Being described as a "hippie"

When I worked a FoMoCo, I wore a ponytail, jeans & boots & a full beard. I went to a few Concerts. Some of my friends were"smokers" or druggies. But, not me. Folks use to call me "old hippie John". ETA...Very few people knew me or my life style, outside the plant.

About '98, I cut my ponytail off, started getting a haircut about every month or so & running with a different class of people. So, they quit calling me a Hippie.
I still had the full beard, still wore the jeans & boots. I guess the ponytail made the difference.

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Be Intense, always. But always take the time to
Smell the Roses, give a Hug, Really Listen, or
Jump to Defend your Friends & What you Believe in.
'Til later, Have Fun,
Old John

My first response to the OP was, "Well, that was a little rude to call her a hippie without her input." But after reading and thinking about it, I remembered that we all label each other in an attempt to relate to people/lifestyles/cultures we don't fully understand. I still don't like it. I would have preferred for the person to have turned to her and asked, "Well, how would you describe yourself/lifestyle?" Each person is so different, such a gift to the rest of us.

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The three divine teachers of man: worldly calamity, bodily ailment, and unmerited enmity, and there is but through God alone a deliverance from them. Maine Farmer's Almanac

This!!!

Also born in 1960. We were born a bit too late to really be 'hippies' (unless we were a child of the culture), but I always thought it was pretty cool to be called a hippie! Most that know me in church would never think of me as a hippie in the sense of the actual people living in the 60's & 70's ... then again, one of my best friend's mother (who goes to church with us) calls me (lovingly) the 'hippie chick'. More so because of my broom skirts and hand spun/hand knit tops couples with raising our own food more than anything else.

I'd rather be called a Hippie than some of the other names I've been called!!! I take being called a 'Hippie' as a badge of honor.

It is back in fashion, Nickie! All things '70's ... even the avocado green and harvest gold are coming back .... EWWWWWW

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http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

"Let's see... Should this one go in the Hippie folder? How about the liberal whacko folder? The republican whacko folder? The just whacko folder? No.... The normal folder? Dang, it's empty.... How about the small farmer folder? No... What about the recipe folder?"

People call me a hippie all the time, so I must be a hippie. I love hippies.

YAY for hippies!! *lol*

Seriously... If being a hippie is considered bad by most of mainstream society, rejoice that you are called one!

I love hippy chicks.

I do NOT love material girls.

I'm an old hippie according to everyone else and proud of it!

I am mellow, non-judgemental, and peaceful. My son-in-law calls me a free spirit. I don't care what everyone else is doing or what the current trend is. Don't even know who "the Jones" are! I do my own thing.

I love nature, animals, growing my own food and herbs. I am artistic. My home is clean, cozy, and comfortable, but nothing fancy.

I have long greying hair, wear no make-up, live in blue jeans and colorful tops. Am barefoot or in sandals when it is warm enough. I don't have tattoos, piercings other than 1 hole in each ear, or smoke pot these days. I like to live life as naturally as possible and that means no meds of any sort whenever possible. I wear my wedding ring, one other ring, and small hoops earrings only. I shower daily and shave my armpits always, legs only in the warm weather.

I don't practice free sex. I have been in a monogamous relationship with my long haired DH for almost 40 years. Everyone calls us both hippies....that's ok. We're proud of who we are and how we live. We are educated, we are homesteaders, and we care about the environment. We recycle as much as possible and try to treat the earth kindly....

I was or thought of my self as a hippie but the kind of hippie who always had a job and took baths, A Kansas hippie, I attended "Peace at Pittsburg" rally in Pittsburg,Ks and "Free Lt. Calley" rally in good old Coffeyville, KS. Some of my best friends had been to Viet Nam and we all said things like "bou coup".
I still live the "back to the land" lifestyle, in Kansas, where the nicest people in the world live.
If those hippies in California had really believed in love and peace and forgiveness, they would have never spit on anyone. I wanted to apologize to every soldier I met.

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Living the good life in Kansas.

Rather than ask people you've never met, why not ask the people that say it to you. "Uhmmm, what makes you say I'm a 'hippy'?"

I think it must mean they think you're really smart, industrious, and good looking. Maybe with those squinchy eyes that hippies are notorious for too...... Sort of like Popeye.

