Through the years, several members of the different media outlets have expressed the opinion that the “Hippy” movement caused many problems. The “Hippy” movement has been blamed for many of the drug problems we have experienced since the 1960s.
As a sports fan, it really bothers me when people blame the “Hippy” movement for many of today's problems. To be a good athlete, one must be in good physical condition. Drugs harm the health of a person and hurt the ability to play sports.
Fortunately, contrary to popular belief, society is better off than it once was with drugs and, as a result, athletes are in better condition and play better. In turn, playing sports will make the athletes even healthier. From the perspective of a sports fan, I realize the more we learn about drugs, the more exciting it will be to watch games.
Improving health and being in good condition is something I am able to appreciate because I struggle with weight problems I continue to try to fix.
It is true some “Hippies” smoked marijuana, cocaine, heroine and other physically and mentally addictive drugs. However, they did not represent the majority of rebels from the 1960s. Furthermore, we have progressed in so many ways and we have become far more educated with drugs than we once were.
Prior to the 1960s, no one knew how bad it was to smoke cigarettes. Now, by law, there must a Surgeon General Warning on every pack of cigarettes. Second-hand smoke is no longer accepted as part of society. Smoking in many public places is outlawed in several states including Arkansas.
Just back in the 1980s, Dave Corzine, a former center for the Chicago Bulls, was known for smoking cigarettes at halftime of basketball games. I doubt that would go over too well today.
I always knew the evils of cigarettes from the time I was a little boy because I was fortunate enough to have parents who were in the right places at the right times to know how bad smoking was. One of my parents had a relative who smoked and had a horrible time dealing with second-hand smoke in places such as the home and car. In fact, as a kid, this parent was able to buy cigarettes at the store for this relative and the store sold them without a problem. My other parent had a relative who was a doctor that explained the evils of smoking, which was not common knowledge, unlike today.
The state legislature passed a new law about smoking in most public places back in 2006. Because of that bill, smoking in most public places in Arkansas is banned. At the time, I worked in Lake Village and interviewed State Sen. Jimmy Jeffress, who used to smoke and was also instrumental in the bill. When I wrote that article, I was reminded of how far we have come in the fight against drugs.
Chewing tobacco has also been a quite common practice in sports in the past, especially in baseball from what I have noticed. While that still goes on, we at least now fully understand the dangers involved. Everyone who chews tobacco also now reads the Surgeon General Warning.
Thanks to the world of sports, most everyone knows the dangers of steroids. Roger Clemens, a baseball pitcher for many years who set many records, and Barry Bonds, who set the all-time home run record in baseball, have been accused of taking steroids.
Clemens and Bonds, once viewed as heroes in the public eye, are now perceived by many as cheaters. Clemens and Bonds allegedly took steroids, which have harmed many bodies and cost many players their lives. Two athletes who died from steroids were Ken Caminiti, who played baseball, and Lyle Alzado, who played football.
We now understand nutrition better than ever. At one time, people used to think red meat was good for growing kids. Since then, we have come a long way.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who lost a lot of weight a few years back and changed his lifestyle to one more healthy, has been a very positive influence in this area. He should be commended for all he has done to help increase public awareness to the obesity problem.
Another false stereotype I have heard is how sex got out of hand in the 1960s during the “Hippy” movement. Not only are we more educated than ever about sex, people are much more careful about checking for AIDS prior to sexual intercourse.
It was actually the sports world that brought the AIDS issue to the forefront when, back in 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson was forced to retire from the Los Angeles Lakers when he discovered he contracted the HIV virus. People knew about AIDS before Johnson but after Magic's famous press conference where he announced his retirement from the Lakers, everyone talked about it to the point where Magic was a topic of discussion during the 1992 Presidential Debates between former President George H.W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. Now, because Magic contracted the HIV virus, when a player in the NBA gets a cut, he must leave the game to assure the other players on the court are not in danger of getting AIDS.
The point I am trying to make is many people claim the “Hippy” movement hurt us when it comes to health issues such as drugs and sex. However, the reality is sex is practiced much more safely now than it was prior to the “Hippy” movement. Not only is the sports world partially responsible for this, we will have better athletes than we did prior to the “Hippy” movement because they'll be in better health.
I sincerely commend former President Bush for reaching out to Magic after learning Johnson had the HIV virus. Former President Bush tried to get Magic to serve on a committee to help put a stop people from getting AIDS. Unfortunately, Magic quit the cause early on and did not give Bush any meaningful input about how things could have been better.
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