If a young man had long hair and dressed rebelliously last summer, chances were he referred to himself simply as a "long hair." Chances were even greater that he was a "beatnik" to his elders. This summer, just about everyone is in agreement that such a youth is a "hippie."

There is, of course, the exception of media such as U.S. News & World Report, which in a July 17 story told the reader that the term "beatnik" was out-dated but proceeded to call today's longhaired liberals by this name throughout the article. Anyways, that magazine did say something about being "always considered a few years behind the times."

All this reflects two reasons why there exists such a wide communication gap between the established social community and the so-called "hippie" tribes.

First off, the tags are becoming too overpowering in their form of general identification. If a long-haired high school sophomore breaks a window on the Sunset Strip, word of hippie vandalism spreads and a long-haired artist, who is older and takes his beliefs and protest more seriously, suffers.

Secondly, there is the gap of being "a few years behind the times." Too many adults are taking a critical look at today's youth with over-played remarks of "When I way young, blabbablab." What they fail to realize is that the times of their youth no longer exist. Pressures, compounded by an avalanche of ideas and knowledge, have greatly intensified. The whole world has become a throbbing hotbed of revolutions; politically, socially, industrially, scientifically and spiritually.

This gap of understanding is bouncing American society from one blackeye to another; Berkley, the Sunset Strip, Century Plaza and tomorrow.

In the meantime, the long hair, who stars in this modern American Revolution, continues to sprinkle himeslf across the nation. He is photographed, written about, placed before live TV audiences ...he is both fancied and stoned (no pun intended), but he is seldom really listened to.

What makes a youth leave a well-to-do family, college, jobs and the established norm of life altogether? And what becomes of such a person?

Realistically, the answers and possibilities are as varied as the individuals involved. But a good deal of insight does come when one focuses in on the following persons.

DARRYL AND JEFF

In early August, 1966, 12 long-haired youths left Chicago for California. Behind them, they left 18 others who would follow once additional transportation had been obtained. Of the 12 who led the migration west, three of them came onto the dirt lawn of Pandora's Box one night in mid-month.

Pandora's Box, which islanded at Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards, was then smoldering over a long list of complaints charging police with unjust treatment of long-haired youths. In a matter of months, on the night of Nov. 12, 1966, the Sunset Strip demonstrations were to begin here. The nightclub would soon be ordered closed and. months later, on Aug. 3 it would be demolished to make way for a $700,000 traffic realignment.

The three long hairs who came to this 20th century Alamo over a year ago were Darryl Jacobs, 22, Jeff Byron, 20, and Ion Bishop, also 20. Dressed rather crudely, they had some money in their pockets. But it would have been of no significance had they been broke. Money was one thing they had little need for.

"You might say," ventured Darryl, "that we're skid row people with class and intelligence."

"Our people," added Jeff, "are more like brothers; we share. If we go to New York, there are people there that help us out. We in turn give them names and addresses in Chicago or where ever else we've been."