Vietnam: The Reality Show

The 1900’s are strongly known as an era of industrialization for our country. Technology skyrocketed, providing us with new inventions and modern lifestyles.  The United States was at its prime, but although we flourished in technological advances throughout this time period, we also suffered many wars along the way. From the very beginning of the 1900’s to its end, we experienced war; each accompanied by the media, recording it’s every move. The media was behind every single war, but one, was particularly different from the rest: The Vietnam War of 1965.

America’s rise in technology helped create inventions to dramatically revolutionize the media, using film and the television as its new and powerful source to the people. The Vietnam War came along as the perfect opportunity to put these inventions to use, eventually leading to it being the first war to ever be televised without military censorship... and the very last. This changes America forever.  

Imagine watching a battlefield in your living room, seeing U.S. soldiers die and get shot with your very own eyes and no censorship to ease the violence, making you feel as if you were by their side. This was a much different experience from simply flipping through pages in the newspapers with little images provided. People were exposed to footage with sound, allowing them to hear the voices of these soldiers and see the scared expressions on their faces every single night. 

The television quickly became the most powerful form of media of all time. People began putting down the newspapers and tuning into their televisions for their daily dose of news. About 35 million watched every night, but the viewers began to have different perspectives of war after watching it from the comfort of their homes. The war was no longer viewed as a positive necessary step for our nation, but as an unorganized bloodbath with no meaning. 

“Television gave the American people vivid images of certain aspects of the war in Vietnam which they could never have gotten from reading newspapers and periodicals. It made them see the war as a meaningless and destruction of lives and landscapes” – Edward Shills, The Vietnam Legacy

“Television brought the Vietnam war into our living rooms on a nightly basis. They produced close-up sensational images of war. American viewers saw the real experience of war transformed into theatrics on the twenty-one-inch screen. And they recoiled.” – Edwin Newman, NBC

Journalists put their lives on a thin line by going to the war and running alongside troops to capture whatever news they could about the war. There were three main competitive networks, which provided news: NBC, ABC, and CBS. Each network had many journalists and cameramen at the frontlines of war to feed America with whatever information possible to compete with the others. It was an obvious competition on who could provide more vivid information, images, and footage of the war and the networks did a well job in providing all three.

Journalists or Heroes?

I’d say both. They wore no ‘S’ on their chests, but they were known to have saved the lives of millions, along with helping make our nation a healthier and cleaner place in just about every way possible. Corruption is one of our biggest fears and it was very much alive throughout the 1900’s, when our nation was undergoing a historic industrial expansion. New inventions were created, factories were dramatically increasing in efficiency, and national resources were being used more than ever before, moving us away from foreign dependence. This put America’s industry on top of the world, but just how well off were we? America’s intense progress only allowed room and distraction for more crime; we were economically superior, but in danger as civilians.

As i continue to read "Mightier than the Sword" by Rodger Streitmatter, I am only more amazed at how the media can take on such a historic role in keeping economies in line. The power of journalism has taken on many battles, but continues to maintain it's victory. Chapter 6: "Muckraking the Golden Age of Reform Journalism", is nothing ,but informative in terms of explaining just how journalism saved lives, along with our economy. For anyone with the passion of a journalist, this chapter will inspire you.

In just about any comic book or cartoon, the villains live in a world where corruption and greed prospers. Although superheroes and villains are fictional and created for entertainment purposes, our nation’s villains were very real… and they were rich robber barons, doctors, politicians and our own government. This comic-like world was           New York Times, June 10, 1911         a sad reality and there were villains by the dozen and they were all powerful. Though, as powerful as they seemed, they weren’t indestructible. They all had one weakness to put an end to them: The Media.  

The Fourth Estate took this opportunity to shine, and shine they did. They attacked democracy with their investigative skills, successfully exposing their wrongdoing and crimes to the people. These men were being exposed locally and even federally in the U.S. senate. President Theodore Roosevelt accused the journalists of “Raking Muck” for only digging up only negative elements of our society, although he was a supporter of the movement. 

Rise of the Muckrakers:

Renowned names such as Lincoln Steffens, S.S. McClure, Ida Minerva Tarbell, and Upton Sinclair, were all crusaders of this movement. These muckrakers helped change the nation single-handedly with dedication and bravery. They were our nations superheroes and the media was their number one weapon. Each is known to attack different issues of the industry from the food sanitation, to the faulty medicine that caused more damage than good. 
 
Lincoln Steffens set the footprints for most journalists of his time for being the first muckraker to take action. His article, “Tweed Days in St. Louis” became widespread, opening the eyes of Americans by helping them see what is happening under their very noses. He took down the corruption and bribery of the St. Louis government by enlightening the citizens on the issues happening in their own home. 

 
  “After publishing the St. Louis article, Steffens moved on to other cities, creating blockbuster articles that exposed wrongdoing in Minneapolis, Pittsburg, Philadelphia, Chicago and New York City. Steffens then moved on to state governments, reporting the illegal and unscrupulous practices among government officials in Missouri, Illinois, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Steffens’s series was one of the most significant examples of muckraking journalism that some dubbed the ‘literature of protest’” – Rodger Streitmatter

          Steffens was inspirational for his work, investigating in major cities nationwide and successfully taking down dozens of officials. If one man was capable of making such a strong impact, anyone can. Muckraker journalists began taking their work with such enthusiasm, eager to make as much impact as the last. 

