The New Hippies

[pattbateman]

The New Hippy Movement: New Faces, but Same Bad Ideas

by Mark Glesne

17 February 2004

A growing number of young college adults today do not accept the idea of the need for violence for just and moral reasons in the defense of our country.

There are certain thought processes that parents should be aware their children may adopt when they off to college. Young adults today are exposed to countless morally void mindsets in the classroom lectures of liberal teachers in America’s institutions of higher education.

Possibly one of the most destructive trends is that a growing number of young college adults today do not accept the idea of the need for violence for just and moral reasons in the defense of our country. It's a new movement on college and university campuses, and revives the hippie ideology of the 60s. Pacifism, (or anti all-war and any act perceived as violent) is quite possibly the scariest misconception accepted on college campuses today.

Students today often find themselves being taught by morally bankrupt professors, and some college and university campuses are becoming a refuge for moral relativity and backwardness. Even students who seek out a morally advantageous atmosphere at some private and religious colleges, sometimes find themselves between a secular rock and a postmodern hard place. Separated from reality, college professors often permeate their lectures with pacifism and the appeasement philosophy. Reminiscent of the earlier hippy movements, this trend seems to be becoming a way of life for more and more young college students.

As a citizen who plans on having a family, I find this appalling. At the core of the hippie mantra is the believe that "peace," "love," and "tolerance" is the only way to resolve differences among nations. The way to peace is through love and tolerance. Love, in this case, means accepting others as they are, giving them freedom to express themselves, and not judging others. Well, isn’t that just groovy?

Disregarding all preconceived notions of what a hippie looks like physically, it is scary how many students today resemble the former hippies – philosophically. There is a good argument to be made that many Generation Xers today are even fashioning themselves to look like the distasteful hippies of the 60s, but it’s their politics that are truly distasteful.

You’ve heard the rhetoric: ''War is not the answer,'' ''War never solved anything,'' ''An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind,'' ''Make love not war,'' ''Build bridges not bombs,'' ''The way of the gun is the way of the dumb,'' ''Iraq is Arabic for Vietnam.'' Perhaps you’ve sensed the same pacifistic tendencies pervading a growing segment of Generation X. I’m not as worried about those who specifically opposed the war in Iraq as I am about those who oppose war in general to protect our nation.

To oppose all war to protect our country is to be morally and logically confused. Communism, fascism, Nazism, and slavery are just a few of the rotten ideas crushed by just violence. To say war never solves anything is utterly dishonest. Now don’t get me wrong: no one wants war. We shouldn’t like war or look forward to it, for war is ugly. Contrary to what some liberals believe, conservatives and Republicans do not wake up in the morning, take a shower, and pray that our country decides to stomp the crap out of someone.

However, we must attest that war is needed from time to time. Slavery wasn’t abolished because everyone agreed that it was a putrid idea. Hitler didn’t step down from power because of diplomacy. Within the lifetime of Generation Xers, if I remember correctly, Saddam didn’t leave Kuwait because Bush 41 asked him ''Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top.'' With all that said, let’s be honest. The notion that ''War is not the answer'' or that ''Violence never solves anything†is almost too absurd to debate. However, we must continue to fight this sophomoric philosophy because many young adults today are beginning to subscribe to it.

Newsflash: Some violence in defending our country can be good. Some violence can be just. Some violence can be moral. Excuse me, hippies, but violence -- including war -- can sometimes be the only answer. From the war on terrorism to issues like capital punishment, young people today are becoming less willing to support some necessary violence because it doesn’t ''feel good.'' It doesn’t ''feel good'' to engage in military operations against other human beings. It doesn’t ''feel good'' to put someone to death.

Moral lines are being blurred on college campuses, and we must fervently oppose the new hippie movement’s ignorance of the need to protect our country. It’s easy to observe how college students have used Operation Iraqi Freedom as Generation X’s equivalent to Vietnam. For proof of the lack of moral clarity on college campuses we need not look further than the atrocious attacks of September 11. One would like to believe that our nation was united in identifying, hunting, and destroying the evil forces behind the deaths of over 3,000 innocent lives. You would be wrong to make such an assumption. Some vocal college students and their college professors were singing a much different tune, like some of these quotations:

''The United States has to realize that what it’s doing with its foreign policy is just as bad, at least, as what happened last week [sept. 11].'' -- Student, Georgetown University Schools of Foreign Service.

''To call this a just war is to ignore the mountain of injustice it is based on. People are just drunk on the cheap jingoism of the media and politicians.'' -- Student, Brown University.

''It disturbs me to see all the flags out supporting the slaughter.'' -- Student, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

''ntolerance breeds hate, hate breeds violence and violence breeds death, destruction and heartache.'' -- Student, University of Oklahoma.

''Just because a grotesque act was committed against this country, does not mean any response is justified; it does not grant this country special license to use the sword.'' -- Student columnist, Yale University.

''[We should] build bridges and relationships, not simply bombs and walls.'' -- Speaker, Harvard University.

''…the actions taken by the terrorists on Tuesday are not completely unwarranted. We try to forget about the way this country behaves internationally—that we too often behave as terrorists.'' -- Student, University of Michigan.

''[it is] ridiculous for us to go and kill more people because of what Bin Laden did.'' -- Student, Columbia University.

The audacity of these future leaders of America should shock you. If it doesn’t, you may have already encountered the treacherously pacifistic mindset that many young adults today are propounding. The new hippie movement has spoken and now it is our obligation to wage intellectual war in retaliation.