man adhered to during the fifties, the hippie popularized a diversity of ha...

Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments

Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments By Maeve Maddox The comments on my post about writing dates with or without terminals got me thinking about the way everyone who speaks English reacts strongly to at least one word or point of usage. The different ways that people write a date seem to excite curiosity without making anyone angry, but sometimes words or expressions evoke annoyance so intense as to constitute rabid aversion. (Im thinking of the responses provoked by my article on couldnt care less.) By a blackboard moment I mean a physical reaction similar to what we feel when the teachers hand slips and we hear a fingernail scrape against the board. Here are some of the words, pronunciations, spellings and expressions that produce blackboard moments of various intensities in me. (The preferred form is in parentheses.) standing on line (standing in line) light something on fire (set something on fire) Me and my friends swim. (My friends and I swim.) in hopes of (in the hope of) pronouncing the word pecan with a long e and a short a: /pee can/ (instead of with a schwa and the a of father: /pe kahn/) pronouncing the t in Bill Clinton (he pronounces his name with a glottal stop: /klin?n.) seperate (separate) dalmatien (dalmatian) shepard dog (shepherd dog) cemetary (cemetery) its tail (its tail) In that incidence he was right. (In that instance he was right.) Do you want some sandwich? (Do you want part of a sandwich?) How about you, Gentle Reader? What in the speaking or writing of English produces a blackboard moment for you? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†50 Tips on How to Write Good