There are many cultures today that play a vital role in how our society works, and the history that makes the nation so great. There are many foreign countries that have played a role in this, one of great importance being the French. Learning about the French Counter Culture can not only be fun, but can bring awareness to the French culture that many people may not know influenced things in the United States.

One of the most popular means of French Counter Culture in the United States is the Beatniks. The Beatniks, as they were commonly referred to, was a stereo type of individuals that found themselves in the midst of a literary and media- inspired revolution. Beatniks often took on forms of the French ways of dressing. Many people could tell who a beatnik was by the black turtleneck that they wore, the glasses that they had on, and the French beret that they wore upon their heads. Men and women alike dressed this way, and it was almost a fashion style as well as a code of differentiating a Beatnik from the rest of the general population. Many famous authors and poets were considered as a Beatnik, including the famed poet, Jack Kerouac. The Beatniks unfortunately received much bad rap as being rebellious peace makers. To this day, the Beatnik form of poetry and literature still exists, but does not have the stamina behind it as it once did so many years ago.

Just as America has the large wave of hipsters and hippies in the 60s, there were those that opposed the Vietnam War in France, too. Hippies ran rampant in the streets and for the protests of the ceasing of the Vietnam War. Peace was in great need at that time, and the call for action for peace seemed to fall upon deaf ears. Many hippies grew to have a bad reputation for promiscuous sexual encounters, as well as drug abuse, but for many, it was merely a time to bring together many countries and call for an end to the long- existent Vietnam War.

The French Counter Culture has long been gone, but there are still remnants of what once was. The French Counter Culture was not only influential in France, but all around the world. Learning about the French Counter Culture today can indeed bring back many reminiscent times for many, as well as thought of awe and curiosity from others.  The calls for peace, liberty and freedom were loud, yet the response for such actions seemed, at that time, to never occur. The term “Counter Culture” is still used today, and is seen on many products, such as coffee, as a reference to the times that once were.  Travesties such as the Vietnam War finally ended, but the lifestyles, thoughts and beliefs of those that were part of the French Counter Culture lives on. Indeed, the teachings that the French Counter Culture has left behind for everyone today can be looked upon time and again.