The Hippie Merry-go-Round

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

You might also want clarify what you mean by hippies given the diverse definitions: e.g. from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/hippy

Exactly the way I remember Hippies.

a youth subculture (mostly from the middle class) originating in San Francisco in the 1960s; advocated universal love and peace and communes and long hair and soft drugs; favored acid rock and progressive rock music

[FTE217]

hehe, trust ab bringing in clarity.
Why make it so confusing, just tar them all with the same brush, minority groups.

shedcoupe, aren't most Dads classified as dorky Dads by the kids.
He is dorky mind you I agree, more than the average dork.

[aussiblue]

Ok for the sake of the argument I will out myself as a hippy from the early 70’s. I don’t think I ever I met the drug taking criteria but people called me a “hippie” at the time because I drove a mini-moke, hung out with girls that liked to wear flowers in their hair, had very long hair and went to outdoor rock concerts and cared about the environment. I guess that I ended up as both a FCPA and an economist might appear a bit conservative an image for some people's perception of what a hippy is meant to be though.

Hippies push for the "recycling" of glass. Companies have to install glass crushers, bag up the glass, and pay for it to be trucked to Perth. Where it is dumped into landfill because we nolonger recycle glass in Perth.

No, it’s because we recall a time when most drink containers were made of glass, empties were collected by bottelos and ACL Glass recycled the used bottles at their Canning Vale glass manufacturer plant. And if the market forces of supply and demand start working in the longer we may return to similar arrangements.

They successfully block the building of new paper-millls in Tasmania. So instead the wood chips are loaded on oil-burning ships and taken to China, where the paper is produced in filthy unregulated mills, and then loaded onto more oil-burning ships and sent back to us.

I visited the old paper pulp plant in Burnie Tasmania in the 1980’s when the were still pouring their untreated chlorine waste into the Southern Ocean as well as pouring smoke into the air; they were certainly not clean. It and the neighbouring pigment producer Tioxide and North West Acid earned Bernie the reputation as Tasmania’s if not Australia’s dirtiest town (see https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/north...e-history.html etc) . The Tioxide Australia paint pigment factory at the Blythe River, known locally as the Titan, produced titanium dioxide, an intense whitening compound used in paints, plastics and more. Part of the process produced iron salts effluent - ferro-sulphates - which were pumped out to sea, colouring the sea rust-red for several kilometres east and west of the factory (again https://www.ourtasmania.com.au/north...e-history.html ) In any event wherever they are sited there is little argument about the pollution from tradition paper pulp mills (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enviro...ulping_process etc).

Their complaints against glass and plastic in landfills, is based on their belief that these substances never break-down. (Which means they would be perfectly safe in landfills) Instead, waste plastic is exported to Asia, where it is mostly burnt as fuel.

This is an unfounded assertion. We all know that certain plastic break down and glass can be eroded.

LPG & LNG are much cleaner and have lower carbon emissions than coal, oil, petrol, but the Hippies don't care.

Not even true, as while Gas has lower CO2 emissions than black coal when burned for electricity, LNG developments also leak methane, which is a relatively short-lived gas that lasts in the atmosphere about 12 years but still has a warming power about 28 times greater than the same amount of CO2 when calculated over a century (see https://www.theguardian.com/environm...l-experts-warn)

Hippies are fundamentally useless people. They don't want to work or contribute, yet unlike your typical bludger, they are obsessed with their own importance, the need to be "meaningful", and their desire to control others. So they set themselves up to become "environmental experts", activists, and "influencers."

Well this hippy and all his colleagues he knows worked full time for some 50 years. At the same time this hippy did his leaving, matriculation and two University degrees as a night school student at the same time; hardly fits your description of an idle and useless person I wouldn't think.

So whilst young people, and those with poor memories, may think that current trends portend the future, they don't.
Instead the Hippies ride a never-ending Merry-go-Round, with their gormless devotees running around in circles after them.

I actually don’t think you have been around long enough to have a relevant memory span so I will overlook these silly unfounded assertions.

When I was a kid, it was all about "Saving the Whales" and the impending "Nuclear Holocaust". Now, nobody gives a **** about the whales, and the Hippies are in FAVOUR of Nuclear Power.
Back in the 80's the Hippies had a major victory, stopping the construction of Hydro-Power on the Franklin river. Now they're in favour of hydro because it is supposedly "zero emission."

