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The Influence Of The Hippie Subculture

Decent Essays

A new Identity for American Youth- An essay on how the teenage ideology was influenced by the Hippie subculture

Born from the social turmoil, and the differing opinions of people during the Vietnam War. The Hippie movement first gained traction in American Colleges and Universities. These young adults during the 1950s, are considered to be the very first pioneers of the hippie subculture. Through the youths’ rebellious nature against the main ideals of society, and the growing popularity of the hippie subculture, hippies, through the 50s up until the 80s, have managed to cultivate and solidify a new concept of social behavior in young adults: The teenager. This essay will show us how the hippie subculture managed to change the old ideals …show more content…

No doubt, John Lennon wrote this song under the influence of the hippie subculture. This song helped bring awareness to the public -and teenagers alike, about the values of the Hippies. Another influential song of the Hippie era is “Fortunate Son” by the group Creedence Clearwater Revival. This song is a protest against the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam war, as the Hippies saw that the US Army’s involvement in the war as a mistake. “Fortunate Son” addresses the issue of the discriminating way the government used forced conscription to recruit new soldiers- as they forced the poor population to fight much more often than people who held more political power. As much as fifty-five percent of the fighting force belonged in the working-class. The message this song sends, closely associates with the Hippie subculture view of the vietnam war. This song, also being very popular to the teenage population, inspired teenagers to rebel against the government and societal norm, causing teenagers to become more aware of the Hippie subculture (since rebelling against societal norms was one of their underlying ethics.) One more artist who contributed to the change of impression in teenagers is Buffalo Springfield. “For what it’s worth” is another protest song written in 1966. Although the literal meaning of the song is about hippies protesting a curfew at their favorite

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