VIETNAM and Pop Culture:

Then and Now

Nusret Çetin – Mert Özsoy – Onur Yalçın

Throughout the Vietnam War, pop culture changed

drastically. With the rise of people who were counter-culture,

more of was seen in the media was reflected in pop culture.

New fads began to grow in popularity, and more people

began to wear more clothes that were less mainstream. Also,

the effects of the Vietnam War could be seen on television,

movies, and could be read in books.

The Vietnam War wasn’t only present on the news, but in U.S

culture too. If you study the people and the entertainment of

the time period, you will see that this war not only affected

those who were fighting in it, but all of America.

1- Movies of Vietnam

The Vietnam War was the most visually

represented war in the history of the United

States. The films produced in the Vietnam era

were significant in the way that it made war

movies that brutally depicted the war. While

other war movies of the Korean War, World

War I, and World War II were meant to boost

the morale of the united States or to promote

the necessary sacrifice or to bring the nation

together to vilify the enemy, the movies of the

Vietnam War were made to show the citizens

at home what was truly going on in places

were they could not see. The war movies that

were made for the war before Vietnam were

undoubtedly propaganda and therefore did not

serve as a true informational tool for the

American citizens

"The first casualty of war is

innocence""The Horror. . . The Horror. . . "

Platoon(1986) – Apocalypse Now (1979)

Because movies about Vietnam such as “Apocalypse Now” and

“Platoon” were expected to bring the viewers shock and horror

towards the war, movies about Vietnam and other war movies

now have risen to the Vietnam War movie standard.

2- Television

Television played a prominent role during the Vietnam War. The TV was a window looking out towards Vietnam that anyone at home could look into. The television gave people the truth and first accounts of the war, and gave them a look into the war that wasn’t media controlled. Previously, the government would use propaganda, and would make up fiction, which led people to believe one thing when it would really be the other. Television was one of the aspects of the Vietnam War that made it unique and it was only a matter of time before a television show would appear that wasn’t the news. Television shows such as Tour of Duty and China Beach were related directly towards the Vietnam War. While “Tour of Duty” was about a platoon serving in the war, China Beach was set at a base for the army.

Today, and even after the war, television seemed to be impacted by this war. For example, M*A*S*H*, a popular television show on air between 1973-1982 depicted the Korean War. Although the wars were different, there were many parallels that viewers at home could make. Another, and more recent television show, That 70’s Show portrayed the life of six teenagers and their life in Wisconsin. These teens were a good example of the “free-loving” “druggies” hippies that existed during that time-period. They were not quite counter-culture revolutionaries, but they still provide comic relief to viewers at home. The Vietnam War is reflected in television yesterday and today.

3- Music

With all of the influence of the war affected U.S television, movies, books, and even fashion it was inevitable that American songwriters and singers would join the counter-culture movement. Protest Music reflected not only what that singer was feeling but also reflected the feelings of Americans. Artists such as The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Elvis Presley wrote protest songs against the Vietnam War. There was even a two day concert that drew almost half a million people, Woodstock. These songs were against the war, and for most counter-culture revolutionaries they would listen to them religiously and the bands that played these songs were icons. Protest music was important for many of the people during that time period, and listening to this music reflected what most people felt during the Vietnam War.

Even today, many songs in contemporary America are

protest songs. Green Day, who is a popular punk-rock band,

writes songs that criticize U.S nation, U.S government, and

the media that puts out wrong messages to Americans. Other

bands include the Dixie Chicks, P!nk, and Neil Young. These

songs, similar to hose during the Vietnam War, reflect their

feelings against the war, and are protesting against U.S war

in Iraq.

4- Fashion The Vietnam War brought on a strong

surge of counter-culture in the United

States, from hobbies to popular music

genres, and all the way to clothing styles.

Rather than heading out to the movies on

the weekends, teens and college students

from across the country would spend their

free time at protest marches, rallying

against the war overseas. With this radical

age of protest and rebellion came a new

sense of fashion in America’s middle class

The conservative days of pearls

and well combed hair were over,

and in came tie dye, afros, and

oversized sweaters. Both men

and women alike began wearing

their hair long, bell-bottoms,

sandals, and love beads. Clothing

retailers slowly began going out of

business as more Americans

started shopping at Army Surplus

stores. Women were no longer

concerned with wearing fancy

dresses anymore; instead

they opted for long peasant-style

dresses and unisex t-shirts, silk-

screened with

anti-war slogans on them.

Hippies believed that by

separating themselves

from the traditional styles

and behaviors that were

once widely accepted in

the United States, they

could not be held

responsible for what was

happening in Vietnam.

Their style of dress was

just another way for them

to separate themselves

from the rest of America

and show that they did

not support the war.

Works Consulted "Fashion." The Groovy 1960's. 27 Apr. 2007

<http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infoCentral/frameset/dec

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Thomas, Pauline Weston. "The 60s Mini Skirt 1960s Fashion

History." Fashion Era. Google. 27 Apr. 2007 <http://fashion-

era.com/the_1960s_mini.htm>.

"Fads and Fashion." American Cultural History. 30 Apr. 2007.

<http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade60.html#fads>.

Anderegg, Michael. Inventing Vietnam: The War in Film and

Television. Philedelphia: Temple University Press, 1991.

Thomson, Jeremy.

"Platoon." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091763/plotsummary

Gitlon, Todd. The sixties : years of hope, days of rage. New

York : Bantam Books, 1987

Pictures:

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/hippie-clothes.htm