Generlisations that are untrue for me and many other “hippies”. I still care about whales and have concerns about nuclear energy and some hydro schemes.

Back in the 60's and 70's, Hippies applauded the switch from Timber fences to Asbestos, because it saved the trees. Asbestos Roofing became very popular with the Hippie Elite, as an alternative to the "antiquated" roofing tiles. (Whitlam built an entire University here with Asbestos roofs.)

Complete BS; find me even one article for hippies advocating for asbestos fences. And Whitlam didn't build any WA Universities.

A large reason that the use of plastic replaced paper, glass, and steel, was because the Hippies believed it was easier to recycle.

Again complete BS find me any articles showing hippies promoting plastic to replace paper, galss and steel.

For a while there, everyone was all hot for "Global Warming," until they figured out that not only was their science bogus, but that atmospheric warming was both imaginary and irrelevant. So now it's all about "Climate Change."
And whilst they're still beating us over the head with "Carbon Emissions" they've also decided that anything else they don't like is also causing the problem.

Global warming and climate change are linked (see the references in my previous response).

Diesels were previously beloved by the Hippies thanks to their better economy. But guess what, once diesels became common (could even get a diesel Fiesta) the Hippies suddenly decided they were evil.

Again complete BS; I have never been a diesel fan and you won’t find any evidence of hippies advocating for them’ don’t confuse the recycled cooking oil nuts with hippies.

Lithium has never had substantial industrial use, because it is relatively rare, and therefore completely uneconomical to mine. Now we're expending huge amounts of energy and chemicals to mine and process basically worthless rock, to extract low grades of Lithium, because the Hippies have decided that battery powered cars (powered by Brown Coal) is the way of the future.

It would be interesting to see the demographics; I suspect more yuppies than hippies use battery powered vehicles. EDIT: OK I forgot; many of us old hippies are now battery powered gopher users.

They've conned the government into bribing the masses into covering their houses in unviable solar-cells. Where will their attention turn when every house is covered in this worthless crap?

Hippies however you want to define them were always a minority and most of them (noting it was a 60’s thing mostly) are now dead or a part of a very small number of aged people and often ailing; hardly a big influence on Government (otherwise how did nursing homes get to be so mismanaged?)and certainly no contest compared to the Murdoch media force.

OK I've had my rant so I am off to find where I stored my old hippy beads and flowery hat and then meditate a while. Too late for me to regrow my long hair though. I was probably just a fake hippy anyhow attracted by the free love concept of the pretty girls with flowers in their hair and the low entry price of a new Mini Moke as a first new car.

[Pis-ton broke]

wow , that would have taken me two hours to write all that.
smoke some weed bro, and relax.
is a hipster just a modern day hippy?

[FTE217]

hehe, I''l contribute like AB but far shorter.....
Hipster
The 21st century hipster is a subculture that is defined by claims to authenticity and uniqueness yet, ironically, is notably lacking in authenticity and conforms to a collective style. The subculture embodies a particular ethic of consumption that seeks to commodify the idea of rebellion or counterculture

[Citroënbender]

Yes, like the finely curated and socially regulated “outsider culture” of rat rods. If you don’t conform, you’re not a proper outsider… Henry Rollins, in his spoken word era, described the interaction between Black Flag and some European punk fans. They - both anti establishment - learned something from each other.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Hippies

that is an incredibly rambling rant without any obvious point that I can see.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by simon varley

that is an incredibly rambling rant without any obvious point that I can see.

I think Crazy Dazz post was just for the p i s s -take.

[aussiblue]

Even including the ones captured by the Orange people and Hare Krishna sects I reckon there was less than 2,000 hippies in Western Australia at it's peak. Like most trends, hippies came late to WA and was really a 70's rather than 60's thing here. The Orange people Hare Krishna were 80's things so I don't see any of the hippies or these sects as having a significant direct impact on Australian Government policy albeit they probably had an influence on the views of the wider community and through that the Governments of the time.

