Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 64

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Popular Culture Review

Vietnam was often justified on the premise that replacing communism
with a free and democratic system would accomplish the goals of a
moralistic system. Freedom is a value shared by both the
materialistic and moralistic myths, although it serves different
purposes in each system. In a moralistic sense, freedom exists in the
ability to enact social and political change. This is consistent with
the initial justification of the war: the need to contain communism.
Froin the materialistic perspective, freedom was valued because it
would enable the Vietnamese people to escape the economic
constraints of communism. While the distinction between the two
systems seen here may seem irrelevant, ultimately materialistic
values began to dominate the rhetoric about Vietnam. U.S. officials
described death counts in terms of "the ratio of casualties between
Government and Viet Cong forces, the' ratio of arms captured or
lost."^^ Emphasis on materialism also appeared in anti-war rhetoric
which characterized the war as a "commodity in advanced consumer
capitalism....mass-marketed and sold to a consumer society
conditioned to consume the latest fashions, whether automobiles or
wars."^^
In writing about Vietnam, many authors also recognized the
conflicting values which existed in justifications for the war. For
example, author Norman Mailer described the tension between
"Christianity" (moralism) and "the corporation" (materialism) that
dominated American culture in his Pulitzer prize winning novel. The
Armies of the Night.
The ever-changing, sometimes conflicting
explanations for the war compounded the problem of American
soldiers who struggled to understand their purpose in Vietnam. This
conflict is represented in Ron Kovic's character in Born on the Fourth

of July.

The materialistic myth is exemplified in young Ron Kovic's
life. Early in the film his competitive spirit and athletic ability are
highlight^, when he becomes the baseball team's hero by hitting a
game-winning home run. Later, as a high school wrestler, he is
driven by hard work, competition and the need for success. Even upon
his return from Vietnam Kovic embraces the value of hard work as he
struggles to walk, after doctors conclude that he will be permanently
paralyzed.
Values of moralism also guide Kovic's early life. Patriotism
and loyalty to one's country are depicted in a Fourth of July parade