I don't believe the 'threat to capitalism' that the parent referred to requires the hippies to immediately threaten to create a communist/anarchist/etc society,

I don't believe the 'threat to capitalism' that the parent referred to requires the hippies to immediately threaten to create a communist/anarchist/etc society, just to not participate in the capitalist rat race, to base their lives less around consumption. In that light a 'nice' place is very different from the typical "American dream"TM, and having such a place and feeding your family don't require the type of participation we're talking about.