My mates and I used to occasionally hang out with a Perth group on Sunday nights as a result of having nowhere else to go on Sunday nights after all the pubs closed and resorting to rocking up at Obelia's Cafe (initially home to more beatniks than hippies I think) for coffees. Some of them I also knew as old school friends of my sister. An interesting group as there were some desperate to live up to the hippy image whatever it took and others who I think were just lonely lost souls. A couple of those desperate try hards sadly became addicts and were still hanging around stoned in Hay Street Mall early this century (they may still be there but I no longer visit the CDB). I wonder how many moved to Nimbin; one couple I knew that also lived next door to me for a while sharing the other half of a duplex did. In any event, for a year or so Sundays became "Hippy Night" and while we were probably just considered friendly and helpful less square squares, we got to know a lot of them and made some very good friends albeit not lasting friendship. My first serous girlfriend that I met elsewhere was also a bit of a hippy and stayed in contact with many of them long after we split. Even in those days the copped a lot of flack from the press and the mainstream community although they were mostly harmless, peaceful and (apart from the pot smoking) law abiding. But hardly in a position to have a influence on Government policy.

[aussiblue]

I think Crazy Dazz post was just for the p i s s -take.

I know, but I like to bite when the lure is thrown at me. I also think I am a hippy sympathiser and apologist.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Hippies operate in the "Environmental Universe", but they don't actually care about the environment.

Hippies push for the "recycling" of glass. Companies have to install glass crushers, bag up the glass, and pay for it to be trucked to Perth.
Where it is dumped into landfill because we nolonger recycle glass in Perth.
They successfully block the building of new paper-millls in Tasmania. So instead the wood chips are loaded on oil-burning ships and taken to China, where the paper is produced in filthy unregulated mills, and then loaded onto more oil-burning ships and sent back to us.
Their complaints against glass and plastic in landfills, is based on their belief that these substances never break-down. (Which means they would be perfectly safe in landfills) Instead, waste plastic is exported to asia, where it is mostly burnt as fuel.
LPG & LNG are much cleaner and have lower carbon emissions than coal, oil, petrol, but the Hippies don't care.
Yet point out to them, that their policies actually HURT the environment, and all you get is blank stares.

Hippies are fundamentally useless people. They don't want to work or contribute, yet unlike your typical bludger, they are obsessed with their own importance, the need to be "meaningful", and their desire to control others. So they set themselves up to become "environmental experts", activists, and "influencers."

This would be bad enough if they were consistently pushing for positive change, but that is actually self-defeating to the Hippie existence, because success make you irrelevant.

So whilst young people, and those with poor memories, may think that current trends portend the future, they don't.
Instead the Hippies ride a never-ending Merry-go-Round, with their gormless devotees running around in circles after them.

When I was a kid, it was all about "Saving the Whales" and the impending "Nuclear Holocaust". Now, nobody gives a **** about the whales, and the Hippies are in FAVOUR of Nuclear Power.
Back in the 80's the Hippies had a major victory, stopping the construction of Hydro-Power on the Franklin river. Now they're in favour of hydro because it is supposedly "zero emission."

Back in the 60's and 70's, Hippies applauded the switch from Timber fences to Asbestos, because it saved the trees. Asbestos Roofing became very popular with the Hippie Elite, as an alternative to the "antiquated" roofing tiles. (Whitlam built an entire University here with Asbestos roofs.)

A large reason that the use of plastic replaced paper, glass, and steel, was because the Hippies believed it was easier to recycle.

For a while there, everyone was all hot for "Global Warming," until they figured out that not only was their science bogus, but that atmospheric warming was both imaginary and irrelevant. So now it's all about "Climate Change."
And whilst they're still beating us over the head with "Carbon Emissions" they've also decided that anything else they don't like is also causing the problem.

Diesels were previously beloved by the Hippies thanks to their better economy. But guess what, once diesels became common (could even get a diesel Fiesta) the Hippies suddenly decided they were evil.

Lithium has never had substantial industrial use, because it is relatively rare, and therefore completely uneconomical to mine. Now we're expending huge amounts of energy and chemicals to mine and process basically worthless rock, to extract low grades of Lithium, because the Hippies have decided that battery powered cars (powered by Brown Coal) is the way of the future.

They've conned the government into bribing the masses into covering their houses in unviable solar-cells. Where will their attention turn when every house is covered in this worthless crap?

When the majority of new car sales are insanely expensive EVs or wHybrids, what will be their next big push?

You have posted so much rubbish that it must have been copied and pasted.

Almost every point "you" have made is nonsense.

I could refute almost all of it but it wouldn't be worth my time and noone reads long posts on forums.

