Page3 — THE NEWS*-^ December, 1961 '
Random Thoughts
by Muriel Levitt
L’ Chaim
What has happened to the
hippies of yesteryear? Not so
long ago they were a most visi
ble and certainly audible group.
No matter where you lived they
were very much a part of the
societal scene. In fact, almost
every Jewish family had some
one in their mishpochah who
was involved in the subculture.
Like it or not, they were all
around us and it seemed as
though we were stuck with
them.
I well remember the long,,
greasy, unkempt hair which was
sometimes adorned with
feathers or plumes. Braids and
pony tails were also to be seen
everywhere. Clothes were
unisex and the uniform of the
day seemed to be torn blue jeans
and faded tee shirts emblazoned
with timely messages. If the
clothes had revealing holes, so
much the better. When climate
permitted, shoes were a no-no,
and what could be less attractive
than knobby, dirt encrusted feet
that had not seen soap and
water for too long a time.
These were our flower
children,, the missionaries of
peace who were anti-war, ant-
establishment and anti-parents.
All they wanted, so they said,
was to be left alone and not be
perverted by the customs and
rules of society. And to insure
their personal freedom, they
took over universities, waged
sit-ins, and engaged in noisy
demonstrations. Anyone over
thirty did not belong, did not
understand, and did not count.
The drug culture flourished
and fantasy religions abounded.
“^wHo among us'did not know a'
young person who had dropped
out and turned on. It was
devastating and we were all sure
that the younger generation was
going to hell in a basket.
Communes seemed to spring
up all over the place. New
England appeared to be the
favorite area since cheap land
was still available and primitive
housing was to be found.
Groups of drop-outs moved in,
pooled their resources and
talents, and somehow managed
to eke out a living. Some grew
meager crops while others sew
ed, painted, made pottery, or
pursued creative crahs. By sell
ing their wares and raising their
own food, they managed to sur
vive.
And so it went. One day our
long haired hippies were part of
the social picture and the next
they were nowhere to be seen.
So where are they now? Where
did they go and what has
become of them? I don’t know
for sure, but I think I can make
a few calculated guesses.
The'schmutzy kids in the dir
ty blue jeans have probably
' graduated into today’s fashion
designers — what else? After
years of running around
barefoot, wearing cruddy pants
and sleazy tops, I suppose they
decided it was time for a
change. Knowing they were get
ting older and that man does
not live on love alone, I think
they may have latched on to the
easy money of a fashion world.
Who else would be responsible
for some of the weird styles be
ing marketed nowadays!
Wouldn’t it be wild if many
of the. peaceniks, protesters,
and- rioters* have ended'»up^in “
either the military or law en
forcement. Their particular
talents could not find a more
perfect home. Surely they know
how to protect the peace and
keep the laws. They should,
since they broke so many of
them in youthful enthusiasm.
Where do you suppose the
druggies and cult worshippers
have gone? It’s purely a guess,
but I think they have detoured
into health foods,
vegetarianism, and para
psychology. They are possibly
the last hangers-on, the
erstwhile dropouts, and ^11 that
is left of the hippie bunch. They
may be older but have still not
completely found their way
back to the fold.
In short, yesterday’s flower
child has become today’s solid
citizen. It’s quite possible that
in all these years they have
learned a lot. I still recall our
own son coming to Charlotte
ten years ago on spring vacation
from college in Boston. His
blonde hair was shoulder
length, his clothes were ratty,
and he had a large, revealing
hole in the seat of his pants. He
was a typical product of his en
vironment and time. Today,
said son is married, gainfully
employed and a home owner in
Atlanta. He is a respected
member of the establishment,
dressed impeccably and revels in
all the creature comforts.
There is no doubt in my mind
that parents must not and can
not lose faith. No matter how
far out our kids go, the pen
dulum swings and personal
values change. Take heart, ail
you doubting . mamas and
papas',** there-is still' plenty'^of
hope for the world!
AWACS — A Loss And A Win
By Thomas A. Dine
We accept the decision of the
Senate. However, it was not a
vote on the sale, nor a vote for
Saudi Arabia. In the truest
sense, it was a vote of con
fidence in President Reagan
himself. Many of the Senators
voted for the sale, not because
their grave doubts had been laid
to rest, but precisely because
they had responded to President
Reagan’s appeal that if the sale
were defeated, his effectiveness
would be impaired.
