Does the writing of people such as Abbie Hoffman have any relevance at this point?
I just checked in a copy of Steal this Book by Abbie Hoffman and it got me wondering about this. Aside from historical value, does the work from that era, from activists such as Abbie Hoffman or other members of the Chicago Seven have any relevance today? What is the relevance of their work in the 21st century?
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I once read with awe everything the Yippies said. It stunned me that politics and revolution could be presented in such a poetic and fun way. It matched my mood at the time but I think it was of its time and of little value in today’s world. Jerry Rubin becoming a businessman. How disappointing. Abbie Hoffman’s testimony at his trial is hilarious and gives a flavour of what they were about.
Given that nothing has changed, it probably is still relevant.
Hmm… echoing what @YARNLADY has said, but from an alternate perspective:
Given that nothing has changed, and disregarding its “relevance”, it is still incorrect.
@flutherother, what is a Yippie? I’ve never heard that word used to describe Hoffman. What was his relevance during his era?
Yippies were the Youth International Party, an attempt to organize a political party around the fact that LBJ and the Democrats got us involved in Vietnam, and that Tricky Dick couldn’t be trusted either. They got attention as political activists, but that was about it.
Abbie Hoffman was a leader in the Yippies, and also part of the Chicago Eight (which was reduced to Seven when Bobbie Seale’s trial was severed). They were charged with conspiracy and incitement to riot and crossing state lines to riot. They were acquitted of most of the charges, and the balance were overturned on appeal because of the bias of the judge.
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