I didn't mind being called a "freak" either when it meant that I was no longer considered a member of the establishment. Letting "your freak flag fly" was a way of showing society that you were not going to be 'sucked in' to commercial or political hype. It meant that you were an individual and not a member of the mindless masses. Being a freak in those days meant you could think for yourself. It meant that if was futile to "try to change the system from within".