The important role of the counter-culture movement of the sixties, often labelled 'hippies' is that it brought together civil rights movements, anti-war protesters with youth culture, politicals, radicals, left wing movements, student movements, art and literature movements, academics and freaks alike. Much like CND would do in the UK.

Vietnam was a mistake then, and it seems like a worse mistake now. Its as foolish as the Russian Invasion of Afghanistan was.

The US took decades to recover from the blunting it took to its military confidence, and it hasn't engaged in a full scale war really since. It also did more to agitate and spread leftist movements across the globe and inflame left wing movements.

The best way of preventing the spread of Communism, has always been by extending reasonable rights to people, and a better way of life - Not suppressing those ambitions with force of arms. In Vietnam, the US stepped in against a foe that had already effective beaten the Japanese and the French, had massive popular support in the countryside, where poverty was rife, and its primary ally was a corrupt and unpopular regime who's military were barely interested in fighting.

The Vietnamese forces knew they wouldn't win militarily, but they also knew by the time they'd beaten the French, that they only had to cause sufficient casualties to make the war politically untenable in the US.

The US, made the same mistake the French did, they failed to understand that the desire for a better life, a hatred of oppression and nationalism, are very difficult ideas to just kill. Especially when you are increasingly reliant on drafting kids for 1 year who never wanted to be there in the first place.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

Other interesting review quotes were:
"Coarse, shallow and nasty" (Mervyn Jones, New Statesman)
"Almost totally devoid of intellectual content" (Sydney Morning Hearld)
"Fantascially brilliant" (Abbie Hoffman)
"A switched on mole's eye view of the sixties" (Spectator)
"Neville's happy, innocent book contains the germs of a new fascism" (Sunday Times)
"Should be read in every school, office, army hut or other institution" (John Peel)
"The human story of a young Australian who comes to London and finds happiness by bringing out the worst magazine in the history of the world" (Private Eye)

Edited by hedgehog50 (20 Feb 2017 6.14pm)

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

Your first point is actually wrong in a very interesting way.

Heroin or other opioid compounds were ruthlessly abused once the British Empire spread through Asia. The 'opium wars' were our solution to the dominance of the Qing dynasty, aggressively forcing the poppies we possessed in our Southern territories on an Empire who otherwise had no reason to trade with us. It lead to death and addiction for millions.

Crack is another term which specifies a broad variety of drugs. Hitler's Dr Ohler prescribed him something close, and indeed theres been some really interesting research done on drugs in the war recently, with the Nazis issuing out Pervitin, like Anthetamines, on a mass scale, the Fins issuing out Morphine, and us opting for a touch of morphine, anthetamines and blinding alcohol.

As for AIDs, do we really blame hippies for that, or Glaxo Smith Klein for raising the patent price to beyond what those affected could afford, resulting in the avoidable deaths of around 15 million in the third world (where, from what i know, hippies are rather scarce?)

I will politely decline to engage with the rest of your post. Come on Matt, why cant we just love each other, ill get the dandelion chains, you get the Pink Floyd LPs and we can talk about the universe

If punk ever happened I'd be preaching the law, instead of listenin to Lydon lecture BBC4

Now then, then now, now then, then, then, then now.

Edited by johnno42000 (20 Feb 2017 6.56pm)

'Lies to the masses as are like fly's to mollasses...they want more and more and more'

If they'd have been around at the time(rather than mouthing off without actually having any real idea) Matt and Hrolf would no doubt have been sympatico with these (no doubt jealous because they weren't getting any!)good ol (non hippy) boys.They had their UK equivalents too.

[Link]

Better a hippy at that time than being like one of those goons

People may moderate their views and pursuits as they get older but the really sad one's are those who were already 50 years old at the age of 18 and have remained static ever since...

Do find it quite amusing seeing Matt throwing out accusations of people being virgins who seem to disagree with his hatred of hippies. I mean its kinda because of hippies that young couples can live and 'love' (bang) without the need to be wed or engage in a relationship. Also was huge for the Civil rights and LGBT movements and gave people power over an oppressive state. People even suggest that the birth of the internet and personal computers stem from the self determined ideas of the free thinking movement of the 60s.

The hippie movement no longer exists and the regressive left is a separate entity I think confusing the two is naive.

Also feel like the sexual revolution normalised loads of stuff considered depraved before. Guarantee more people take it up the bum and do oral than before.

Edited by coulsdoneagle (20 Feb 2017 8.37pm)