The controversial nature of the Vietnam War is reflected in the overall design and in the creation process of the Vietnam memorial. The polarizing effects of the war left the United States divided and with no sense of closure. On one hand, one side desired a heroic and idealistic interpretation while the other side preferred to address the tragedy of the war. The legacy of the war left behind feelings of distrust, betrayal, and anger that led to contrasting memories of the war. Consequently, the Vietnam Memorial captures the dissent and fragmentation of the different types of memories.
The disagreement and dissent between the public’s collective memories of the war were largely reflected in the process of creating the memorial and in the final …show more content…
As a result, the political and public debate about the memorial “mirrored much of the controversy surrounding the war itself.” (Berdahl 93) The debates about the memorial also highlighted the conflicts about the foreign policy of the war as indicated through the debates “about the proper ‘lessons’ of the war.” (Hagopian 23) Correspondingly, the Vietnam era created several divisions in the United States that was largely defined by who supported the war and those who were against it. Therefore, the Vietnam War’s “lack of a singular, historical narrative defining clear-cut purpose and outcome-has led to a very different form of commemoration.” (Sturken 118) The Vietnam memorial creation process and the proposed design subsequently led to widespread political …show more content…
They represented those who “mourned the ‘lost victory’ in Vietnam” and “blamed their fellow citizens, antiwar protesters, the media, or weak-willed, “dovish” politicians—for betraying the war effort. “ (Hagopian 24) They believed that the United States could have won the war with full support of their fellow citizens. They had no doubts about their reasons for fighting in the war and therefore, they supported a glorified commemoration of the war
In the aftermath of the war, many Americans were distrustful of their government and feared another Vietnam. However, politicians specifically during the Regan administration wanted to get beyond the “Vietnam syndrome” and more forward. (Hagopian 24) They did not want the Vietnam War and the public’s remembrance of the past to stunt their progress during the Cold War. The focus on remorse and grief in Lin’s design became an issue for political figures and organizations. Consequently, this led several of the special interest groups to lobby against her design and call for changes to be made to the memorial
The disagreement and dissent between the public’s collective memories of the war were largely reflected in the process of creating the memorial and in the final …show more content…
As a result, the political and public debate about the memorial “mirrored much of the controversy surrounding the war itself.” (Berdahl 93) The debates about the memorial also highlighted the conflicts about the foreign policy of the war as indicated through the debates “about the proper ‘lessons’ of the war.” (Hagopian 23) Correspondingly, the Vietnam era created several divisions in the United States that was largely defined by who supported the war and those who were against it. Therefore, the Vietnam War’s “lack of a singular, historical narrative defining clear-cut purpose and outcome-has led to a very different form of commemoration.” (Sturken 118) The Vietnam memorial creation process and the proposed design subsequently led to widespread political …show more content…
They represented those who “mourned the ‘lost victory’ in Vietnam” and “blamed their fellow citizens, antiwar protesters, the media, or weak-willed, “dovish” politicians—for betraying the war effort. “ (Hagopian 24) They believed that the United States could have won the war with full support of their fellow citizens. They had no doubts about their reasons for fighting in the war and therefore, they supported a glorified commemoration of the war
In the aftermath of the war, many Americans were distrustful of their government and feared another Vietnam. However, politicians specifically during the Regan administration wanted to get beyond the “Vietnam syndrome” and more forward. (Hagopian 24) They did not want the Vietnam War and the public’s remembrance of the past to stunt their progress during the Cold War. The focus on remorse and grief in Lin’s design became an issue for political figures and organizations. Consequently, this led several of the special interest groups to lobby against her design and call for changes to be made to the memorial