How to Understand the Lack of Activism Against the War in Iraq

Polls during the war in Iraq indicate that it is by far less popular than the Vietnam War of the 1960s. Then why the comparatively mild protest movement? There are several reasons.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Understand that Americans have changed. In the mid-to-late 2000s, they were more self-absorbed and less emotionally involved in matters not concerning them personally.
2. Vietnam war protesters Remember that the majority of protests against the Vietnam War, particularly before 1969, were carried out by college students, who were morally against the war and most affected by it. The draft was a major issue and many of them had friends who had been killed or wounded in Vietnam.
3. Consider college kids since the turn of the new millennium. Through November 2007, they had to be considered far more conservative and self-involved than their brethren 40 years ago. Protests against the war in Iraq at major universities through November 2007 had been nearly unheard of.
4. Keep in mind that the Vietnam War was far bloodier than the war in Iraq. More than 50 thousand Americans died in Vietnam to just 4 thousand in Iraq through November 2007. Though the moral issues were equally touchy, the difference in numbers played a role in keeping active and violent protests to a minimum.
5. Though against the war in Iraq because they fail to see its benefits, most Americans remained frightened about terrorism and angry over the tragedies of 9/11. The American people in general had nothing against the North Vietnamese during the 1960s and certainly didn't feel horrified by the threat of Communism taking over in Vietnam, thus increasing their moral outrage.

Tips & Warnings

• Discuss the issue of older friends and family members who recall the Vietnam War era and might have been politically active one way or the other. What does she believe to be the differences in the reaction to that war and the one in Iraq?