Has the 70's returned with the war in Iraq???

Question

Does it seem that our country and most of the liberals (and yes a few conservatives too) have started acting like people did in the 60's and 70's when the vietnam war was being fought???? So many people seem to have a hippie liberal point of view with regards to the war in Iraq, just as many did when our guys were in Vietnam in the late 60's and early 70's. If you agree or disagree with me, let me know, and don't charge at me with hate or discontent, I am just asking for your opionions and not hate mail, there is way to much of that on here already.

Answer 1

I was just a kid then, so I can't really speak with authority about the Vietnam era. A Vietnam Vet could probably do it best.

However, I'm not sure that I totally agree. I think that things like the internet have given extremists (and I mean far right conservatives and far left liberals) a voice that they wouldn't otherwise have..... because really, the extremists in the political spectrum don't trouble themselves with facts.

So, I think while it's prevalent here on Yahoo! Answers (and the extremists here prove to be either under educated or paranoid schizophrenic ...two elements of society I avoid, truthfully, in my every day life), I don't see it in real life when I talk to people with differing opinions.

That's just my experience. I'm interested in what Vietnam Vets have to say though.

Answer 2

Miss Opinion ... Yes, you're correct, of course. Although there is no military draft as there was during the Vietnam war, the opposing sides in the political debate quickly began to "sharpen their swords" not long after the conflict began.

I think this happened because:
• The convenience and proliferation of the Internet allows anyone and everyone with a simple, inexpensive computer to have a "voice" that can reach far and wide. No pre-requisites, experience, or qualifications are required. If you've got a computer and an opinion, your "voice" will be heard. Unfortunately, not everyone who speaks up is qualified, of course.
• Talk radio, which is a relatively new broadcast phenomenon, affects every community across America. The persistent strong-sounding comments of the hosts and callers very quickly help to escalate the debate. It takes no time at all for a simple matter to rapidly degrade into a verbal fight between the left and the right. This is their business; this is what the talk radio news analysts do best. In fact, some of these discussion programs are not news analysis forums at all; they're actually commentary programs which is not the same as merely reporting the news. For better or worse, talk radio, as well as the 24-hour news networks, have graduated from just reporting the news ... Now they comment on the news ceaselessly and this rapidly elevates the discussion from being a debate almost to the point of being a fight.

Good question. Glad I caught it.

Answer 3

Although the Vietnam War was a different kind of war compared to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
this time line is similar, because of the Weasel
Anti-war groups who are really anti-American and
communist inspired and the same idiots who are in the Congress of the US, I would have to agree with your statement that this era is the same as the '60s and '70s. You are absolutely correct in your observation and this is very intelligent view point. US ARMY(RET) 21 Years. VIETNAM VETERAN 1967-1968-1971 US SIGNAL CORPS!!!!!

Answer 4

You might have a point but it isn't a positive thing. I grew up near Berkeley, Ca and was in junoir high school during that time. I even participated in several peace marches in San Francisco and Berkeley.

The disturbing thing is the amount of mindless hatred I saw during that time. Peace marchers throwing bricks through windows, beating people and in general destroying things. Kids who were drafted came home to be spit at and called baby killers. It was a very sad time.

The sad part is that I see the same mindlessness in the anti war groups now as then. I guess mob mentality will always be the same but it is still a sad thing to see out of people who claim they want peace.

Answer 5

Basically we as a nation have a issue with war weariness. This is because we are a very giving nation. We fight for human rights and believe that all people should be treated with dignity.

However if we were raised like some in the mid east or even go farther back like Sparta, it would be an honor to go to battle. People would fight to go to war, but because we are a democracy or republic how ever you view it, we just generally don't support long term wars.

Answer 6

I think that all of the wars have somethings in common, but what is different is that we are fighting a whole new opponent with different beliefs and different values then those in Vietnam. I think that today's war is harder than the one in the Vietnam.

Either way we are getting sick and tired of fighting wars and witnessing young people die for no reason.

Answer 7

There's no Draft, ergo no privledged yuppie types running to Canada(since Canada is fighting alongside us in Afghanistan).

Yet the same social defectives from the 60's are still trying to bring the Country down. Look at A,N.S.W.E.R. and see how it was founded, look at CPUSA

Answer 8

God I hope not I hate hippies and liberals we need to gather them all up and put them into "happy camps" where they can be re-educated to actually support the government that does so much for them instead of constantly turning up there noses at it. If they cant be fixed we can probably just kill most of them with gas or something like that for efficiency sake

Answer 9

I think the political discourse is similar. What's not similar is reaction by the people. During Vietnam, there were many public demonstrations, taking over college buildings, riots, etc.

Answer 10

I don't know. You Americans have been in wars pretty much every decade in the 20th century. It's a little hard to tell the difference between your politicians behaving in peace and in war.....