And I Repeat: Ignorance is Bliss

The material in the poem APO 96225 by Larry Rottmann can easily be compared to the attitudes of the public toward the war in Vietnam. Really, no one knew what was happening in Vietnam. The only real way to figure out was to do as the mother in this poem did and ask. Clearly, this was not an effective process to go through if the mother is not really prepared to hear the truth. This also related to the American public at the time. They all wanted to know what was happening. News coverage was abundant, although hardly reliable. Propoganda was not created in the war against terror. Sadly, it has had its roots in the U.S. from the get-go. In my opinion, if the American public had known what was happening in Vietnam, the only way soldiers would have fought was compulsory service, which eventually became the case for the most part. The American public wasn't prepared for the truth, just as the parents in the poem were unprepared.