We may have lost on the roll
call, but we clearly won on the
merits. We deepened the general
perception of Saudi Arabia, and
exposed to public examination
cliches and myths that have
obscured the public’s vision of
that country.
We focused attention on the
fact that through this, the
Saudis have not made the
slightest concession to any of
the expressed American con
cerns and interest regarding this
massive arms sale. The Saudis
have adamantly rejected joini
American control of the
AWACS or continued presence
of U.S. Air - Force AWACS.
They have insisted that these
planes and missiles could be us
ed against Israel, which they
consider to be their foremost
enemy.
We succeeded in securing ad
ditional assurances from the
Administration on the sale. We
regard those assurances with the
utmost seriousness, as do the
many Senators who publicly
relied on them in voting for the
sale. We expect that the
agreements and understandings
with Saudi Arabia will promptly
be expressed in writing and the
assurances closely monitored.
The Saudis’ past record, un
fortunately, does not give us
cause for optimism regarding
Saudi Arabia’s willingness to
cooperate in meeting Americn
concerns and interests.
We hope that the Administra
tion will quickly respond to the
objections raised by nearly half
of the Senate, more than two-
thirds of the House, and an
overwhelming majority of the
American public. The Ad
ministration should not
misinterpret the vote as a vote
of confidence in a sale that most
Members of Congress have
seriously questioned.
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By L. Louis Albert, ACSW actions showed the im-
Director Federation portance of involvement and
Social Services connection.
This fact should be kept firm
ly in mind by all concerned, and
Congress and the Administra
tion should carefully scrutinize
Saudi behavior toward the
United States, Israel, Persian
Gulf states, and the Camp
David peace process over the
next weeks and months. .
We will continue to work
with the Administration to
strengthen American efforts to
achieve peace and stability for
all states in the Middle East.
I first met Henrietta
Wallace in August of 1980
shortly after arriving in
Charlotte. As the months went
by we became friends and
worked together on many
social service projects. Her re
cent death has led me to recon
sider and reflect on several
issues.
As a professional librarian
and member of an established,
southern Jewish family
Henrietta was in a unique
position to provide me with
both an historical and social
perspective on the Charlotte
Jewish Community. Her own
range of interests and ac
tivities were wide, and yet
seemed connected by a single
unifying theme with which we
are all currently struggling.
That issue is our human need
to belorrg and to be connected
with each other. Henrietta’s
activities in one way or another
all worked toward bringing
people together in a positive
way was what it was all about
for her.
Our own community is. a
diverse one with all sorts of
organizations, clubs and com
munal institutions. I believe
that it is our concern for each
other and ability to show that
care which builds a strong,
community •otit'off^Uch
sity. This kind of growth will
not happen without the atten
tion of each and every one of
us. Henrietta Wallace in
tuitively understood this, and
As' a transient community
newcomers often feel out of
place — we must reach out and
truly welcome them. Single
parent families often struggle
to balance job and family
responsibilities — we have to
find ways to provide supports.
Older adults often exist apart
from the flow of community
life — for our sake as well as
theirs we must find ways to in-‘
elude them. Young single
adults are searching for
friendship and companionship
— we need programs that
meet this need and send the
message that they belong and
matter. Even within the family
we find parents and children
moving through daily routine
and having little connection
with each other. Families need
these links both individually
and with other families.
Each person or family will
find its own way to establish
connections and to meet that
very important need to care
and be cared about. It might
be through Temple or through
playing tennis at the Center, It
might be inviting a new family
to your home or doing some .
volunteer work a few hour» a
month: U might be joining an
organization. It could be
anything... but let it be
something.
pur strength lies within our
and I can think of no better
way to honor the memory of
Henrietta Wallace than by
building on her work of bring
ing people closer together.
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Business Insurance,
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DAVID SWIMMER
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RADISSON PLAZA CHARLOTTE
Two NCNB Plaza (704) 377-0400
FROM THE RADISSON COLLECTIOK