Yippie

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FREE SPEECH IS THE RIGHT TO SHOUT 'THEATER' IN A CROWDED FIRE.
The Yippie flag. Apparently they were fond of mint.

The Yippies, or Youth International Party, were a political movement in the late 1960s in the United States. They were originally formed by Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin as an attempt to use comedy and absurdity to force people to re-examine their basic assumptions about the way the United States works. For instance, they once nominated a pig to run for President, and also provoked a small riot by throwing dollar bills onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The basic idea was to merge the imagery and style of the hippie counterculture with the politics of the emerging New Left.

Many other groups of the time did not take them seriously. "Real" leftists focused on serious matters, like unions or denouncing US imperialism. The Yippies instead made sure to have a lot of fun. They were sometimes referred to as "Groucho Marxists". Somehow, this was supposed to be derogatory.

Abbie Hoffman was particularly noted for his controversial statements and dress, especially a shirt he had made from the American flag, a distinct violation of the US flag code that got him beaten up by police. (Somehow, today, all sorts of "patriotic" people now do the same thing and are loved for it.) He also wrote a book titled Steal This Book which advocated committing minor, non-violent frauds to get free stuff from corporations and the government.

Today, Yippie.com is a computer repair company. Oh well.

[edit] Footnotes

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