As I researched life in America during the Vietnam War, I can’t help but feel that the perception of war drastically changed. Even though we are currently involved in a war, I very rarely watch news stories about what is happening in Iraq. When the war first started, the media was all over it and covered every last detail of the events taking place. But now people genuinely seem disinterested. I’m not saying people don’t care about American troops or the outcome of the war, but The War in Iraq is no longer a part of people’s day to day life. We as a country have moved on and have bigger problems to worry about and larger deficits to overcome.
The economy has become a very relevant issue as it affects the large majority of people where it hurts most, their wallet. The war is often linked to the cause of the plummeting economy. People seem to be more focused on the affects of the war, rather than the actual battle or event itself. There is a good portion of Americans who believe in the war efforts, but even they are not fully engaged in every event or action that takes place in the war. During The Vietnam War, people would be glued to their television sets and watch the news ritually. Even though people disagreed with the actions of America, they still kept up to date and informed about the war.
Is it better to be constantly involved in the daily events of war or to be dethatched from the realities of war? I am trying to decide what method of public opinion and influence is better suited for war. People today criticize war motives, but are not disheartened because of the lack of morality shown to Middle Eastern civilians. People are mad because the war is costing America too much money and in turn taking money and jobs out of their pockets. The American protests during the Vietnam War called for justice and humane treatment of the Vietnamese people. Innocent people are dying every day in the Middle East, but people are not really focused on this aspect of the war. The number of casualties is of course smaller in this war, but is killing innocent people acceptable if in small numbers?
2 comments:
You bring to light some great observations between Vietnam and Iraq. It is interesting to see the drastic differences between the two wars and how the public has reacted. I agree that the american public has somewhat seemed to dissattach themselves with the war in Iraq. While many people do not agree with the war, like you said people just dont care about the everyday events anymore.
As for the question you ask at the end of your post regarding the deaths of innocent people, I personally feel that the loss of innocent lives is never acceptable if they can be avoided.
Reading yours reminds me a lot of Michaels and some of the points he makes. One thing that he really focused on was media. As we said in class, the Vietnam War was the first televised war. Being able to see upclose the devastations of war helped the anti-war movement. I think that being constantly involved in war is what has made many of us become detatched from it. We used to glorify war and soldiers, however now that we have seen war's true colors, most have a strong dislike for it.
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