Nikki Rodriguez Josh Akers Sasha Abitante Ariana Laszlo Daniel Vazquez

 Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

 Peace Convoy = Hippies  Baby Killers= Soldiers  Viet Cong = Viet Minh Guerillas  Jungle War= Vietnam War

 The one major form of persuasion during this era was brevity, or the use of short statements.  The most memorable statement was “Make Love Not War”  This was in opposition of the war.

 The need for politicians and leaders to be able to use rhetoric such as cause and effect, and persuasive concepts became key.  Statements such as “Our purpose in Vietnam is to prevent the success of aggression. It is not conquest, it is not empire, it is not foreign bases, it is not domination. It is, simply put, just to prevent the forceful conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam.” It is statement such as this that shows the simple easily acceptable concept as to why we were involved in Vietnam. It was in this way that politicians and the military were able to sell the war. To narrow and simple a broad concept down.  Politicians and those for the War became professionals at using propaganda techniques. They were able to speak in broad terms without specific qualifications or definitions.  Why do you feel that politicians use rhetoric in a way that people cant understand? Why do they use propaganda in order to influence people? is it because its simple and easy?

 Protest during Vietnam gave birth to a new form of opposition and public speaking.  Short phrases and Cliché’s become common as peace love and freedom became the new rhetoric in the 60’s and early 70’s.  Poets and music used their songs politically and in order to present their message.  Why do you feel that the right rhetoric can be key when protesting an event.

 Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America--not on the battlefields of Vietnam.--Marshall McLuhan, 1975  The Vietnam War was the first war to be completely photographed and released to the pubic. Its video and photographic rhetoric really changed the way the war was fought. No more would the public be shadowed by propaganda as in World War Two. It was now war as it happened. The death, suffering, crime, inhumanity. The imagery of Vietnam altered how the war was fought and who supported it. The protest movement really exploded due to this. Anti war became common and civil rights, college reforms, and peace movements became landmarks through the 60's and 70's. What do think is the largest impact Vietnam images and rhetoric had on American society?? Does violence really show through in images?? While walking on a street would a poster truly be able to sway your opinion on an issue?

 Througout the Vietnam war The presidents involved such as Johnson and Nixon left a massive bread trail of speechs that showcase persuasuve rhetoric at it peak.  They constantly used rhetorical tools such as assertion justification shown in Johnson's speech Why Are We In Vietnam.  It was key for presidents to be able to try and sway positive opinion in the war especially as American involvement in Vietnam increased.  Presidents used rhetoric in order to attempt to alter words such as "world order" and war for "freedon, peace and defense" instead of words like "control, battle, and death" it was a play on words. The war dragged on and presidents needed to be able to speak to the people to seem like they knew what was going on in the conflict. Rhetoric became key.  Do you consider Presidents playing with words and using broad rhetoric as lying to the people??

 It truly was a war of rhetoric as close to a textbook definition as possible.  Word choice, media, and speechs were filled with substance and rhetoric the stuck out like a sore thumb.  Rhetoric became a key issue and play on words and use of advertisement/images altered situations.