This is a photograph taken by Marc Riboud in 1967. It was taken at an anti-Vietnam War march outside the Pentagon. It captures the core values of the hippie movement.
Kasmir (the woman with the flower) later said, “All of a sudden, I realized ‘them’ was that soldier in front of me—a human being I could just as easily have been going out on a date with. It wasn’t a war machine, it was just a bunch of guys with orders. Right then, it went from being a fun, hip trip to a painful reality.”
What does this picture say about our right to free speech through expression? Was the woman “asking” for trouble? How does this picture represent the time period? Does it or does it not apply to the present day?
6 comments:
Living in America, we have the right to free speech. In the time period that this photo was taken, there were many marches taken against the war and I believe we do have a right to do this. I do not believe this woman was asking for trouble. She wanted peace and did not want the war to continue as many in that time period did. Something that really stood out to me in Kasmir's response when she said "It wasn't a war machine, it was just a bunch of guys with orders." Alot of times soldiers want to help or want to see what others are trying to say but have to go by what they are ordered to do. It is their job to do so. Vietnam was a time where people did not want to go to war, they were drafted. These boys did not want to be there killing and hurting others. But they had no choice, they were forced to go to war. In that situation it does not apply to today. One way it would apply to today would be currently with the war in Iraq so many people do not support the war. There are many people against it and want the peace as many hippies did in the 1960's with the vietnam war.
This picture clearly represents the time period by showing what was then known as the "hippie". In the picture you see a girl holding a flower. The flower was a big part of the hippie look because of what it represents. The flower in this picture represents peace and tranquility. It is really interesting because in the picture she is holding a flower, such an innocent and sweet item while the soldier is hold a gun, a weapon that hurts or kills anything its shot at. I do not believe the woman was asking for trouble, but simply for peace. Although no one really understands every aspect of any war it is hard not to ask for peace. Its interesting because in this picture you see two compleatly diffrent people, with two compleatly diffrent mind sets standing right next to each other. Although they are so diffrent they are also so much alike, I think that freedom of speech is a right we should cherish and not take advantage of. Like anything given to us in life some people find it really easy to take advantage of it. Some people take freedom of speech way too far and I think that it is so disrespectful. This picture still applies to present day because there is still war all around us with people having all diffrent opinions as to what should happen.
Marc Riboud’s photograph shows the hippie movement during Vietnam. The photograph is split into opposite sides. On the one side there is peace and happiness and on the other is war. The woman in the picture shows our freedom of free speech. She is standing there protesting the war and the soldiers are standing there remaining calm. She was not looking for trouble, rather protesting the same war that many others were. She came to represent peace. In many other countries if this same protest were to occur, the same peace would not be seen.
I do not think that many of the hippies realized what they were protesting. Just like Kasmir realized, the soldiers were only men with orders. They were just regular people who were fighting for their country, whether they believed in the war or not. Many of the hippies did not see the painful reality that Kasmir did.
I think that the picture is still relevant today’s society. It is representative of the freedom of speech. Protesting is still seen all over the country and is permitted by the government.
Like any radical human rights or peace advocate, this woman knows what she is "asking" for includes "trouble". But the fact that she is asking for trouble does not eliminate the overall plea for peace. Her intense connection with the soldiers portrays our right to freedom of speech as dangerous, yet beautiful. She is not scared to confront the guns that could easily take her life, because it is obvious in her face and her fearlessness that she wants more than freedom of speech, she wants peace. In this time period, the people had such a desire for change that they would do anything to help bring it. This picture captures the passion that embodied the protesters of the era. The picture is more of a representation of the time than applicable to today. The protesters of Vietnam were not cynical like many protesters of todays war, they did not just attend an annual protest in D.C. They lived the idea of peace. In their clothes, in their language, in their actions, every form of communication was for peace. They were passionate. They did not just disagree with the war in their conversations with others, they disagreed with it in their hearts- which drove them to take any means necessary to end it.
“They did not just disagree with the war in their conversations with others, they disagreed with it in their hearts”
Kaylee’s statement here struck me—have we romanticized the Vietnam era? What are the distinct differences between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War? Certainly the hearts of the American people came into play when boys were drafted to Vietnam. But I question whether the system we have today is really better. The boys that are sent to war in the year 2008 are those who generally come from lower class families and see the Armed Forces as an opportunity to support their young families. So they sign up. We have, yet again, a difference in the haves and the have nots.
So why, then, do we fail to reject this war with our hearts? The majority of Americans now see the war as a mistake, as having gone on for too long, but our hearts do not seem to be in it—at least not as compared to the Vietnam War. Why is this? More casualties? Other issues at stake? A general change in attitude?
We live in a country where protests and marches against violence are frowned upon. Yet our country is partly based off of the amendment stating that everyone has freedom of speech. Isn't that rather ironic? I don't think the woman in this photograph is attempting to be annoying or cause any trouble. I believe she is doing what she is doing simply to prove a point in her own way. Some of the soldiers probably felt the same way. In that day and age a draft occurred where men and boys had no choice but to go fight and kill for our country. It was not an option. Yet people like this peace-loving woman make it a point to take her stand in a completely non violent way. And obviously it was quite a memorable way considering we still look at this picture and study it's content today.
I believe this picture parallels well to what is occurring right now in Iraq because the soldiers and militia state that being there is non optional. It must occur. Yet people (like this lady) still make it a point to fight for peace and togetherness. Even though they probably realize their one person strike may not change what is going on, they still proceed with pride in what they are doing because they know they are doing what is right in their eyes.
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