The end of victory culture : cold war America and the disillusioning of a generation
A 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
Print Book, English, 2007
Rev. and expanded pbk. ed View all formats and editions
University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, 2007
History
xiii, 387 pages ; 24 cm.
9781558495869, 155849586X
162652287
Pt. 1. War story. Triumphalist despair
Story time
Ambush at kamikaze pass
Premonitions: the Asian death of victory culture. Pt. 2. Containments (1945-1962). War games
X marks the spot
The enemy disappears
The haunting of childhood
Entering the twilight zone. Pt. 3. The era of reversals (1962-1975). The first coming of G.I. Joe
The invisible government
Playing with fire
Into the Charnel House of language
The president as mad Mullah
The crossover point
"Something rather dark and bloody"
The war crimes of Daniel Ellsberg
Ambush at kamikaze pass (II)
Besieged
Reconstruction