Hearts & Minds: The Sad Truth Of America & What We We're meant not to see.

Peter Davis documentary film "Hearts and Minds" gives us a deep look into the Vietnam war and how it negatively affected both The United States but also The Civilians of Vietnam. As we saw from the film Davis included various clips of football scenes, news footage and scenes from old movies that played a part in telling the story of the Vietnam war; we saw scenes of news footage that broadcast possibly live footage of what was going on overseas. It displayed pure Hell. Dead bodies lying in the street, One civilian handcuffed behind his back shot point- blank in the head by an American soldier,all for the eyes of American civilians at home to witness. Shots of football games showed an happier time in America's history. The sport that supposedly not only brings people together as one but in doing so unifies them and the passion of choosing sides and rooting for either the away team or the home team of winning the game. In which I guess you can say is what Davis wanted to achieve in doing so comparing America's past-time i.e football and comparing it to the likes of a war.Displaying the emotions not only the coaches (or dictators and state officials in the wars case) feel on the field but off the field as well. The idea of winning is the only goal. Doesn't matter how much blood is being shed or how many team players get taken out the game as long as we win, we matter to everyone...if we lose you only have yourself to blame. Which ideally makes you realize that the only ideology America has to pass on for it's future is that Winning matters, if you lose your lost. Bullying the little people doesn't hurt our image..it only strengthens us and feeds our passion of doing more damage to others that we already haven't brainwashed and kept for the taking.
Learning about ideologies in Prof. Johnson's class watching the film I for one got the sense that certain ideologies such as the idea of winning and the statements made by our past presidents led to U.S involvement with the Vietnam war. The idea of being lied to and betrayed in a certain sense by leaders that you chose to lead your country down the straight path of exceeding great fortune and building us for a better future you wouldn't think they would do anything to not only put at harm the Americans that give their life to serve the country but of the families that in the end wind up paying the ultimate price for freedom. Now we all have noticed that in recent wars the country has faced their has been little to no exposure of images that showcase our wars being fought, When comparing the times of now to then back in the 70s when this film was made, I don't honestly think they serve a purpose to the public..in fact I found what was being shown to the American public was purely disgusting and barbaric but i will beg to differ and say that the footage possibly gave families an insight to what was going on and actually made them think as to "Is this what we're over there for?" while we are all suffering with unemployment rates going up and we're all trying to make ends meet with no jobs or no type of income coming in..We're sending our tax dollars overseas fighting a war just to kill harmless civilians. It's pretty sick when you think about it and it's sad just watching it. After watching this documentary my mindset about America and what we stand for has totally changed for the better. I now know to definitely keep my eyes and ears open to everything around me..For we are not safe and have no one to trust & protect us at the end of the day but ourselves.