The Cold War Freedom Myth
Though America has been seen as a protector of its citizens, it is clear that during the period of the cold war the country only respected the rights which the government desired its citizens to exercise; at times the leaders forced its citizens to be fake or hide their real views on divisive matters. The government had the assumption that Americans were supposed to act like suburban’s “Leave it To Beaver” family instead of actual people. Frankly speaking, many people could not make apt to the mold that the government required them to. The government of United States went too far in defending freedom during the cold war period (Buzan, 1101).
All the citizens who were not “normal,” had radical or nonconformist views, had their rights limited and not taken care of by the government of United States. This process of restriction was not an easy one as evident in the violence which was administered to the citizens during the Civil Rights movement (CRM), the demonstrators in the Beat and Vietnam cohort, and to the citizens who were caught in McCarthyism. All that American wanted to counter was the notion of communism and nothing else (Meernik, Eric & Steven, 63)
The case of McCarthy highly affirms what was happening. Everything was running smoothly on his side as a senator until when he pointed figures on the government. Exposing communist infiltration based on the armed services marked the end of his journey. McCarthy had received a lot of reputation in regard to his fight for common evil taking place in the society but had never touched the government before. In that way, he had support from the government. After the army exposure however, his support began to wane and almost at once all his aura of invulnerability which had surrounded him for years had disappeared. The trend began when he was first undermined by the army drafting that he was trying to win preferential treatment for his aides. Then followed by the fatal blow when Edward Murrow, a journalist was lured to expose degrade him in a hearing on national television. By the time of seeing the end of the hearing, McCarthy had been forsaken by most of his allies and condemned largely by the senate. And this marked the end of McCarthy’s power, all because he had exposed the government.
The Vietnam War
The United States had expressed interest in Vietnam affairs long before it was aware of the Vietnam War. Even before Rolling Thunder and Tonkin Gulf Incident, the United States had been involved. America involvement in Vietnam War has been considered both then and since, to consist of a collection of “truths,” which are self-evident. The “truths, “however, are part of a sermon of American Exceptionalism, which has been used by the United States to reinforce its image as a nation of “difference”; not a colonial power, nor a tyrant, but a “helper,” dedicated to saving those unable to save themselves. Since its revolution, helping other countries in their struggle for freedom, democracy, and capitalism has been its mission. But is this the case in Vietnam War? (Kulka, et al., 245)
The rhetoric surrounding American involvement in Vietnam War presents the conflict in Vietnam in an altruistic term. On penetrating deep into this rhetoric of “self-evident” facts and “obvious” truths, we realize that this history and politics representation cannot be termed as self-evident or an obvious fact, but a faked truth, which is inscribed inside the United States citizens. These “truths” cannot be considered as neutral knowledge positioned before people to be absorbed or overlooked freely as a conscious decision, but quite an information forming part of the complex and interwoven pattern: a hegemonic dissertation of transposed truths (Kulka, et al., 245).