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I watched Vietnam In HD (great series) and I came away with many of the same observations that you did. Do you feel like this was also a generation that missed
by dsnuh 9y ago
I watched Vietnam In HD (great series) and I came away with many of the same observations that you did.
Do you feel like this was also a generation that missed their chance to be "men"? What I mean by that is that in all past memory, men had gone off to battle and were welcomed home as heroes. This was different, and I feel like in some ways led to the emasculation of the American male. They missed their chance to be heroes like their fathers had been in WWII. The women's rights movement also started at the same time. It was a complete upset to the social norms that had been established in society.
- Synaesthesia 9y agoThere’s nothing great about war, war is misery, death and suffering. Anyone who didn’t have to take part in one is lucky.
- dsnuh 9y agoOh definitely, I wasn't advocating for war, but I think it is it clearly something that attitudes changed about inexorably after Vietnam.
- dsnuh 9y agoAn interesting take on war from a semi-modern perspective is _War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning_ by Chris Hedges.
- Synaesthesia 9y agoI still want to read that, having read most of his books. He’s a fantastic author.
- Clubber 9y agoA contributing factor to this phenomenon is the overwhelming presence of news cameras in that war. In previous US wars, the news was censored under war time powers. In Vietnam, citizens watched every night in gory, uncensored detail, what was actually happening. Of course time takes it's toll as the war drug on with no meaningful resolution.
- dsnuh 9y agoVery good point. It also underscores the rise of television, which imo contributed to the fracturing of society that has been most fully realized now via social media.
- philk10 9y agoThis makes similar points - https://thenib.com/the-good-war https://thenib.com/the-good-war
- dsnuh 9y agoThanks for sharing this. As someone who grew up in the 90's I definitely recall the resurgence of WWII nostaglia after Saving Private Ryan was released.
- qbaqbaqba 9y agoI think it's more about army being detached from the society. I have red some memories of Vietnam veterans and it seems to be a common point. French have experienced the same in Vietnam, according to Jean Larteguy and even during WWI according to Louis Barthas. It's also a common problem of alienated Arab armies, getting hit bad every time they fight with a solders' nation of Israel, I believe Kapuscinski has written something about it as well.
- dsnuh 9y agoCan you please clarify what you mean by "detached", I want to be sure I am reading you correctly.