The Yippies were a highly theatrical political activist group established in 1967 - Abbie Hoffman, Anita Hoffman, and Paul Krassner were among its early founders. The term is a backronym - it was conceived by Krassner as a whimsical play on "hippies"; later, the acronym Youth International Party was applied to have the group taken more seriously. The Yippies are fascinating; for a short video, click here. In 1972, The Yipster Times was started by Dana Beal; in 1973, the Yippies moved into the building at 9 Bleecker Street, where The Yipster Times (later Overthrow) was published - the photo above shows the original sign. Beal still lives in the building, which is being converted into a museum after a fight against eviction (read about the future plans here). I was fortunate to get a tour of the ground floor. The building has continued as a locus for activism over the years - some Yippies still remain. Currently, Beal and the organization Cures Not Wars are crusading for the legalization of Ibogaine and its use for heroin addiction. I'm amazed at the tenacity of this group...
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Yippies
The Yippies were a highly theatrical political activist group established in 1967 - Abbie Hoffman, Anita Hoffman, and Paul Krassner were among its early founders. The term is a backronym - it was conceived by Krassner as a whimsical play on "hippies"; later, the acronym Youth International Party was applied to have the group taken more seriously. The Yippies are fascinating; for a short video, click here. In 1972, The Yipster Times was started by Dana Beal; in 1973, the Yippies moved into the building at 9 Bleecker Street, where The Yipster Times (later Overthrow) was published - the photo above shows the original sign. Beal still lives in the building, which is being converted into a museum after a fight against eviction (read about the future plans here). I was fortunate to get a tour of the ground floor. The building has continued as a locus for activism over the years - some Yippies still remain. Currently, Beal and the organization Cures Not Wars are crusading for the legalization of Ibogaine and its use for heroin addiction. I'm amazed at the tenacity of this group...
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3 comments:
That is very interesting. I had no idea there was a trace of yippie-dom left. How old is Beal, I wonder?
Check out his bio in the provided link. He was born in 1947 - he will 60 in January.
Brian
Yep, as soon as I submitted my comment it dawned on me that you had provided a bio. Thanks.
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