MovieChat Forums > Steal This Movie (2002) Discussion > Ha...ha...burned out hippies

Ha...ha...burned out hippies


Abbie Hoffman is pretty typical of the hippie generation. They convinced themselves they were God's greatest gift to mankind.
In reality, they were the most narcissistic generation in American history. Everything was about THEM and THEIR pleasure. Their chief concerns were getting high and promoting free love. And by the time they realized the faultiness of their logic, the the Cold War had ended thanks to a nuclear standoff.
Not to mention, AIDS had already infected millions of people. But why blame yourselves, when you take blame Reagan. Or better yet, Bush!

reply

you suck

reply

No, actually he doesn´t.

reply

Whatever, you freakin' idiot. How old are you? Were you there? Or are you just buying all the propaganda?

reply

-----------------------------------
Their chief concerns were getting high and promoting free love.
-----------------------------------
If you think this was all the 60s counter-culture movement was about you are sadly mistaken. It was mostly about civil disobediance in regards to the vietnam war, and in retrospect was completely justified. The conservatives knew they had a point and tried change the subject and focus on the drugs and sex, not the movement itself. As a matter of fact, judging by this post they still are. There is absolutely no justification for cointelpro, and it is an indictment on the entire corrupt republican party. To put down the great strides that were made in civil rights, feminism, the ending legalized aparteid, and making sure the world knew that the people of the united states did not forward the same geopolitical views as conservatives on the simple basis that it was 'all about sex drugs and rock and roll' is complete BS. How can you possibly try to obfuscate all of this just because you still don't like thier alternative lifestyle. shame on you.

reply

Couldn't possibly agree with you more raj3636

reply

"And by the time they realized the faultiness of their logic, the the Cold War had ended thanks to a nuclear standoff. Not to mention, AIDS had already infected millions of people. "

Youre an idiot. No one realized any faultiness. And what exactly are you suggesting? Sounds like you are saying, because they didnt turn the human race and planet earth into a paradise then anything bad can be seen as a failure on their part. So they shouldnt blame Bush or Reagan but you can blame them? Youre such a hypocrite.

Truth is there is no draft during the second Iraq war because of them. We had the most jingoistic and hawkish administration in US history in place when the mainland was attacked for the first and only time in independant US history. On top of that the war begins to fail because not enough troops are there yet there is not a moment when the draft is considered. This is for one reason and one reason only, the activists of a generation or two ago got into people's heads.

deal with it

reply

No draft during the Iraqi conflict because of hippies? What the hell are you on? Drafts have been enacted in very limited capacity from day 1, and only when there is stastical need. There has not been any statistical need or recruitment below the neccessary level during the past 20 years. I have no idea where you come up with your numbers, but recruitment post 9/11 and re-enlistment figures were up markedly for years. The issue with Iraq was improper management of the situation that no one ever thought about answering with a draft out of basic common sense, even during the troop surge.

Comparisons of the Iraq conflict(s) with Vietnam is an INSULT to Vietnam. Like most who post on this forum I am a bit young for having been there of course, however my father was a medical officer in the Army during Vietnam, and I've seen his slides and heard the stories. Each death, regardless of the war it takes place in, is a equal tragedy certainly. But to think that either Gulf conflict is on par with the major wars of the past on pure statistics is just foolish.

As for people realizing faultiness... Again, what the hell are you on? If you only deal with liberals then I suppose the odds are you meet very few people apologetic for the time period, but many, MANY, modern conservatives are ex-60's era "radicals". Hell, it is even a common theme in media so you can't pretend like you've never heard it before.

reply

[deleted]

being burned out by the insanity of the society is understandable.

i dont like having to resort to john lennon quotes, but he said: = our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. and, i am liable to be put away for expressing that.

if we are in the midst of collective insanity, then this world is too harsh. i think the better gentler hippies, i among them in a marginal sense, were most in tune with lessening the harshness of this life.

most other folk dont seem to mind or intend to increase the harshness of life and spend a lot of time justifying it and offering next life solutions among others.

perhaps surprisingly to some, i subscribe to there being god (goodness beyond measure). i contemplate beyond the human form. and, i am an idealist and find that role to be the best i can know as things are.

wasnt the idealism of the more serene hippies, the ones not tripped out on lsd, a compelling idea of a step toward greater perfection of human living. wrinkles indeed, but essentially a step away from the insanity and toward the ethereal.

reply

The time is ripe to enact legislation to stop all of these "low-budget wars" that have happened since since the Korean conflict. I propose that the US do not put boots on the ground anywhere unless it is under UN auspices AND congress has clearly declared war. When this happens the entire US economy is switched over to wartime production, the draft is enacted until the conflict is over. Yes, a very expensive proposition both budget-wise and politically, but war should be an "all or nothing" proposition. Certainly guys like Hitler come along once in awhile (especially during global economic downturns, the American great depression is what cause WWII because of it's global consequences enabling tyrants to come to power by politically saying the things their unemployed people want to hear), and that is why wars are sometimes needed. But the american people as well as the rest of the free world should be completely into it, or don't bother going. Undeclared wars such as every conflict since Korea should be outlawed and when america is sufficiently provoked to go to war, it should be clearly declared and the enemy completely overwhelmed until the conflict is over. Iraq is a prime example of this NOT happening.




...Guess WHat S1m0ne! We have now entered an age where we can manufacture fraud faster than our ability to detect it

reply

Abbie Hoffman was a crusader for social justice, just like many of the counterculture of that time. Just consider - if Abbie had been President in the 60s, would we have gotten into the quagmire of Vietnam? Think about it.

reply