My essay topic is arguing how psychedelic drugs shaped the late 60’s. With the increased use of psychedelic drugs in popular in society, the idea radical freedom, peace, and love became more pronounced. The Merry Pranksters, a group of frequent LSD users from California, basked in a bohemian lifestyle as they traveled the country in an old refurbished school bus enjoying life and attempting to change the world. They made the bus livable and colorful as they installed bunk beds, refrigerators, a broadcasting system, and a sign that read “Caution: Weird Load” and painted the bus with bright, swirling colors. Each member of the Pranksters took on a new nickname and dressed in painted “day-glo” and wore costumes made of parts of the American flag, capes, and masks. The Pranksters name is derived from their goal of “pranking” the average citizen’s mind and attempting to change their point of view mostly in politics. They refused to conform to the social norms in terms of appearance, lifestyle, and thought and strove to open people’s minds and make them ask questions. As Ken Kelsey, one of the leading members of the Pranksters, put it, “The purpose of psychedelics is to learn the conditioned responses of people and then to prank them. That’s the only way to get people to ask questions, and until they ask questions they’re going to remain robots” (Shlain, 121). Young people especially, did ask questions. With the rise of this counterculture involving protestors for peace and hippie culture, people displayed their different view of the world by “embracing new attitudes toward drugs, sex, popular culture, and politics” (Schultz, 46).