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I recently finished watching season I and season II of one of my all time favorite shows, The Wonder Years, and it struck me as fascinating how many of the issues on war discussed during the early stages of the show concerning the war in Vietnam are still discussed and argued today in the United States, only about the current war and state of the government.
There is one episode in particular when Kevin´s older sister brings home her boyfriend, a hippie, and he has dinner with her family. One thing leads to another and soon enough they are talking about the Vietnam war. The boyfriend of course is opposed to the war and thinks many young people are dying in vain. The father, a veteran from the Korea, states that "dying for freedom and democracy" is not dying for nothing, and that these things are worth fighting for. He responds by saying that the only people who believe this war is about "democracy and freedom" are those who have been brainwashed by the government and media. The discussion goes back and forth and it is truly amazing how today, more than 30 years after the war and approximately 17 years after the season was filmed, people are still arguing over the same issues.
Without a doubt one of the most thought-provocing shows ever created.
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It's amazing how little people learn from history. When you give the Vietnam example, both the French and American versions, I hear defenders of Iraq pt.II say, 'well that was different, that was then this is now'. 20 years from now it won't look so different and the next bullshit war people will say the same thing.
I'd like to thank the creators of The Wonder Years for putting some civilized thoughts into my head all the while entertaining me. It was a great show.