Monday, November 29, 2010

Without Due Respect

So pretty much the whole world agrees that the Vietnam War was unjustified and immoral.

It was also unwinnable, due in part to the historical prescedent of the Vietnamese people and their goal during the "war" - to stick it out 'till the Yanks got bored and went home, not to "win".

Now we all know I'm not one to get offended easily. However, Herald writer John McCrystal using the Survivor tagline - "outwit, outplay and outlast" - as a description for the Vietnamese "strategy" during the war strikes me as lazy and disrespectful.

Vietnam didn't want a war over whether they were "communist" or not - they just wanted to not be ruled by foreign powers anymore. So when good ol' Uncle Sam decided that was bad for the world and sent troops in, the Vietnamese did what they've done for over 1,000 years in the face of occupation - wait it out and fight where you can. Given the horrors Vietnam endured, I think it's unnecessarily glib to chuck a pop culture reference in there. To compare the Vietnamese struggle for meaningful independence with the self-promotional orgy of self-centered whining that is Survivor is an insult.

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