Purchase Solution

M*A*S*H and the Vietnam War

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

Was M*A*S*H trying to show a lighter side to the Vietnam War?

What issue did the T.V. sit-com called M*A*S*H try to address? Why were shows like this often condemned by the religous right?

Purchase this Solution

Solution Summary

The author explains how M*A*S*H, as both TV sitcom and movie, tapped anti-military sentiment during and after the Vietnam War, marked a change in American attitudes toward the military, and was soon supplanted by more pro-military movies in the 1980s.

Solution Preview

You have to see M*A*S*H in the context of its times. The movie, which is much funnier than the sitcom, came out in 1970, at the depths of disillusionment with Vietnam. Although MASH is set in Korea, it quickly became associated with Vietnam. What struck viewers about the movie was the utter folly of the war, the tragic losses, and the way the two doctors screwed around, defied orders, and mocked the military. This irreverence, in stark contrast to World War II and all the movies and TV about it, mirrored what millions of Americans were beginning to feel about the military. In 1970, we were clearly losing in Vietnam, lives were being lost in abundance, and no one in uniform seemed to know what the hell they were doing. The military's ...

Purchase this Solution


Free BrainMass Quizzes
The U.S. Constitution

How much do you know about the U.S. Constitution? Test your knowledge with this short quiz!

Social Studies European Review

A knowledge base of history is important to understanding our world today. Take a few moments on this quick review of Europe.

German Wars of Unification

A short quiz to determine the student's knowledge of events and figures associated with the mid 19th Century German Wars of Unification

US World History Test I

Discusses the events that happen during the 15th through the 19th Century.

America Joins the World 1900-1939

This quiz will test your knowledge on America's emergence into the world beginning from the 20th century until the start of WWII