Why I Love the Beat Generation:

I guess I should probably explain who they were first. The Beats, or "Hipsters", might be thought of as pre-hippie hippies. They mainly showed up from the 40's through the 60's. But who was invloved?
Jack Kerouac was very significant in the Beat Generation and is often credited with starting this movement. Jack Kerouac is most famous for his book On The Road( If you havent read it, READ IT, thanks for enlightening me Jen!), which he originally wrote on a giant scroll. Jack was friends with Neal Cassady who showed up as Dean in On The Road. Neal was an energetic man who loved women, drugs, and driving. Neal was so energetic, always wanting to move, that unlike most of the others involved in the Beat Generation, he didnt write much. However, he did drive the bus Further for the Merry Pranksters. Another key figure was Allen Ginsberg. Allen was a homosexual poet known for writing the contravercial poem Howl. Allen's father was also a poet and Allen was a very political man. Gregory Corso was also friends with alot of these men. Allen's life partner Peter Orlovesky became a part of the movement as well. He was an artist who, after strong encouragement from Allen, started writing. William Burroughs was also quite important, he traveled and wrote alot. Burroughs had a very unique writing style and had a big influence on Allen.
Most of these men Met at Columbia University where they became friends. They would get together and do a variety of drugs, while discussing anything from politics to aliens. Members of the Beat Generation also traveled to places all over the world.
I like the Beats because of their unique lifestyle. They challenged the "American Dream" (which was what everyone thought they wanted at the time). They showed that you could be happy even if you didnt follow that path, if not happier. They knew themselves so well. Drugs were a big deal for The Beats but more so for intellectual expansion as oppose to using for recreation. Allen Ginsberg for example, recorded his feelings and experiences everytime he did any type of drug, almost like a science experiment. He also didnt repeat a type of drug for awhile after he used it before as to not get addicted. The fact that sex wasnt so covered up was also different for the times. Many people wouldnt ever talk about or contemplate their sexuality. Allen for example, was homosexual and his life partner, along will most of his freinds, were not. Their lifestyle was so different than most of those around them however, they moved alot an they would occasionally find places with people that had the same ideals or open mindedness. Two of these places were The Villiage in New York and in San Francisco. They were also connected with the Bohemian culture and with the Subteraneans.
I research The beats a lot and Ive read a lot of their works, one of the things that I love about them most is their perspectives on things. They were quite care free but at the time very aware of what was going on around them. They were very educated, yet rejected the status quo. They were also very spiritual and many of them tr4aveled over-seas to explore their spirituality further. Their open-mindedness and desire to constantly expand their minds inspires and interests me. Their un-conventional, cut-up writing styles fascinate me as well. After reading about how they lived I begin to wonder if something so great as the Beats could possibly be "reincarnated" into a time suh as ours...