The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam (Paperback)

by Jerry Lembcke (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Images of long-haired antiwar protesters, almost always women, spitting on returning Vietnam veterans have become a shameful part of America's collective memory. Lembcke (sociology, Holy Cross Univ.), a member of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, here presents a stunning indictment of this myth?an illusion created, he maintains, by the Nixon-Agnew administration and an unwitting press to attribute America's loss in Vietnam to internal dissension. In fact, the antiwar movement and many veterans were closely aligned, and the only documented incidents show members of the VFW and American Legion spitting on their less successful Vietnam peers. But Lembcke's most controversial conclusion is that posttraumatic stress disorder was as much a political creation?a means of discrediting returning vets who protested the war as unhinged?as it was a medical condition. The image of the psycho-vet was furthered through such Hollywood productions as The Deer Hunter and Coming Home. This forceful investigation challenges the reader to reexamine assumptions about the dark side of American culture that glorifies war more than peace. Highly recommended for large public libraries and for all academic peace studies collections.?Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
No, Holy Cross College sociology professor Lembcke can't prove a negative, but he makes a strong case that tales of antiwar activists spitting at returning vets are myth. Lembcke, a Nam vet who was active in Vietnam Veterans Against the War, opens with Persian Gulf War politicians' use of "the spitting image" and then traces Nixon and Agnew's agitated response to antiwar activism by GIs and veterans. He notes that contemporary media, government, and polling data show no evidence of antiwar spitting incidents; the few events reported had supporters of the war targeting opponents. But later studies reported hostility toward veterans; "the spitting image" epitomized that narrative. Similar images were common in post-World War I Germany and France after Indochina; Lembcke suggests the Nixon administration cultivated this notion of betrayal because it stigmatized both the antiwar movement and veterans against the war. With development of a new psychiatric diagnosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, a good vet/bad vet split was complete, and Hollywood films shifted attention from the war itself to its GI victims. Mary Carroll --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: NYU Press (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814751474
• ISBN-13: 978-0814751473
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #84,559 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A necessary work, May 19, 2004

By	Ed Tracey (Lebanon, New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

I decided to take up the reader from Dallas who suggested that "Google dispels all of the 'research' done for this book".

Guess what? I found most all of the references agreed with the author's point of view. Most all referred to this as an "Urban Legend", where those people who state this theory in discussions do so after having only read about it once, or who are so committed to the Vietnam War - and I think one can make a noble case for it - that they are willing to try anything to discredit anyone who felt otherwise.

Ironically, the author notes that the relatively few cases in which there is evidence of it having taken place...mostly came from prior war veterans, dismayed that returning veterans "couldn't do what we did". In some cases, the reporting of drug use by some overseas veterans, sadly, helped feed some of this animosity.

The author, a Vietnam Vet himself, emphasizes that very, very few cases of this exist to begin with. All the more reason to treat this as the Urban Legend that it is.

72 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Political and social forces affect memory and activism, August 23, 1998

By	Jason Willoughby (Fitchburg, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam (Hardcover)

Lembcke's thorough analysis probes the myth of the spat-upon Vietnam veteran. He reminds us that the anti-war movement saw an ally in veterans and the largest group of veterans was in fact Vietnam Vets Against the War. While violence and 'spitting' did occur, it was normally against the peace activist or even the anti-war veteran, who received the harshest treatment from hawks and mainstream veterans organizations who looked down on them for losing the war.

However, the nixon administration needed to discredit both groups. Thus the strategy began to de-politicize vets by portraying them as damaged people and attacking the anti-war activists by introducing fictious images into popular culture to discredit their efforts.

However, like Howard Zinn in the People's History of the United States, the goal is not simply to set the record straight; but it also affects how we act today. This memory has discredited activism on college campuses in the 80's and 90's, especially during the gulf war. Students who equate activism with spitting on veterans quickly shy away from that type of activity.

The book does a complete job showing why and how this attack on our cultural memory was accomplished by looking at police reports, newspaper articles and films(since many people's primary reference for this war is rambo). This false memory has been damaging to activists, veterans and the country as a whole, and this book helps us to come to a better understanding of what really happened.

57 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Fist Salute to Jerry Lembcke, October 3, 2001

By	Vietnam Veterans Against The War Anti Imperialist (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Dewey Canyon III, the protest in 1971 where vets (many VVAW) threw their war medals back at the capital building, is imortalized on the jacket of this insightful volume. Lembke dissects dozens of stories of 'Nam vets being spat on by the anti-war movement at home (usually, legend has it, by a young woman in the San Francisco airport). But even more importantly he eloquently exposes and breaks down who the myth serves, and the importance of accurate recollection:

"...Ironically if the real [emphasis added] Vietnam War had been remembered, the Gulf War might not have been fought. We need to take away the power of political and cultural institutions to mythologize our experiences. We need to show how myths are used by political institutions to manipulate the decision making process. And we need to dispel the power of myths like that of the spat-upon Vietnam veteran by debunking them."

"...instances of attacks of U.S. officers by their own men are all but forgotten in the popular remembrances of the Vietnam War. Many Americans today "know" that GIs were mistreated upon their return from Vietnam. Their images of Vietnam veterans run from the hapless sad sack to the freaky serial killer; for them post-traumatic stress disorder is a virtual synonym for the Vietnam veteran. But they have never heard of "fragging," the practice of soldiers killing their own officers. The true story of the widespread rebellion of troops in Vietnam and the affinity of GIs and veterans for the politics of the left has been lost in the myth of the spat-upon Vietnam veteran."

This is a must read for anyone fighting to keep the real legacies of the Vietnam War alive. Lembcke goes into the history of how important past wars, their veterans, and the common summation of the public, are invaluable in building for support for the next war. He's also got a great filmography and references for further study.

"...How Vietnam is to be remembered looms large on the agenda of the turn-of-the-century legacy studies. Remembered as a war that was lost because of betrayal at home, Vietnam becomes a modern day Alamo that must be avenged, a pretext for more war and generations of more veterans. Remembered as a war in which soldiers and pacifists joined hands to fight for peace, Vietnam symbolizes popular resistance to political authority and the dominant images of what it means to be a good American. By challenging myths like that of the Spat-upon Vietnam veteran, we reclaim our role in the writing of our own history, the construction of our own memory, and the making of our own identity."

StormWarning! five-fist salute to Jerry Lembcke.