American Hippies and British “freaks”
American Hippies and British “freaks” brought about a counter-culture that quickly became prevalent during the 1960s. Most of these individuals shared a common interest in recreational drugs as a way of escaping from the rat race of the consumerist lifestyle. Their alternative lifestyle saw them draw their attention towards aspects of Indian classical music and Eastern spirituality. Their attraction to Indian classical music and Eastern spirituality was simply because of the allure of the bond between religion and musical experience that was present in Indian classical music and Eastern spirituality. Also, American Hippies and British “freaks” were attracted to the idea widening different areas of consciousness, and this made the aspects of Indian classical music and Eastern spirituality all the more alluring. From my perspective, the American Hippies and British “freaks” were guilty of cultural appropriation. They appropriated religious symbols such as the Om sign, which was common to Hinduism and removed it from its original context. They also exploited cultural practices such as the use of hallucinogenic drugs, which were initially intended to help the individual find enlightenment. Many Eastern spiritual concepts initially used psychedelic mushrooms during religious ceremonies. However, American Hippies and British “freaks” exploited this practice by using them as recreational drugs. Indian classical music significantly influenced American Hippies and British “freaks” during the 1960s, with some individuals such as George Harrison even becoming obsessed with the genre to the point of converting to Hinduism. He exploited Indian culture by using its aspects to influence millions of people around the world.
Response to Student 1
I agree that the primary motivation behind the attraction to Indian cultural music and Eastern spirituality was to find a channel through which they could express themselves freely, and the Indian cultural music and Eastern spirituality offered them this desired outlet. However, I feel that they appropriated these two cultures because they adopted symbols and practices that were not originally theirs in the first place.