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Frankie believes that "when she left the safety of the inpatient center, she would be thrust back into a world where Vietnam veterans were supposed to be invisible, the women most of all" (432-433).
Given what you've read and what you know about American history, why would American society want Vietnam veterns to be invisible and women most of all?
In today's world, does America act as if it wants other people to be invisible? How is this differetn from hating them or wanting to punish them?
There are many reasons why American society wanted Vietnam veterans - especially women - to be invisible. I think some of it was out of a sense of shame and anger; the Vietnam war was extremely controversial, and it seemed easier for people to blame the troops that went to Vietnam rather than the government that ruled for them and commanded the troops to go there in the first place. For female veterans specifically, their treatment from the citizens also came from deep-rooted sexism. At this time, women were very much still considered to be second-class citizens compared to men, so the idea of women being in Vietnam was unthinkable.
ReplyDeleteI believe there are definitely groups that American society wishes were invisible, such as homeless people. For many people, it’s simply easier to ignore others than to try to empathize with those in different situations.
To me, the difference between hating them and wanting to punish them versus wanting them to be invisible is the emotional reason behind those beliefs: hatred and a desire to punish come from a sense of anger, while wanting a group to be invisible comes from a sense of shame. Both are derived from a sense of hate, but one belief wants to get rid of while the other simply wants to “sweep the problem under the rug”, so to speak.
America had a plot line for the Vietnam war, a story to tell. This story is one that puts the United States at the forefront of the moral and good world, taking action to stop the dreaded communists from spreading their evil ways to furthering countries, such as Vietnam. This story, however, is very shallow and one-sided. Did Vietnam want or need a “savior,” as the US attempted to be? Did they get a say in what they wanted their government to be, potentially in a democratic vote? In this domestic conflict to determine the government of the nation, many, even in the South of Vietnam, saw the invasion of the US as an extension of colonial control, as France once had on them. In 1954, the Geneva Accords called for a nationwide election to reunite Northern and Southern Vietnam, but this election never happened largely due to US president Eisenhower fearing the popularity of Ho Chi Minh, believing that they may come to victory in a fair vote. Rejecting democracy in a fight for democracy is a strange decision, unless there are other underlying goals. The creation of a communist country, even via democratic process, would have gone off script for the US. This script is easy to see from the news that was spread throughout the nation during the war--news of easy victories and happy soldiers--propaganda. American society wanted Vietnam veterans to be invisible because they are living proof of the atrocities committed, the battles lost, the plot shattered. Women were to be hidden most of all, as “war is a man’s game;” involving women or children, especially injured or killed women or children, would complicate the hero vs. villain story portrayed by the US. Because of this, the American women in the war were hidden, as were the countless Viet Cong women who were killed in action.
ReplyDeleteToday, America still wants some people to stay invisible. This includes all of those involved in the Korean War, as the US would commit multiple mass-atrocities during the conflict. Millions of Korean citizens were killed via the large-scale bombing of civilian areas and the starvation that insured from having multiple cities burned down, leaving an estimated 85% of North Korean infrastructure destroyed. The Korean War was never mentioned in my primary schooling. Of course, there are more things the US intends to hide, but other first-world countries are not so innocent either. France, for example, was a colonial power with control of Algeria until 1962. In 1960, France conducted the Gerboise Bleue nuclear test in Algeria, detonating a nuclear bomb nearly three times as powerful as the US’s “Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Nuclear testing in Algeria would continue until 1966, even though the Evian Accord made Algeria an independent nation free of French colonial control four years prior. These tests left lasting effects, including an estimated 30,000 Algerians falling ill due to radiation poisoning. Cancer, congenital disease, and respiratory disease numbers are all increased in the affected area, and much of what would be farmland is left empty due to radiation, increasing economic hardships.
Wanting a group to remain out of the light does not come from hate, at least in these cases. It comes from pride and shame. These countries are proud of the narratives they’ve built; giving a voice to those caused to suffer by these country’s hands would tarnish these great reputations. There is the hope that those who have committed these heinous acts feel shameful, and from this shame they cast a cover over their trampled projects.
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Americans were ashamed by the war, which was a valid way to feel. It was easier for them to ignore the vets and pretend it never happened. Women being erased was really nothing new. Them having rights and being equal to men was a relatively new thing. Besides, the less people you believe sacrificed, the easier it is to forget thousands died so you could stay home.
ReplyDeleteAs a response to question 2, there are many groups that America wants to remain invisible. For example, the homeless. The recent development of anti homeless architecture is a horrifying way of making them “disappear” when the simpler solution is to just HELP them. Opening more shelters for them and allocating more resources towards programs that provide assistance is more ethical that giving more funds to the rich. Another group that they want to make invisible is the LGBTQ community. This is due to the fact that these people don’t fit their own beliefs or agenda, so they would rather shun and shame them instead of growing.
DeleteTo this day, a group that they seem to want to make invisible is the women. By defunding research that is meant to help women, overturning Roe v Wade, making laws against any form of abortion- regardless if it’s medically necessary or not- and considering getting rid of no fault divorces are all things that can and WILL negatively affect women and their safety.
The line between hating someone and wanting to punish them can be blurred sometimes. It’s not clear if wanting to make a group invisible is punishment, hate, or both, but it does beg the question of why.
Q1 following the end of the war many Americans wanted to forget the war since many didn't want it in the first place and it was widely seen as a failure. Due to this veterans were seen as a reminder of the war. Thus they were forgotten and ignored, seen as a sign of shame and failure.
ReplyDeleteQ2 I believe there are many groups that are ignored so examples may be the homeless or those with significant mental illness. They aren't always openly hated or attacked but ignored and forgotten which leaves them to suffer in silence while the world moves on which I believe is crueler than open hate. In the end the act of ignoring people is denying their impacts and their existence while hating them at least acknowledges them.
this is jack baker
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