9/9/13
Photojournalism history
The Vietnam War was broadcasted into the countless homes of Americans. Media was able to effect the opinion of the war. People could now sit down with their TV dinners and watch live coverage from
Vietnam. The negative exposure caused many Americans to be against the war and to protest it. Unlike World War 2, Vietnam had
massive coverage that made it home. As the
fighting escaladed so did the coverage and so did the protesting. If it wasn’t
for brave photographers and brave journalist, then the American people would not have an idea of what war was really like. If all the horrible and traumatic events were
kept away from the view of the public then the war might have kept going on
longer. Reporting on how many casualties there were daily and showing video and
pictures of American soldiers hurt or dying made the American people somewhat
uneasy. Showing tragic images might have cut the war short.
Though the war was highly protested
and seen as a waste of young lives and seen as an unwinnable war, the brave men
and women that served did so with honor and as proud Americans. Many never made
it back home, and that’s the risk of war. These young people led others into
scary, unfamiliar territory. Without images to give the story its image the war might have been
misinterpreted. A select few photos cannot tell the complete story of what
Vietnam was all about but they can give the observer a
feel of what it was like.
In some photos, you can see how the
soldiers feel. There is an image where a solider marks off the months he has
left to returning home. Others wear peace medallions in their own protest. Not
everyone was against the war. Some really believed this was truly important not
just for the Vietnam people but for Americans. The view back home was mixed as
it is with any war. During this trying time people took to the streets to make
their voices heard. Famous protests against the nation spread with intense
speed. Fueling the flame was the famous protest at Kent State where four protesters were killed and nine were injured. Around this time
the whole anti-violence scene was growing, influenced by Dr. King. So for young
people who took to heart this whole idea of peace and making it a reality, the
war was ridiculous. Yet they all tried, united in protest, the youth was either
fighting or on the home front protesting the idea.
It is important to remember that
War may be inevitable sometimes but the images of the fighting will always make
it back home. Think back a few years ago to those images of U.S Soldiers posing with nude prisoners on dog leashes. Especially in today’s technological world, images of anything
significant can surface in seconds of occurring and by multiple sources. Social
media has made an impact as far as being a platform for photos. Cell phones are
being supped up with cameras with better resolution and ones that take better
pictures. People can document they want now a days, so why should war or
protesting or history be any different. People make the argument that the coverage of Vietnam didn't defeat America in Vietnam but in the social and political arena.
People will always document issues
important to them no matter where they may occur. Some things just do not
change, that was the case in Vietnam and any war since. Photos may change or
influence public opinion but that is the job of the photographer, to tell the
story. Vietnam was full of violence and tragedy and that was what was
documented and shown to the people back home.
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/vietnam-photos/
No comments:
Post a Comment