Your author says rubbish like greenies were against nuclear power, clearly you haven't been around as long as us grownups who remember it was about nuclear warheads and nuclear proliferation......I could go on and on and on about the exaggerated misinformation in your post but that would simply be liberating dribble.

[shedcoupe]

Ahh .... hippy girls in Mokes.
I had one with a rich dad - her Moke was a Californian edition.
She had a face that could make a priest smash a church window and a body to match.
Not the smartest but I enjoyed knowing her.

[slowsnake]

Geez, hippies eh, my favourite hippy was Charlie Manson, he had the chics and the drugs, and the music friendships, yet Charlie was the real deal, just a bit bent in the head, mention hippie I think "Charlie"

Then again that's the US of A and this is Australia, so who stands out back then as an Aussie hippie, well really only one person, Matt Taylor, lots of close clone types like John J Francis! But to me Matt Taylor was doing then what we talk about now, plus he sung about it, when it was not a good commercial proposition!


Cheers Carlos Castenada Billy

[Hippy]

Sitting back with me beer ..

man i love this thread man .,

hey . tha New Era , is Hipsters ,,, or Urbans ,, Me girlfriend calls Hipsters ,, .. Dipsticks .. ,Bloody awesome , keep it up ..

[Hippy]

Originally Posted by shedcoupe

Ahh .... hippy girls in Mokes.
She had a face that could make a priest smash a church window and a body to match.
Not the smartest but I enjoyed knowing her.

Yep , memories , of awesome Chics ,,

a shame that those days 'av gone ....TOO PC now ..

What Happened ..

[Tonz]

keep the love going guys, not the time for arguing and bit ching

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by Hippy

Yep , memories , of awesome Chics ,,

a shame that those days 'av gone ....TOO PC now ..

What Happened ..

Those days haven't gone nothing has changed but folks heads, sure they are commercial now, suit and tie maybe, but you can't remove a lifestyle, it happened and it ended, full stop, then something else come along, I'm 68 and in my mind right now as I watch ABC news, is music, in my head writing this is Matt Taylor singing, " I woke up this morning and I looked around, I said to myself what have I found!..got a funny feeling there was something wrong, went into the kitchen to find the food was gone.......

And he was spot on, way ahead of anyone else, he's lived it, seen it, grew it and sung about it, the real deal...

And he probably done it on a Fordson Dexter Tractor too!...


Cheers Billy

[FTE217]

The good ol Hips were pretty cool to me, most harmless easy going - the ones that I would have a axe to grind were the % of welfare bludgers but those types are everywhere and today, that cycle will forever keep spinning.
Being an avid surfer through those times was epic travelling up and down the east coast.

Your a worry ss, naming manson, he's not a shining example of the times.
At least Taylor had 1 hit.
I'd be more inclined talking about Richard Clapton/The Oils/Angels/ACDC/The Tatts/Mentals/AusCrawl/Skyhooks/Merrit go back to JOK/DaddyC etcetc talking hippy aussies and our awesum live band pub culture
Now we're talking, maybe thats why the change from flying glass schooners/jugs to plastic occured LOL......it was the party animals that caused the change haha

Cat Stevens comes to mind looking ahead way back then and man, weren't they great lyrics and tunes.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by FTE217

The good ol Hips were pretty cool to me, most harmless easy going - the ones that I would have a axe to grind were the % of welfare bludgers but those types are everywhere and today, that cycle will forever keep spinning.
Being an avid surfer through those times was epic travelling up and down the east coast.

Your a worry ss, naming manson, he's not a shining example of the times.
At least Taylor had 1 hit.
I'd be more inclined talking about Richard Clapton/The Oils/Angels/ACDC/The Tatts/Mentals/AusCrawl/Skyhooks/Merrit go back to JOK/DaddyC etcetc talking hippy aussies and our awesum live band pub culture
Now we're talking, maybe thats why the change from flying glass schooners/jugs to plastic occured LOL......it was the party animals that caused the change haha

Hahaha, are you serious dude, it was Manson an co that epitomised the California hippy, not all hippies were violent killers, but to me in Australia Manson was the ultimate hippy, he lived the hippy life style, just a shame he was a killer!

