The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Glossary

barbiturate

a drug that slows the senses and depresses the individual

Beat Generation

a counter-cultural group of the 1940s and '50s epitomized by authors including Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs

beatnik

a term that describes a person related to the counter-culture

Big Sur

a range of mountains on the California coast

Canadian Royal Mounties

Canadian law enforcement officials

Day-Glo

a kind of neon paint used by the Pranksters

Federales

Mexican law enforcement officials

Haight-Ashbury

a neighborhood in San Francisco that stood at the center of the psychedelic movement

heads

acidheads; persons who take acid

Hell's Angels

a motorcycle gang notorious for violence and drug use

I Ching

a Chinese philosophical text; also known as "The Book of Changes"

intersubjectivity

a state of transcendence during an LSD trip where one mind connects with another

jug band

a folk music band

Low Rent

a term used to describe a person of lower socioeconomic standing

LSD

also known as "acid"; a mind-altering drug taken by the Pranksters

Nietzsche

19th century philosopher; Kesey identifies Nietzsche's philosophy of the eternal return with his own goal of transcendence

psychedelic

a term that describes the counter-cultural movement of the hippies in 1960s California

psychokinesis

the ability to control objects with one's mind

Richard Alpert

a Harvard professor fired for experimenting with LSD

satori

a Buddhist term for enlightenment

speed

a drug that gives a rush of adrenaline to the user; also known as dexedrine, or "dex"

strobe

a flashing light that can simulate the experience of tripping on acid

Timothy Leary

a Harvard professor fired for experimenting with LSD; started a commune in New York state to experiment with the drug

trip

the state of being on acid (as in "an acid trip")

Trips Festival

a large gathering of people for the purpose of taking acid and having an acid trip together

Unitarian

a liberal religious denomination

Watts

a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles; site of the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

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