War.

 

     The pictures that I have chosen clearly depict a view that anti-war protests had an influential role in the ending of the Vietnam War. Through music and protests, the voice of countless individuals in the United States and other countries were heard, influencing political leaders and foreign policy throughout the 1960’s and 70’s.

     Anti-war protests are effective because they place pressure on political leaders to take actions based upon the views of the masses, actions against the war. Anti-war protestors were often referred to as hippies or as members of Counterculture. These weren’t just marijuana-smoking flower children, these people had a very real and influential impact on a very pressing war.

    I have intentionally placed these pictures in a particular order to create a connection for the viewer between anti-war protests and the end of the war. I first present three pictures that are clearly from the 1960’s and 70’s to set the time frame for the viewer.

     The first picture is a poster from Woodstock, a well known music festival held in 1969. The slogan of the festival was “3 days of peace & music”, which is clearly an anti-war statement. I thought it was important to have the Woodstock poster in color, not just because it is visually pleasing, but also because it is a well know, recognized poster and I thought to strip it of its color would reduce its impact. Secondly, a picture of bearded men holding posters that read “make love, not war” is displayed. This was a popular anti-war saying and I once again am getting the viewer familiarized with both the time period and stance that I am taking on war.

    Similarly, the third image contains more posters reading “hell no, don’t go” which clearly is urging people not to participate in the war in Vietnam. The black and white photographs enhance the idea of the time period as well as give an idea of the seriousness that this issue held. The first three images of the video are of anti-war protests building up to a climax of the fourth image, the New York Times’ announcement that the war is over. This photograph is obviously black and white, for the fact that it is newspaper print. I linger on this picture longer than the previous three because I want the viewer to be able to figure out what it is and make the connection that I am providing them with.

    Similar to the first four images, the next three include two anti-war messages, with the third being a photograph of a soldier coming home to his family. Once again, a couple anti-war images are followed by one that indicates the end of the war. Also, the image of the soldier returning to his family is more focused upon than the others time-wise, for the need to make the connection between anti-war protests and the end of the war. One of my pictures shows veterans of the war protesting in our nation’s capital against it, which gives the viewer an idea of just how big the anti-war movement really was and the massive impact that it had. Additionally, I display pictures of the Kent State shooting, women and children protesting, men protesting, and more reunions of soldiers with their families.

    One of the pictures that I would like to highlight in particular is at 0:10. It is an image of an anti-war poster that was circulated around during the movement. It shows three women, with exposed legs and a slogan that reads, “girls say yes to boys that say no” which gave a sexual appeal to being against the war. The women’s faces give some indication as to what they would be saying “yes” to if a guy decided not to join the war.

     I spent a lot of time making my musical selection for this video. The most obvious choice was a song that I grew up listening to on my record player, “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. But I thought that there must be some other song from that time period that was more influential. I listened to anti-war music for hours (and secretly really enjoyed it) until I found a song that really unsettled me. I chose “Vietnam” by Country Joe, which was actually preformed at Woodstock in 1969. The lyrics to this song are meant to make the listener uncomfortable. The artist hollers for joy at the thought that everyone will die, which is clearly the opposite of what he actually means. If the viewer were to listen to the whole song, it might give them an idea of how critical Country Joe was of the war. Because the song is so upbeat and he invites the crowd to sing along with him, the viewer automatically assumes it is a positive song, but in reality it is very harshly critical of the war in Vietnam and the American soldiers who fought in it. Country Joe only uses one guitar in this song and is also the only one on stage singing, which creates a sense that his personal opinion was being expressed to the audience through this piece.

and its 1,2,3 what are we fightin for?

don't ask me i don't give a dam, the next stop is Vietnam,

and its 5,6,7 open up the pearly gates. Well there aint no time to wonder why...WHOPEE we're all gunna die.