Hippies

The term counter culture insinuates a subculture that rejects the basic core values of the primary culture. The issue with using counter culture as a term to define the 60s is that all of the groups that protested the war during the 60s and 70s still adhered to the core values of the primary culture. The core values of America are individualism to a hyper extent, and a basis of capitalism. All the hippie movements from height-ashbury and the black panthers still use the core values. Even in group marriage convents, people had been raised to follow certain rules, and when they attempted not to, things fell apart. They were enculturated to follow monogamy, and utilize their individualism to the fullest extent. A culture isn't about espousing ideals, but living them. Thus perhaps the only counter culture we have had since our countries founding were the native Americans and perhaps the Amish. The reason people use counter culture as the term for the hippie and antiwar movements was due to the great rejection of the status quo by these people. It was a social movement, a great one, but not its own culture. This change of words between social movement and a counter culture creates a bit of a red herring about culture, race, and social stigma. If we let this continue uncontrolled it has the possibility of setting us back 100 years in talk about culture. That's an issue that needs to be addressed by people before its too late, culture is culture, and hippies share ours.