Hippies

The word "hippy", contrary to what it actually is, comes from the adjective "hip" or "hep", which describes someone who knows, someone that's aware, therefore hippies being those who know (often relating to knowledge of african american culture, i.e. jazz).

If a hippie is someone that knows other cultures, why is it bad? The hippy movement started around the 60's in California and New York, mostly formed by rich white people who didn't really know anything about the cultures they used, they appropriated from them, some of which are very opressed till today, such as romani culture and african cultures.

Hippies since the start have been steeling from some cultures, I will start by what they have and still do appropriate from romani people. The part of romani culture that we mainly see stolen by hippies, is the "style", often nominated "bohémian", a colourfull style filled with the blood of romani people, the boho chics, or hippies, besides the style choices appropriated from the indo-aryan culture they took an artsy and aesthetic life, that, as stated before, backfired on the already hated romani people. By appropriating this opressed group they managed to sexualize the culture, and, as ironic as it may seem, coming from a love and peace counterculture, it lead to a rise of sexual abuse towards romani women. But, as much as they wanted to perpetuate that image inspired by romani, they where detached from the modern society, which goes directly against roma's ideals.

As there are many cultures that where stripped down by hippies, we'll now see the appropriation of indigenous groups in north america (the ones that to today are being deprived from their rights by USA's government). If we look back at musical festivals frequented by hippies, woodstock for exemple, we'll see another "stylish" appropriation of a marginlized community, now it being the hair, not robbed from romani, but from indigenous tribes, using certain adornments like feathers and that kind of beeds that you see in a museum display about american "indians".

And as it is clear many other non-white cultures have been appopriated and whatered down by hippies, and it deffenetly varies based on the country you're in, and my inent was to bring up how that appropriation may manifestate, I am aware that this essay doesn't have it all, but as the counterculture started spreading the groups cretaed started appropriating different parts of different ostracized people, and the exemples stated above are some of the cases that I have found either in articles or seen in real life.

As to say, I hate hippies.