What Will It Take….
……To care enough
The Vietnam War protests were the largest and most influential in modern history. The student protests were most active between mid-1960s to the early 1970s. By 1968-70 antiwar protests were occurring at every major University in the country. Protests were global as they touched most countries. The war covered five US presidents from Truman to Nixon. The truth of the war and escalation was rarely revealed until South Vietnam fell in 1975.
There are many reasons for the war’s unpopularity from its fabricated rational, length (April 30, 1955 to April 30 1975), Americans killed (58,220) and wounded (153,000-160,000) not to mention combatants from the North and civilians. An additional principal reason for the successful protests was the immediate possibility of individual loss. With the probability of many young people being drafted and thus sent to fight with the possibility of never returning. The Selective Service system and the war were a real threat for men aged 18-25.
What does it take for people to care enough to require their government to do the right thing? What will it take for people to be upset enough to demand a better outcome or a better solution? Vietnam protests occurred because there was an absolute cost to individuals. There was a real timeline for a negative outcome. The things we currently get upset about now are temporary. With each passing day the fires in Los Angeles become a distant memory. The Haiti earthquake occurred long ago but the effects are still being felt. If you were burned, flooded or stormed out of your house then you care. But hurricanes only effect the people within a defined radius. People in Nebraska care little about hurricanes, tornadoes, yes, but not Florida’s storm.. They may be sympathetic or even empathetic, but in reality they do not care as much as those in the eye of the storm. We are upset that we cut off aide to international agencies or to Ukraine but do we care enough to spark large, national protests. It is that lack of caring that government counts on. Complacency is our weakness and governments power. Our attention span is short. There seems to be a great deal to be worried about but either the issues are too diffused or not central to our individual well-being for us to protest in large numbers..
So, the question remains what will it take for us to be upset enough to take to the streets to demand a better solution and better behavior. Have we become so desensitized or distant that we are unable to band together to force truth and honor from the institutions we profess to be important enough to protect?
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome, someday
Song by Joan Baez -- 1963