Audience in The Flowering of the Hippies

The Flowering of the Hippies is a newspaper article directed to the American public. But, it is very apparent in the text that it is very strongly directed toward the part of the American public that didn't support the hippie movement during its time of publication. It draws a very distinct line between the general public and the hippies by describing to the reader how the hippies were misfits or apart from normal society and without a normal future. The author quotes a fashion model and interpreted her thoughts as "I wish they didn't" exist. He describes that "the eyes of hippies were often in fact sorrowful and frightened" and they were "doubtful who they were", portraying them as a group of misfits and therefore trying to persuade the rest of the population that they should not join this movement and should remain a part of society and focused on their own future and the appropriate norms. But, it seems like in an effort to remain positive and not offend the opinions of a group of the American public, the author does describe good things about the hippie population as well. He praises what a strong community they have built. He also says that while the hippies arrived a minority, they have managed to endure the resistance and grow in numbers.