The Flower Child vs The War Hero: How Media in the 1960s Divided a Nation

Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Jesse Curtis

College

College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)

Discipline(s)

History

ORCID Identifier(s)

0009-0008-6201-1588

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-30-2026

Abstract

The topic of this paper addresses the legacy of divisive media in the United States during the

Vietnam War, and the media’s exploitation of conflict between returning veterans and their families against the counterculture movement and the protesters involved. Historians and sociologists, such as Jerry Lembcke in his book The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam, argue that news outlets purposely used inflammatory language and cherry picked stories to push unsubstantiated narratives about counterculture protesters. However, there is still a large debate surrounding certain events that took place during this time. Many people can imagine the stereotype of spat upon veterans and protesters screaming at returning soldiers, but historical reports have failed to confirm the accuracy of these eyewitness accounts. By exploring how protesters and Vietnam veterans were portrayed in the media during the Vietnam War, this paper will argue that news outlets fueled an ideological war at home to disencourage citizens from realizing that soldiers were fighting a losing war overseas. It will also argue that protestors and pro-veteran citizens were not as different as portrayed, and instead both just wanted their friends and family to stop being sent to Vietnam. This study examines newspapers, footage from protests, and historical accounts in texts to convey how media sources’ depiction of the counterculture movement in the 1960s is why the average American and those who were involved with these counterculture groups were so heavily divided. This legacy of divisive media has only continued to exploit and misinterpret Americans' differences instead of celebrating them.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

I decided to focus on this project because I am passionate about the history surrounding the Vietnam War. I have done other papers on a veterans' art museum that focuses on Vietnam veterans and have done research into PTSD rates in returning soldiers. I have been at Valpo for 3 years and plan to continue my degree at a master's program for history.

For Artistic Presentations

N/A

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