Duke Schempp: Who You Calling “Hippie”

Who You Calling “Hippie”?

To the Editor:

This word, “Hippie” is tossed around in today’s vernacular all the time. There have been several HPR articles referencing “hippies” as being something undesirable or goofy. As an avid HPR reader for years, I recall a feature article covering the Winnipeg Folk Festival where the writer was very descriptive about the sounds, tastes and smells of the festival, but referred to the people as “hippies”. As a fifth-year-in-a-row festival goer, I have yet to meet anyone I would consider a “hippie”.
Joshua A. Boschee’s Gay Agenda article (02-04) referred to collecting “Street Cred”  by hooking up with those on the opposite side of a political and cultural continuum. Boschee artfully described how his comrades built their decks of cards and how a Republican card had status. 
The article grabbed my attention because of Boschee’s ability to use satire about incredibly important social and political issues.  But I was surprised when a reference to “hippies” emerged alongside pilots, jocks, Mormons, frat boys and Jehovah Witnesses. The reference seemed to imply “hippie” is synonymous with “dufus.”

These negative references to hippies confuse me. Maybe it’s an age thing; perhaps people glibly throwing the word around, like these HPR writers, have never met a hippie.

Although I was too young to be part of the “hippie” crowd, I knew they were seen as people shedding the status quo expectations of mainstream culture; standing up to authority and oppressors; rejecting prescribed sexual roles/gender expectations; and of course, the long hair, colorful clothes, drugs associations were there as well.

But most importantly, hippies shifted culture and power in this country and fought for the younger generation’s right to object to fighting the war in Vietnam.  Many hippies are recognized as heroes of civil rights activism in our country’s history.
Even though mainstream media images of hippies are exclusive to the past: tattered jeans, political buttons, bell bottoms and dreadlocks, I challenge the public, as well as HPR’s writers, to see “hippies” as more than court jesters.

Hippies moved a social agenda. Having this admired group, “hippies”, pigeonholed by the mainstream is disturbing. I always aspired to being one. Hippies really rocked my world and I would have been honored to be considered one. 

-Duke Schempp
Fargo