by Chloe L. Fein
The Yippies (Youth International Party) were notorious for being in headlines and making headlines. Similar to youths of the Beatnik movement, the Yippie lifestyle stood in antithesis of the status quo. Propaganda, specifically in the form of attention-grabbing colored fliers, was one vehicle for spreading the Yippie “radical-left” message. The “Somoza Blood-Sucker” flier is exemplary of this. This flier, produced by members of the Yippies, advertises the formation of a picket line at office of Congressman John Murphy. Such a plan was devised to show unified opposition to the support Murphy gives to “Somoza, the butcher of Nicaragua,” as well as urge him to show the pay-offs he’s both received and accepted—essentially, for an influential congressman to admit to corruption! Such a flier exhibits how leaderless groups can still foster a sense of community organization.
