Robert Mitchum: Narrator

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  Narrator : This is the straight society, the orderly, well managed, well disciplined world of the establishment. It is made possible by the Protestant ethic. Work is noble. Worldly achievement the sign of God's favor. But, not everyone embraces these hallmarks of success. In each city across the land, there exist another culture, whose very philosophy and way of life rejects the fierce competition and it's material rewards. And, in so doing, refutes the order and discipline of the establishment.

• Narrator : The hippies, perhaps more than any other social phenomenon, brought the drug issue to the surface. But, most of them are children of middle class and upper class families.

• Narrator : Nearly everyone in the hippie community smokes marijuana, whether they call it pot, grass, hemp, gauge, joint or Mary Jane. The marijuana is the basic background for the shared drug experience.

• Narrator : The new generation, whether they're runaways or rebels in residents, use marjiuana as a symbol of discontent with the basic values of the establishment. For some, there exist a social imperative beyond flaunting society's rules. For these adventurers, the mind-expanding drugs open a window on a whole new frontier.

• Narrator : With LSD, the user believes he is discovering inner truth. He is making a pilgrimage to the soul. That he has achieved unity with the universe.

• Narrator : Under the psychedelic influence of hallucinatory drugs, the user often feels that he is experiencing the supreme private joy of spontaneous creation, both in music and in the visual arts. Both are brought together by the the discotheque - in the unique blend of art nouvelle and acid rock.

• Narrator : The meditators, often ministered to by a guru or swami, they ban together in communes, attempting to live a Thoreau-like existence. They are relatively harmless, true flower children, soldiers of peace and gentle revolution.

• Narrator : Methedrine, perhaps the fastest jolt found so far in the amphetamines, can be counted on provide a six hour surge of euphoria. But, it is accompanied by a psychological dependence in which withdrawal can be a serious problem.

• Narrator : Methedrine, LSD, heroin, are the exception with the drug community. Marijuana is the common denominator.

• Narrator : With marijuana comes eventual confrontation with the law. Even though many authorities consider it less harmful than alcohol, its mere possession, in the eyes of the federal statutes, brings a minimum of two years and selling a maximum of forty.

• Narrator : The complaint against the establishment remains the same. Why should the adults put us down? They have their own kind of drugs: coffee, cigarettes, and a host of synthetic crutches that range from sleeping pills and tranquilizers to benzedrine; but, mainly, booze.

• Narrator : Britain, traditionally, the very seat of the establishment. It's ironic that after nine centuries of greatness, this conservative kingdom, in her maturity, should give birth to the hippie.

• Narrator : A phenomenon throughout Europe, the Middle East, and many parts of Asia, is the constant migration of young people, an international beatnik set, permanently drifting.

• Narrator : Like the Spanish Steps, "Yener's" in Istanbul is another beatnik capistrano. It is a clearing house for international drug mules, a congregating point for the who's who among teenage wayfarers.

• Narrator : Why do they wander? For some, undoubtedly, it is the adventure of youth, that healthy restlessness, a chance to participate in this once in a lifetime odyssey and sample the fires of Spring. For many others, it is a pilgrimage to the mystic repositories of wisdom and truth.

• Narrator : Drug takers are found at ever increasing numbers and not always in the conspicuous hippie community.

• [last lines] 

  Narrator : Perhaps there is a straight society, a universal establishment that many of our youth reject. But, they will not create a better society by freaking out in Katmandu or turning on in Los Angeles. They must face up to what they are running away from. Work constructively to bring about change, if change is needed. And we, as the straight society, must reach out and help - with honesty, compassion, and with sincere desire to understand, not only them, but ourselves, as well. For we represent what they are reacting against.