USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Vietnam is often called the “living room war.” Television reduced the space between the battlefield and the viewer. When the media showed the intensity and the chaos of the war with relatively little mediation, it helped turn people against the war. This attitude shift was not lost on the Pentagon.

Detailed explanation-2: -Many Americans opposed the war on moral grounds, appalled by the devastation and violence of the war. Others claimed the conflict was a war against Vietnamese independence, or an intervention in a foreign civil war; others opposed it because they felt it lacked clear objectives and appeared to be unwinnable.

Detailed explanation-3: -Americans could see military abuses on television, such as the My Lai Massacre in 1968, which sparked riots in cities and university campuses across the nation. This outrage, fueled by television coverage, ultimately led to the decision to withdrawal of U.S. troops in 1973, and end of the U.S involvement in the war.

Detailed explanation-4: -A war known as the “Living Room War, ” represents the power of television reporting on people at home and its ability to turn the public opinion of the war quickly (Horten 37). The Vietnam War is a prime example of this war in the living room.