Women's Rights and the Media

Women in today’s society are doctors, lawyers, scientists, soldiers, and leaders. We as men love and respect our women as equals, wanting them to succeed in doing what they love regardless of what field it may be… although things have not always been this way. Imagine a world where women were not only looked down upon, but also treated as inferior beings with only a handful of rights. A world where women put themselves before their husbands and male family members because it’s the “right” thing to do. Sadly, his world was indeed a reality only about 150 years ago here, where we call home. Today we live in a society where men and women alike are equal in just about every way, though this lifestyle was not easily handed to them. Women had to stand and fight for what they have today. 

After reading a few chapters of the book, “Mightier Than the Sword”, there was one chapter that particularly stood out to me for the simple fact that it covers something that sadly I wasn’t so educated in as much as I thought I was, which is the topic of Women’s Rights. Being a journalism major, I found Chapter 3, “Slowing the momentum for Women’s Rights” to be jam-packed with information on just how powerful the media can be by practically determining where women stood in society. This chapter is an eye opener to what many of us have forgotten or might not have learned about our very recent past.         

 
          The institution of journalism of the 1800’s was completely male dominated, giving them control on how stories or topics were approached and deciding on whether or not they were even worth mentioning. Intimidated by the idea that women might rise from their second-class citizenship, these men unanimously decided to avoid the Women’s Rights Movement as though it is nothing even remotely worth mentioning. Whenever they actually decided to shed light on the topic, it was only to belittle the idea of such a movement by mocking and laughing at the idea of it. 

          “The average eighteenth-century woman assumed her place in society based on her husband’s identity. She was considered, by nature, to be incapable of serious thought or important decision-making. In addition to not being allowed to vote, a woman couldn’t retain property in marriage, even if she had owned that property before her wedding day. So in case of divorce, she retained neither the ownership of land nor the custody of children. She typically married at sixteen and gave birth to a child every two years through her forties. A third of those children died early, and she lost her own health-as well as her looks-by her mid-twenties.” – Rodger Streitmatter

         This quote, describing the women of their time is degrading to mankind, making women seem almost inhuman, as though they are only used as objects to breed with and nothing else. Who is to blame for influencing men and women to such an alternative lifestyle? All fingers should be pointed to the media. The media helped set these guidelines on how women should be treated in society in a degrading manner. 

There was even a variety of “women’s magazines” that instead of encouraging individual thinking, only shaped women into doing what pleased their men and encouraging the mindset of what they are doing is right. Many of these were, of course, published and owned by men. One article in Ladie’s Magazine stated that, “To make her husband happy and contented will ever be her wish, not to say her greatest pleasure”, basically explaining to women that they should never come first and their opinions shouldn’t matter. Another article stated, “A girl should be taught, that her peculiar province is to please, and that every deviation from it is opposing the design of nature”. This quote is far deeper, making it seem almost as if women are committing a sin by not pleasing their husbands to the fullest extent. Mind you, these were all published in magazine specifically for women. Ladie’s Magazine is only one of many that published similar instructions for women to abide by. Weekly Magazine also had an article, containing a checklist of the mot common errors when speaking such as “not acknowledging his superior judgment” along with “women voicing their own opinions” This is an example of how strong the media is, shaping the way people decide on what is “right” or “wrong”. 

Women today are strong and it is considered a good quality to be independent, but in the 1800’s widows and unmarried women were only looked down upon. Women feared the idea of not being single because it was the equivalence of being completely useful in society. How would you feel about being mistreated for being single? This lifestyle was completely unfair to women, but things do change. 

                http://dwbproductions.hubpages.com/hub/Womens-rights-in-the-1800s-America

It wasn’t until the Seneca Falls Convention where the Women’s Rights Movement took action. Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped pave the way for many women, being the leading theorist, writer, and orator. Hat she did took only courage and bravery to step up against such a strong power. Finally, although dangerous, women began to think for their own. After the two-day convention and a success for women, the now threatened media stepped to the plate and responded. 

The media took offense to the Women’s Rights Movement and attacked with newspapers from all over the country with negative remarks:

            “Headlines ranged from ‘Women out of Their Latitude’ to ‘Insurrection among Women’. The Rochester Daily Democrat vilified the demands as ‘impracticable, absurd, and ridiculous.’ The Rochester Daily Advertiser belittled the proposals by calling them ’extremely dull and hardly worth notice.’.. The Mechanics Advocate in Albany criticized the resolutions as impracticable , uncalled for, and unnecessary.” – Rodger Streitmatter

Popular newspapers of their time such as the New York Herald, who called the Seneca convention, a “women’s Wrong Convention”, along with the Worcester Telegrapher, The Philadelphia Ledger, and Daily Transcript were all victims of attacking women for stepping up for themselves. This made it only far more difficult for women to achieve their goals. This discouraged men into being involved for the sake of not getting ridiculed. The support was drastic because of the power of the media. 

                                                           

                                                                 

My decision for Chapter 3: Slowing the Momentum for Women’s Rights

            After reading the first few chapters, Chapter 3:Slowing the Momentum for Women’s Rights particularly caught my interest. This chapter gives us a lot of information on how the media played a powerful role in determining where women stood in society. Various different newspapers played little to no mind to the idea of women’s rights and belittling it whenever brought to their attention. What surprises me most is that these events took place not too long ago; it is quite amazing how dramatically our society has improved throughout our recent past, now giving women the right and ability to achieve more than ever before and placing women in the position of being equal or even greater to men. This chapter also involves many well-known leaders and explains how they used and were affected by the media of their time.

Test.