[scott says]

I lived in Berkeley in the early 80's. I remember going down Telegraph Avenue, all the street merchants, artists, hippie dippy jokesters...I came upon a hippie dude with a table full of way left leaning bumper stickers, you know the ones...I said real LOUD--you got one that says "The Sixties are Over-GROW UP!!"

[RepoGirl]

You, Sir, are my hero.

Please tell me what his reaction was?

I had a similar experience a few months ago when walking along Venice Beach with my brother. All this left leaning, free the oppressed crap, with every subversive youth movement represented right up until the 80s...

One street vendor, an artist, caught me looking at his 'art' (collages with heavy political themes) and demanded I buy something. After what seemed like ten hours of haggling, I finally asked him, "Do you have anything that's pro-Bush?" He was just sort of stunned, not sure if I was joking, but I was able to make my escape then.

And it all seemed so rigid and constipated and safe. Nothing like a bunch of self-proclaimed non conformists congratulating themselves for how nonconformist and iconoclastic they are. Yawn!

And of course, one common theme connecting them: Bush was evil, leftism was good. We should all embrace the collective.