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World Changers
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Abbie Hoffman
ABBIE HOFFMAN Hoffman was born in 1936 and lived in Worcester, Massachusetts until 1955. Born the child of a Russian immigrant, Hoffman grew up as a first generation middle class Jew. He developed his rebellious attitude as an adolescent. In 1955, Hoffman attended Brandeis University. At Brandeis, Hoffman was influenced by some of the most exciting thinkers of the period, such as Marxist philosopher Herbert Marcuse, and psychologist Abraham Maslow, both of whom were on the Brandeis faculty. After graduating from Bandeis, Hoffman began a graduate program in psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. Berkeley, in the 1960's, was the eye of the hurricane of American social activism. This is where Hoffman attended his first protest, which argued against the use of capital punishment. Between the 1960s and early 1970s the youth were drastically changing their views, values, and attitudes toward government, society, and community. Their concepts regarding civil disobedience were also changing at a very rapid rate. The hippie movement was dying out fast and the following generation of adolescent youth took a more aggressive stance. Hoffman seized the moment and help create a political party called the yippies (The Youth International Party). As one of the main leaders of the yippie party Hoffman publicly used his humorous and outlandish acts to captivate his audence and gain media attention. Such acts included blowing his nose on the American flag, burning money, dropping dollar bills from the balcony onto the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and wearing a judges robe into the courtroom where he was on trial. However, the government became intolerant of Hoffman's repeated attacks of their sacred cows and tried to silence him. Thus, Hoffman became an outlaw political organizer, revolutionary, and activist. Abbie fought injustice globally and against all forms of governmental suppression. His use of satire and humorous theatrics captured the attention of the media and thus opened society's eyes to the problems at hand. His method of fighting continues to stir the human intellect and challenges us to create a better world for all. This man creatively and through unconventional means enlightened a nation and called them into action. Hoffman shows us all, by his living example that one man alone can make a difference and impact how all of us see the world. |
