Would to God that they were in fact dying out! But in truth, the counterculture's values (or anti-values) are now mainstream in many places, California being one of them. Marriage, children, family life . . . forget it! It's all just ME, ME, ME . . . scratch every itch, and the consequences (many of them tiny) be damned.
I will give you ONE reason why I was attracted to the hippie counterculture:
In 1966.our community had dances at the local National Guard Armory.Some nights you would literally have to walk OVER dazed,drunk and bleeding bodies recovering from fights,alcohol poisoning and God knows what else.Groups of white punks would harass and intimidate you.The music was old school R and B and pop covers but the ambiance was brutal.
Later that year I started going to the hippie flavored shows at The Fillmore and Winterland.Mellow vibes and very friendly folk.Never a fight,at least till the speed freaks came onto the scene around 1968.You could dance the way you wanted and no one laughed at you.Conversations were free and without animosity.I loved it at its height.Best times of my life.
Sure,I look back now wondering what seeds the counterculture sowed and I am NOT happy about the Hillarys,The Kerrys and their ilk.But I sure dug The Jefferson Airplane belting out High Flying Bird as the crowd swayed and undulated to the “groovy”vibe!