The End of Victory Culture: Cold War America and the Disillusioning of a GenerationA triumphalist myth, unquestioned for years, promoted the belief that America would always overcome its enemies. Engelhardt shows how major events since 1945 have thoroughly eroded this belief, resulting in disillusionment for those over 40 and bewilderment for the post-Vietnam War generation. He focuses on a variety of related themes: Indian captivity narratives; Hollywood's depiction of our "enemies," usually dehumanized Native Americans and Asians; the phenomenon of "GI Joe," the most popular war toy ever created; and the advent of rock'n'roll and the teen subculture that grew up around it. In a new afterword, Engelhardt carries that story into the twenty-first century, exploring how, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the younger George Bush headed for the Wild West. |
Contents
Triumphalist Despair | 3 |
Story Time | 16 |
Ambush at Kamikaze Pass | 37 |
Premonitions The Asian Death of Victory Culture | 54 |
War Games | 69 |
X Marks the Spot | 90 |
The Enemy Disappears | 113 |
The Haunting of Childhood | 133 |
The President as Mad Mullah | 202 |
The Crossover Point | 204 |
Something Rather Dark and Bloody | 215 |
The War Crimes of Daniel Ellsberg | 227 |
Ambush at Kamikaze Pass II | 234 |
Besieged | 241 |
Reconstruction | 254 |
Victory Culture the Sequel Crashing and Burning in Iraq | 305 |
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The End of Victory Culture: Cold War America and the Disillusioning of a ... Tom Engelhardt No preview available - 1995 |
Common terms and phrases
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