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* "We Were Hippies Then" by Longfellow (hippie sex) 9, 6, 6
* "We Were Hippies Then" by Longfellow (barryw@direct.ca). On a hunch I looked up "hippy" in my Groliers Electronic Encyclopedia. "Word not found in encyclopedia." So hippies were so much a thing of the past that they weren't even in the encyclopedia anymore. On a second hunch I tried "hippies". Still not there, but only because I had mistakenly entered "gippies." Actually, there was a whole section on hippies under the "Counterculture" entry. In a way, it made sense that I could find them only in the plural. I never saw a hippy alone. They always seemed to travel in pairs, like Jehova's witnesses. According to my encyclopedia, the hippies rejected the traditional family in favor of other arrangements based on love. In practice, a person lived for however long he or she wished with whomever they wished, in couples or in groups known as communes. Sexual relations in these groups might occur whenever mutual attraction was strong enough. Hippies made love, not war. They strove to live in the present, to "go with the flow," and to "hang loose," rather than to be "uptight." They were big on psychedelic drugs - especially LSD and marijuana. The quasi- religious nature of psychedelic experience led many young people to forms of mysticism. Oriental philosophies, such as yoga, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and the Chinese I CHING (Book of Changes), were studied, and their more easily accessible aspects were absorbed. Others followed Western occult pursuits, such as astrology, tarot, palmistry, and witchcraft. Hippies preferred to spell their singular "hippie," since the "y" version also meant a person with big hips. Hippies were "hip" in the sense that they were "with it." They were most prevalent in big cities - especially San Francisco; but paradoxically they often endorsed rural values, even though their rural neighbors often looked askance at their countercultural values. They liked to live in communes on farms and to bake their own bread. Their fashion statement consisted of long hair, beads, no bras, and folksy clothing. The most significant modern remnant of the hippies consists of people slightly older than me who cuddle on the couch with their lovers and listen to Peter, Paul and Mary on public television. This story is a reminiscence by a former hippy. Its main theme is two couples making love in close proximity. One of the males is an intense guru who mystified and attracted young women. The introductory information that I supplied will actually help you enjoy this story. It's actually a pretty good story - just not developed as fully as it might have been. If you read this story and wonder why it doesn't turn you on more, the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind; the answer is blowing in the wind. Ratings for "We Were Hippies Then" Athena (technical quality): 9 Venus (plot & character): 6 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 6 |