Born Dropped Out

Via Boing Boing - I just discovered a really interesting project. It's Caleb J. Clark's Interactive Telecommunications Program Masters Thesis. He asked the same 20 questions of children of hippies, who seem to have been born in the late 60's to the late 70's. He also answers the questions himself.





I've been listening on and off to the various self-interviews. You can watch them in any order and each piece is short and easily digestible.

Being the daughter of what many have called hippies (although they called themselves beatniks), I am always fascinated when I get to connect with someone else who grew up with that intense freedom, the way I did. Now I must say, I had an incredibly stable childhood, compared to the majority of "children of hippies" you may meet in the world. My parents were in many ways, the "parental" ones to all of their "more free" (i.e. crazier) friends. My parents owned a house, they kept food on the table and they aren't and never have been addicted to any kind of drug. So you could say, I got the best parts of being a child of hippies.

It is really interesting to listen to the interviews in this documentary project. At times, they feel almost a little too informational and choppy. I think that experience may be related to the format of going through a long list of questions and answering them by yourself with a home video camera. I would love to see a documentary where "kids of hippies" are in the same room together and talking about everything. That would feel a bit more creative and alive, which I think is the gift of growing up the way we all did. But I still find it really fascinating to listen to all of these stories and memories and I am grateful Caleb has shared them with the world.

I live a very different and interesting life and I always wonder how much is me - deep soul Tristy - and how much is the way I was raised. Are children of hippies more free? Do we have more interesting work lives? Or do many rebel and become conservative? This documentary does not make that clear, and that is just fine. It raises questions which all good art should do. Check it out.