In her essay Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion vividly constructs her perspective on the hippie movement in San Francisco through her anecdotal experience in 1967 His belief reflects a strong dislike for the hippie movement in San Francisco. of this social movement, as her experience indicates, she did not tolerate the society created during the hippie movement. Others, like John Stuart Mill, believe that social movements, like that of the hippies, are the culmination of the individuality of others and are necessary for the progression of society. Both of their perspectives present some truth, which can be transformed into a new belief. All social movements should be respected in the terms of their times and should not be tolerated, but not all social movements can be considered progress for society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Didion begins the essay by painting a distraught picture of America and ends up discussing the "social hemorrhage" in San Francisco, referencing the hippie movement. She makes friends along the way, as she tells her story of meeting people who were living on drugs, dropping out of school and leaving all conservatism behind. In her conversation with two runaway teenagers, she creates a sense of disappointment and sadness towards the teenagers through a verbal montage. She asks what they were planning to do next, to which the boy replies: "I've always kind of dug a metal shop, welding... You can't plan in advance anyway." (92). The girl says she could babysit. She then asks the teenagers how they saw their future when they were children; This abruptly changes the entire conversation for the reader, as the girl responds that she wanted to become a veterinarian. From there, without even giving her exact opinion, Didion deduces the consequences of the hippie movement on the fact that it is detrimental to youth and what they could be without the hippie influence. Clearly, the move from a conservative to a liberal stature seemed like a downgrade for society. Didion. However, Mill explains: "There is always need of people...to discover new truths...to begin new practices...This cannot be disputed by anyone who does not believe that the world has already achieved perfection..." (53). For Mill, for society to progress, these social movements must occur as people must form and change. It also maintains “life in those who already existed” (53) just as it keeps alive the intellect of humanity. Mill's statement is contradicted by Didion's descriptions as she tells the story of Deadeye and Gerry who seem to live a life of clueless ambition. Their marriage almost seems like a comical decision made by children when explained by Didion. This childish appeal seems to be apparent in the adult lives of the hippies, which consequently affects the children as they have to live in an environment of drugs and unregulated freedom. Five-year-olds go to “kindergarten” because that is the norm in society at the time. It makes perfect sense, from a conservative perspective, that the societal values ​​of hippies are essentially rejected. Mill, however, does not consider this to be a bad thing for society. He writes: "...it is important to give as much freedom as possible to unusual things, so that it may become apparent in time which of them are.