What we have lost: On the displaced counterculture of England

A former hard-leftist, still counterculturalist, American-born, longtime resident in England offers a poignant perspective on the Islamization of that country. showing that hippies can regret the loss of their familiar surroundings as much as traditionalists, and, if they are rational, recognize their common stake with their fellow Westerners.

The external situation in another country such as Israel I can put aside in my mind for periods of time. But the huge Muslim influx is harder to put aside. It’s much worse than in America in terms of numbers. Remember this country wasn’t a melting pot until maybe 20 years ago. I saw one of my New Agey hippyish friends today. She was going on about New Age teachers and groups (and I am somewhat into some of that sort of a thing and how times have changed since the ‘60s). All part of a process that has been happening since the ‘50s. Some of it’s b.s., but some of it is good “stuff.” But here’s the thing that she hadn’t thought of. Huge numbers of people are coming in who have no tradition of that radical /New Age/hippie rebellion process. Not only that but their religion and culture is often antagonistic to it. So up until recently you had a nation in the midst of a process of change. I’m not saying it was all perfect but it was OUR change. From Gay Rights to New Age religions to Women’s movement to abortion on demand (which I oppose) to Psychedelic experimentation to Sexual Liberation, all part of our “rebellion” for good or bad. All of a sudden people there are huge numbers of people coming in who know more about 8th century Muslim caliphs than Krishnamurti. Ridiculous and very jarring. I came to Britain to be in a certain alternative milieu which was the product of hundreds of years of a process going on in English culture. But now huge numbers of people are talking about putting on burquas or honour killings or jihad. Is this real, I ask myself? It’s like growing up in one family and going through all the living processes associated with that family and waking up one day to find all these other people living in your house as well, living and thinking in an entirely different way. Insane.

Another reader comments:

Perhaps this writer now understands why the song “Okie from Muskogee” was so wildly popular. Liberalism jettisoned traditional Judeo-Christian morality, embraced “Do Your Own Thing” morality and enabled hippiedom as well as Muslim immigration. As secular morality is the consensus of man, on what basis can one who embraces secularism oppose a majority, if Muslims become a majority, whose “Own Thing” is the murder or subjugation of the minority? For that matter, on what basis does one oppose uncivil Muslim behavior while they are a minority, hippies never having felt constrained by their minority status? Quite a depressing thought, especially if one already has the “Down to Seeds and Stems Again” blues.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at January 28, 2006 06:09 PM | Send