[doktrin]

> Hippies in my head

Maybe this is part of the issue? You're comparing a contemporary social phenomenon through to one you've (probably) only learned about through history books, media and cultural osmosis.

> somehow I feel like in the US libertarians seem to be seen as left wing

That is the polar opposite of my "feeling", which is that US libertarians overwhelmingly skew right. Just look at the most prominent figures who self identify as such : The Pauls [Ron, Rand], Gary Johnson, Thomas Massie - all either current or former Republicans.