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Culture War Roundup for the week of September 25, 2023

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You never heard of the anti Vietnam-war protests?!

Oh, you're not talking about the US decision to go to war, you're talking about NV's decision to invade SV. That is, you think the left was pro-invasion because it didn't support helping South Vietnam.

...You know what? Fair. I'll give this one to you.

The left at the time was taking the piss about the whole thing, because they didn't like Thatcher.

Let's be clear about which "left" we're talking about. Liberals? Center-left individuals? Radical Leftists? Marxists/Socialists/Communists? Once we clarify that, we can talk about whether they were against the idea of the British sending an army to the Falklands.

A contemporary source on Korea might be harder for me to find, but a film and TV show like MASH didn't write itself either.

MASH was produced towards the end of the Vietnam War and into the years after. You have to separate out Vietnam weariness and disapproval with what attitudes MASH actually captured of the Korean era.

That said, your ultimate point strikes me as misguided. I agree that there was a left which opposed US involvement in Vietnam for a variety of reasons. But there was a big ideological shift - the socialists and communists fell out of favor and continued losing power. The character of that left has changed.

MASH was produced towards the end of the Vietnam War and into the years after. You have to separate out Vietnam weariness and disapproval with what attitudes MASH actually captured of the Korean era.

You could also read the book -- it was written well before Vietnam and while it's maybe not as anti-war as the movie I don't recall it being exactly supportive of the enterprise.

I was not aware there was a book. I will look further into it.