Summer of love: 40 years later - Hippie Hippie Shakedown: But where was love?

DailyNews.com ^ | 06/16/2007 | DAWN EDEN

[Reddy]

“Don’t know about you, but I’d take what we had in the 60s any day.”

My cousin and I were just talking today about how, in the early 70’s, her mother would drop us off DOWNTOWN before work in the morning and pick us up after work in the evening.

We would have about $5-$10 each, and would browse stores and shop at Woolworths and have lunch somewhere together.

We were both about 10 YEARS OLD!

I can’t imagine letting my children ever do that these days. By contrast, I stand vigilant outside the public restroom door when my 8 year old son goes inside.

But as far as this article goes (and what the other poster is talking about) is that America started its downhill descent around this time. Maybe it was moving downhill before the “Summer of Love”, but it certainly sped up around then.

[Cogadh na Sith]

I moved on but many stayed around hoping to revive memories that were gone with the wind.

Yeah, then they moved to Santa Fe and Taos

I guess I have a really bad view of 'boomers' 'cuz I grew up in New Mexico with the worst of 'em.

[ChildOfThe60s]

I had a clever comment, but I can’t remember it now. Those fine looking T Shirts distracted me.

[Riverman94610]

New Mexico.Beautiful state.
Yeah,many urban hippies migrated to that area for the country living.Yet they brought a lot of their bad habits with them.

[bvw]

You Tube: B-52's Summer of Love

"Hippie Hippie Shake" is the refrain lyric in the B-52's "Dance This Mess Around".

[Ukiapah Heep]

Yeah, but one by one their crummy enterprises are failing. Antioch College finally bit the dust this week. Yay!

[Reddy]

Not trying to be disrespectful of your memories, but the “Summer of Love” basically was a narcissistic fest.

Would that we would have a Summer of Love in 2007! A summer where people would love and serve OTHERS, not themselves.

[pray4liberty]

Interesting how those famed drug users all died of liver ailments.

Bad karma, dude.

[tgslTakoma]

A few of the more noteable (meaning, stuff I remember reading and hearing news reports about, as a kid in close-in DC suburb) crimes that happened during the "innocent" 60s:

Zodiac murders - 1968-1969 - San Francisco, CA - Five murders over 10-month period.

Manson Murders - 1969 - three "events", 7 victims, plus a few others related to the trial of Manson Family members

Richard Speck murders - 1966 - Eight victims, student nurses.

Charles Whitman/Texas Tower shootings - 1966 - Sixteen victims dead, dozens wounded.

Kitty Genovese murder - 1964 - Queens, NY.

Race Riots...

Rochester, NY - 1964
Philadelphia, PA - 1964
New York City, NY - 1964
Watts Riots - Los Angeles, CA - August 1965
San Francisco, CA - 1966
Cleveland, OH - 1966
Detroit, MI - 1967
Newark, NJ - 1967
Baltimore, MD - 1967
Baltimore, MD - 1968
New York, NY - 1968
Washington, DC - 1968 Chicago, IL - 1968

Bobby Kennedy assassination - 1968
Martin Luther King assassination - 1968
Not to mention the many KKK bombings, etc. during the 60s.

I know that I am likely forgetting many other horrific crimes and unpeaceful events from that era in which I grew up. It certainly wasn't an all peace and love and everybody can sleep with their doors unlocked kind of era. As we age, we tend to forget the bad stuff and remember the better memories - keeps us from going nuts ourselves, I suppose.

[knarf]

I don't know anyone that ever refered to that as "The Summer of Love"

That is so LIFE magazine and plastic.

I think every 15 to 30 year old is narcissistic ... just part of being a member of the longest maturing of God's creation.

[krb]

Be careful what you wish for. Reagan was from Illinois. Barak Obama represents Illinois.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Once I heard a tune from the Violent Femmes on a Wendy's commercial and I felt kinda good: "Hey, that's Gen-X!" "Somebody is actually trying to market to me!"

Then on came the usual slew of ads for expensive cars and brokerages with The Who, Iron Butterfly and a bunch of other boomer music, then on came the onslaught of Cialis and Viagra ads for boomer boners, then on came the evening news for boomers by boomers....

And it struck me: "My God, everything I see, read or hear is designed to reinforce the boomer worldview and sense of importance! They have the money and the clout now and there is a lot of them!"

It's your world, I just live in it.

[knarf]

'It's your world, I just live in it.'

Hang loose, dude .... your turn is comin' ... and you're gonna' love it!

[dragnet2]

Manson Murders - 1969 - three "events", 7 victims, plus a few others related to the trial of Manson Family members Richard Speck murders - 1966 - Eight victims, student nurses.

Hell, we have Manson style murders every week now in 2007.

Not to mention little kids, teenagers etc being grabbed at the malls, school yards, and neighhoods *daily*.

Did I say daily?

Ever hear of *daily* drive by shootings in the 60s? Tens of thousands of brutal gangs? Millions of illegal aliens entering our lawless borders in the 60s?

I never did.

[dragnet2]

It certainly wasn't an all peace and love and everybody can sleep with their doors unlocked kind of era.

LOL, all the neighborhood kids where we lived played outside on summer nights. I am talking little kids 6 and 7 up to the teens....Without the parents living every minute in fear if their little girls would be raped and cut into pieces in their own neighborhoods for Gods sake.

Ever watch the news nowadays? It's nothing short of a daily nightmare.

Better yet, don't watch it.

[B-Chan]

By the time I’m old enough to “love it”, the Boomers will have drained the world dry and left it a husk — just as they leave behind everything else they touch.

Locusts. Human locusts.

[fr_freak]

Nice try skippy.

Yeah, you said that already. Got anything meaningful to say?

[knarf]

The boomers, the hippies, the phreaks .... get a grip.

Any life or way of life that sucks is because of the power people.

Hippies hated power ... it was the root of all evil in the world.

World view is everything, and if you can get to "Yea, hath God said ... ?", you'll find the frailty of humanity and the power of evil.

I love my life, I love my kids, I love my job and I love America.

I'm here because people other than myself have things to say that provoke thought and it is hoped someone just might be able to propose a process that will straighten things out ... but then ... I've read the last book.

Earth loses and only the saved go to heaven.

The rest to hell.

[Ciexyz]

"Good morning, Starshine. The earth says hello. You twinkle above us, we twinkle below." Yes, I remember that whole 1967 year of crap, created by the media to sell records, books and magazines.

[DogByte6RER]

Bravo zulu!

Thanks for the retro 80s trip down memory lane.

I graduated high school in ‘82 and the 80s were the formative years of my life.

I really liked the B52s and I still listen to them when I’m nostalgic...