I am 36 and I get called a hippy and an Amish just because I garden, try to get back to the earth, and have solar panels. I thought I was more liberal and "hippy" when I was younger just because when I was a kid there was only the hard left and the hard right to chose from and you really did need to pick a side, so I picked the libral side because at the very least I had some freedom there (or at least I imagined it was freedom, because it really is not freedom in the end). As I got older I realized that I am more conservative, but not that old ridgid kind of conservative.

Bama, I was the one who made that comment that MEN most likely declined because the hippies started making money, and I think it is true, because in general it is true of the hippy movement. As the hippies got older, many of them sold out and became yuppies, or they went back to their middle class roots that they tried so hard to rebel against. It is only natural for young people to rebel against the life they were given by their parents, and a good deal of the hippies back during the summer of love were young, some were only 14 or 15.

Most of the older people that I get along with are former hippies. Most of them are very nice and easy going, creative, people who are a joy to be friends with. Younger modern hippies though, I guess they are called neo-hippies, I have found that many of them are not friendly and they are very angry and antisocial.

Never intended to cause you any stress bama.

City Bound, you didn't cause me any stress....it just got me started thinking and wondering since I'd just been introduced to somebody as an "old hippie" just this last week....

I guess at age-will-b-60-in-May, I am finally comfortable in my own skin...

I do think the founders and original owners of MEN sold out, but I guess a lot of us would if money was dangled in front of us....(I'm really not sure though because nobody has "dangled" any in front of me for me to see...

I did work to get the voting age lower from 21 to 18 because I didn't think it was right for our guys to be killed in Vietnam but were still denied the right to vote...

And now I guess you'd say I'm an advocate for less-government, leave-my-family-and-my-farm alone....

But I just don't like LABELS!

This has been an interesting discussion!!! Thank you all! Any more comments???

Me too!

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I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

Definitely, being called a hippie should be taken as a compliment.

can you work to get the drinking age lowered, because it is kind of unethical that an 18 year old is old enough to be drafted into combat, but considered too immature to drink?

Well, there are so many reasons a person might want to give up an idealistic visionary publication, but if money is the one and only reason then I feel kind of sad for someone that would sell their dream for a few bucks. Money comes and goes, it gets spent, but a dream is priceless.

It's true that 18 year olds have to register with Selective Service, but I am one who is thankful we no longer have a draft.

I think legal age for drinking might be different state to state. I'm pretty sure here in Texas an 18 year old is considered an adult.

I was in high school and college during the hippy movement. Some of the tenents of the hippies were; back to the earth, sustainable living, disrespecting the government, environmental concerns, drugs, and free love.

Aside from the drugs and free love does any of the rest sound familiar. The young folks probably think you are an old hippy because you live the same lifestyle as they espoused to. Take it as a compliment.

I am getting back to a lifestyle that incorporates some of their tenents. So far though, I have not managed the free love part.

Old hippie here too and proud of it; although I now wonder what was I thinking about doing all those drugs (what an idiot!). I always look back and wonder what happened to the hippie movement? I think we all grew up and became Republicans..lol! But we almost changed the world!!

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"Challenges are what make life interesting -- overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

Whats wrong is you placing so much importance upon other people's characterization. By your age it seems you should have learned to ignore 90% of what other people say. Most people have no idea what they are talking about. I don't believe it is possible to ever be happy in life AND pay heed to rumors, gossip, opinions, or characterizations of others.

Ditto, you didn't say a thing about what anyone else said except that they described you as a Hippie. if there is a problem with that you are the one that has it. So you tell us what is "Wrong" with it. It would a be a complement to me.
I have been described as a tobacco growing, chicken raising, drug peddling (Vitamins) do it yourselfer jack of all trades. and I don't find any of it insulting. They are all true. At times I have been described as nuts also. It was also true. I suppose if I lived in such a way that a person described me in a certain way that offended me. I woudl do one of two things. First I would consider if they really knew me well enough to have an accurate opinion. most people are afraid of me when they first see me because I look mean. They are wrong and I am not offended. they just loose out. Or they do know me and I need to take a better look at how I live. Otherwise be a Hippie. Just be a happy self accepting Hippie.