What did the Anti-War Movement Lead To? Gramsci and Civil Society

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Wed May 13 10:53:25 PDT 1998


At 09:32 AM 5/13/98 -0700, Nathan Newman wrote:
>>My orientation to these questions comes from experience in the Vietnam
>>antiwar movement,

What movement? Feel-good identity politics of middle class draft-dodgers, maybe, but movement?

I think Nathan is correct linking the steady decline of the progressive power with the ascent of the me-generation of the baby boomers. They protested mainly because they did not want to give their privileged life style to fight in Vietnam, not because they opposed the war. When not threatened by the draft, they cheered the televised Persian Gulf war from the privacy of their living rooms and suburan drinking holes.

The myriad of voluntary organizations? If you are a self-centered college-processed brat, whom would you rather be, a leader or a foot soldier? Could not make it to the top in corporate America? Well, how about establishing your own tiny NGO where you can be the president or the board member, and wait for your second chance, even if that means joining GOP or the SOS campaign.

PS. From what I heard from a historian friend of mine, the only anti-war movement that really mattered was the opposition to the war within the military itself, that left the army deeply divided and demoralized.

Regards,

Wojtek Sokolowski



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