Image In Vietnam War

The role of image in both preceding and contemporary society is one that has directly affected the public’s decision making. The power of an image is so great, in fact, that it forces people to make determinations that they would have not made prior to being exposed to the illustration. Throughout several time periods in history the perception of an image has played a large role in how society reacts to certain situations. However, the role of image has never had a greater impact than it did during the time of the Vietnam War. The perception of image through television coverage combined with courageous work by employees of the government to uncover lies told by the government allowed society to gain a better depiction of the war. From this
The Pentagon Papers is a 2003 film that follows the life of Daniel Ellsberg up to his release of the Pentagon Papers. These papers uncovered years of governmental lies that prompted the continuation of the Vietnam War. This was an important release of information; this uncovering coupled with new visualizations and images of the war shaped lives in a way that allowed people to get a better understanding of the war and why the United States was still in the fight. However, this exposure to images must be taken lightly, because as one particular author points out, there is often bias in imaging. John McManus, in his book Don’t Be Fooled, underscores some of the problems and situations regarding bias in images. One of the main points that stuck out in the chapter was the idea that images can easily be manipulated to achieve a more dramatic effect. In reference to that idea, McManus says, “Even minor adjustments in camera placement or the angle of the lens can change our perception. A small demonstration can seem large in a close-up, a substantial group can seem small in a long shot or a panorama” (McManus 131). This is a key idea to understand, because the exposure to images can have an altered effect based on how they are constructed. Although the public had access to the truth in Vietnam, through
The movie The Pentagon Papers also highlights this idea. Prior to being visually exposed to the war, the main character Daniel Ellsberg was a wholehearted proponent of continuing the war. However, after his exposure to the images of the war and his investigation of governmental doings, he became largely opposed to the war. This is a direct example of how image changed individual perception. In contemporary times, the class discussed a key political example of similar happenings. In 2003, President Bush served Thanksgiving dinner to troops in Iraq. At this point in his presidency, Bush was struggling for ratings by much of the population. By doing this, he was hoping to change the public’s perception of the success of his presidency. The consequences of this are that it minimizes human agency. This lack of agency, or independent thinking, is a problem, because people base their decisions on public perception, rather than their own