An open letter to Rachel Maddow

"I'm not a hippie but..."

In the early days of your show, you used that phrase enough times for me to see a pattern of derision and be disappointed. Then, it seemed like you stopped using it. I though maybe someone had gotten to you, but, Tuesday night, there it was again.

What is about hippies that you find so contemptible? Is it that we protested against segregation and an unjust war in the sixties? Is it that we protested for environmental protections and gay rights in the seventies? Is it that we tried to create a more diverse culture where different lifestyles were freed from a pervasive pressure to conform? Is idealism something to be despised? Is it that we grew older and had to pay attention to things like raising the next generation and providing for our old age? Do you just generally find everyone over fifty laughable or is it because we failed to realize some of our ideals and, like most Americans, you have no pity for failure?

Almost without exception, you avoid using the names of groups as terms of praise or derision on your show. You don't say "that's so gay" for something you disapprove of or "that's very white of you" for something you do approve of. Even though you disagree with most conservatives and Republicans, you try to be respectful and gracious when they appear on your show. So, I'll ask you again, what is it about this one group that you dislike so much that you use their very name ias a synonym for ridiculous?

What did we ever do to you?