Poppyflower
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- Apr 3, 2013
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I am going to be that person...
I have been very polite in offering firsthand experiences to these kinds of festivals and fairs. It's true, however, that I am getting offended at these blanket statements such as "half the people are high." No they're not. I have not seen anymore drug use at these "hippy festivals" (and since when was it okay to demonize "hippies"? this is not the 60s or 70s), than I have at county fairs, as you said. Insinuating that they drugged their children with LSD or something else other than what LE has said (Benedryl substance) is prejudiced against these groups of people and, frankly, I am not okay with it. These are kind of my people, you know, and to constantly have to keep coming forward and defending the festival circuit, or hippies in general, is getting tedious and going totally off topic on this board. (And it makes me look super defensive which, at this point, I am.)
It does not matter what festivals these women attended. It doesn't matter if they wouldn't allow sugar, if they wanted to live off the grid a little, or that they homeschooled. Any neglect and abuse they committed is on them and has nothing to do with their lifestyles. There are no studies that show that drug use at "hippie festivals" affects more than 50% of the crowd. There aren't any studies that show that hippies are more likely to abuse their children than non-hippies. There are millions of people out there who live this kind of lifestyle and do NOT abuse, neglect, drug, or kill their children. If someone does those things, it's because there's something not right (personality disorder, previous trauma, mental illness, etc.) inside of them, not because they put on some long skirts and danced to drum music at a peace rally on frequent occasions.
All IMO.
As someone who has attended *many* dead, phish, rainbow gatherings, drum circles, festivals, other shows...I am one of those people who rarely did drugs, I didn´t smoke pot or drink. I was there for the music and my people. There were many like me. It isn´t a requirement. I´ve gone with friends to hard rock shows and have witnessed more ¨scary drunks¨ than at hippy shows. This is just my experience but I traveled around the country for years, sold my wares and was immersed in my sub-culture. I hope posting about my experiences will help others to see that no matter what type of festival or all day show you go to- there are good and bad people there. Hard rock, metal, punk, rock, hippy, etc. It is just like any other group of people. Personally, I find alcohol to be way more scary.