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A map of Vietnam
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was an armed conflict that took place in the Indochinese countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Over nearly two decades, the democratic South Vietnam and socialist North Vietnam fought over control and reunification of the country. Considered a proxy war to the influence and goal of their backers (America supported South Vietnam, China and Russia supported North Vietnam), the Vietnam War began to draw massive amounts of scrutiny and disdain back in the US. New news and media techniques were able to showcase the horrors of war in a new light, and promises of progress were continuously made by the government and disproven as it became clear the American people were being deceived on the true status of the war effort. The antiwar movement, spearheaded by youth counterculture in America, began to call for an immediate end to the war.
The Bird's Take
The Bird's Take
The Bird, as can be expected from an alternative counterculture newspaper, is very opposed to the Vietnam War. The majority of the issue is dedicated to lambasting multiple aspects of the war, from attacking to draft, to reporting on protests occurring around the country, to publicizing various antiwar protests and rallies, and even using an excerpt Martin Luther King, Jr.'s essay about Vietnam. Opposition to the war is at the heart of the issue, even more than King.
As the Bird's founders consisted of college students, they take special care to point out the actions that their fellow young activists are taking. In the "screw the draft" section, the Bird highlights what some of their contemporaries at the National Student Association are doing to protest the draft, including encouraging young men to appeal to their lawmakers and taking legal action against military personnel. The Bird also published a letter sent to the Liberation News Service from the American Deserters in Stockholm announcing their displeasure with the Vietnam War and appealing to the youth of the nation to resist their government's wicked ways. Interestingly, the letter also came with a note attached stating "The deserters say that underground papers frequently have a wide pass - on readership among GI's abroad, and hope the undergrounds will carry news of their activities in Stockholm." The note speaks to the wide influence and success papers such as The Great Speckled Bird on spreading the antiwar message as well as informing and unifying those within the movement.
The final page of the issue contains a sobering message. In the "Peace and Freedom Now" segment, the Bird takes us into a meeting of the Atlanta Southern Student Organizing Committee on promoting and advancement to the Vietnam War. The article takes us through the organizers' reviewing and discussing various topics, such as their disgust at the promotion of conservative black leaders and their distrust of popular antiwar liberals. However, when the discussion turns to actual solutions, the planning falls apart: "A few comments later the gathering disintegrated into workshops, which disintegrated into tired people having found no solutions, only bigger and bigger problems." The subdued and sudden ending to the issue reveals an unfortunate truth for the New Left: good intentions and righteous anger does not automatically beget a plan of action.
Vietnam War protesters in Atlanta, Georgia
Martin Luther King, Jr. at an antiwar demonstration in New York City
Page 11 of The Great Speckled Bird Volume 1 Issue 3
"Longhair Convicted"
"Longhair Convicted"
One of the Bird's greatest strengths is its use of humor and satire to assist in illustrating its points. This issue's satire piece, "Longhair Convicted," does just that. "Longhair Convicted" retells the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, portraying Jesus as "the leader of a dissident group of pacifists" who is arrested by Roman authorities for kissing a man. King Herod and other Roman authorities then describe Christians as "a social blight on the city" and "parasites" because they loiter around without a job. The short story is an obvious allegory to the previously mentioned stories of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Joe Hill; activists who were attacked for having and spreading anti-establishment views. The piece serves to attack the mainstream culture's disapproval of hippie counterculture by pointing out the similarities between them and Jesus' struggle with the Romans. The satire is particularly effective due to the large number of Christians who comprise the dominant American culture that the counterculture is trying to undermine.
One of the Bird's greatest strengths is its use of humor and satire to assist in illustrating its points. This issue's satire piece, "Longhair Convicted," does just that. "Longhair Convicted" retells the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, portraying Jesus as "the leader of a dissident group of pacifists" who is arrested by Roman authorities for kissing a man. King Herod and other Roman authorities then describe Christians as "a social blight on the city" and "parasites" because they loiter around without a job. The short story is an obvious allegory to the previously mentioned stories of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Joe Hill; activists who were attacked for having and spreading anti-establishment views. The piece serves to attack the mainstream culture's disapproval of hippie counterculture by pointing out the similarities between them and Jesus' struggle with the Romans. The satire is particularly effective due to the large number of Christians who comprise the dominant American culture that the counterculture is trying to undermine.
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