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Originally Posted by Jetstream
You use the term "hippie" as if it weren't a real word.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a hippie is: A person who opposes and rejects many of the conventional standards and customs of society, especially one who advocates extreme liberalism in sociopolitical attitudes and lifestyles.
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All fine and good, as I said... I never meant to say it wasn't a real word. I'm just wondering why it gets used to describe anyone who likes nature (is that really so weird?) or eating organic food. And why it gets a
negative connotation (your definition above does not suggest that there is anything morally wrong with said hippie)... especially when most of you guys seem to like hippies.
Or maybe a more interesting question... at what point does someone cross over into hippie territory? I mean, if we're talking about quacks and such, I have one uncle in particular who is obsessed with magnet-healing and ozone-cream and a whole host of other superstitious stuff... he's waiting for the aliens to come pick him up.
But to me, he's as far from a hippie as you get. He hates pretty much everyone (blatant racist), practically maintains his own militia, thinks everyone is out to get him, refuses to go to the dentist because he thinks the fillings will kill him, and has a conspiracy theory for everything. He's fat, crew-cut, white haired, wears button-down shirts that he tucks in to his jeans, and imports sweaters to sell for exorbitant prices.
Does he qualify as a hippie? How much ground is this word supposed to cover?