Every band you have mentioned I have seen live, mainly NSW Sydney pub scene, QLD pub scene too, but not just Brisbane, NT too but on mine sites and Arnhem land.
I jammed on harmonica with Matt Taylor and Western Flyer 1978, at the Queens Hotel, Brisbane, got smashed with Angry Anderson at the Cossacks MC clubhouse Cleveland Brisbane after a gig, was on Goat Island to watch the magic of the Oils, all other band you mention seen em and partied with most, used to party with Richard Clapton at the JJ studios in William St, Sydney, with my old mate George " groover " Wayne the DJ, now deceased but a very cool dude,.

Sorry but it's USA Charlie Manson, and Oz Matt Taylor, the rest were not hippies, I can't see it, I can't hear it, even Bonn Scott with Fraternity was just a band, or Lobby Loyde or Buster Brown, Sid Rumpo or Carson!....

I could go on, I lived that lifestyle to the full sense of the word, I was not a wannabe, and I met a few of them, I was a working boilermaker/welder journeyman, and I tasted everything from Sydney to Cape Tribulation, I did not by pass Kuranda or Nimbin, just passing through...


Cheers Boars Tooth Chillum Billy

[FTE217]

yep mate I am, once a feral has gone awal his whole rep is finished, especially what occured but I guess we all have different shining lights.
Hippy/dope smoker same same everywhere then, living the life barring one like him losing the plot badly.

I would say those into music/vibes and growing up those times saw them live, countless times as we know they travelled the country yep.
Yes they weren't hippys per say but the pub culture music was the massive background for all then, they didn't have to be flower power types.
We all could quote some of our "experiences" with entertainers I guess, I was around Sydney then as well and coasts.
Good on you mate, I'm sure you enjoyed as did many of us, some went harder than others, some have other pov's on tastes.

Chill

[FTE217]

By the way, I didn't say the bands mentioned were "hippys", pasted below again from my post.....
talking hippy aussies and our awesum live band pub culture

Bit of diff there eh.

[shedcoupe]

There was good (communist) ABC tv doco on a commune in the SW of WA where Matt Taylor lived for a while.
He questioned the guru leader why he (Taylor) was taking his turn in emptying the poo buckets whereas the guru wasn't. Got some bs reply so he left.

Hippies in Oz lasted well into the eighties - in 1984 I met a busful from Nimbin in Port Douglas on their way to attempt to stop a coastal road being built by Sir Joh through the rainforest.
They didn't beat the Qld coppers of course but at least they had a go.
To avoid dramas with plod on the way up they kept the bus drug-free but I put a stop to that.

[slowsnake]

Oh man, Matt Taylor was the real deal eh, way before his time, and he really did care about our world, not just his own immediate environment!

Last time I saw him on TV was the show in a Melbourne pub, oh I forget the name, hosted by Julia Zamiro, he got up and played mouth harp, answering the hosts questions you could see he was gone, his mind I'm talking about, must be in his 70's now but he just wasn't there, I thought dementia maybe, but he's alive and kicking and an example to every wannabe bluesman and environmentalist, he lived the life he espoused, no phonyness about him.

A true Australian Legend..


Cheers Billy.

[Trevor 57]

I have a mate, a tattooist who is a hippie, great bloke

[zilo]

Ahhh...

Neil young, eagles, Van Morrison, Jefferson starship, frank zappa mothers of invention (used to put LSD into the kool aid coollers at high school dances), ozark mountain daredevils, Rodriguez ...so many that could actually play without synthesizers.

this was music not like the rubbish from Skyhooks or ACDC....(who played at my high school functions in St Albans)

Rule of thumb was if it made you smile when you had 2 cookies it must be good.

Hippies had outstanding taste in music.

[marty351]

The Who,that's who!

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by zilo

Ahhh...

Neil young, eagles, Van Morrison, Jefferson starship, frank zappa mothers of invention (used to put LSD into the kool aid coollers at high school dances), ozark mountain daredevils, Rodriguez ...so many that could actually play without synthesizers.

this was music not like the rubbish from Skyhooks or ACDC....(who played at my high school functions in St Albans)

Rule of thumb was if it made you smile when you had 2 cookies it must be good.

Hippies had outstanding taste in music.

well in that case that why the locals were good to me as well
One of my favs back then and still is the mighty Pink Floyd !

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by marty351

The Who,that's who!

LIVE AT LEEDS...first album I ever bought, aged 16.


Cheers Billy