A Movable Scene

The hippie community, comprised primarily of young adults originally from middle or upper middle class families, was borne out of a rebellion against establishment. One other binding force among the culture is universal marijuana use. There are smaller factions within the community that use other stronger illicit drugs, such as methedrine, heroin or LSD. There is a strong desire among hippies to share their experience within the community. Under the influence, many hippies express themselves artistically, such as through acid rock music. As hippie culture is almost seen as a religion, many hippies literally drift the globe, especially to holy cities, where they seek out like-minded travelers from other parts of the world, meeting in "underground" locales known only within the culture. Despite their drug use being illegal, many hippies counter that those in the establishment have their own, largely legal, substance uses and abuses - such as of alcohol and tobacco - which can be more dangerous than marijuana. Conversely, many in establishment view the counterculture as being an economic and moral drain on society, where, for example, the establishment has to provide medical and psychiatric assistance for those who want to "get clean" from their drug use. As such, there is a want by many in establishment to bridge the gap for a collective better society.