[clowa]

I suspect much of the backlash of toward LSD and other psychedelics was in part fueled by the lack of information about LSD and other drugs. Today, as weed is more widely accepted and even legalized in some places, research on weed (and LSD among other drugs) has increased. Just a quick google search reveals a lot of information, although much of it seems biased and/or unreliable. However, the legalization of weed and laws pertaining to wider, legal weed use seem to be very sluggish. How can we distinguish recreation drugs and drug use from more destructive drugs and drug use when educating the public/our children?

I plan to expand upon the idea of simulacrum in my final essay

[clowa]

What do you think are the lessons learned from May 1968 that most pertain to today? What is different about the student milieu then and now? I understand the divisions in Paris/France and why those divisions fueled the events in May ’68. However, what was the determining factor that created such enthusiasm within the students? It seems like today there are similar divisions, but there does not seem to be a similar enthusiasm among students large enough to motivate them to act in as radical ways.

[clowa]

https://goo.gl/images/ZRbGCM
Helmets used in Japanese student protests in Universities. Helmets often had slogans or the names of the department the student belonged to to show solidarity. In 1968 when protests at universities was “peaking” roughly 70% of universities and colleges were protesting corruption within administrations or poor treatment of students.

https://goo.gl/images/17usih
The sign reads: “Anyone who has nowhere to go, come join us! Fight against the Enterprise. Beheiren (acronym for Vietnam peace association)”. The anti-Vietnam war movement in Japan was very big. Some activists helped American soldiers defect, and many saw the US fighting in Asia as an extension of their grievances with the unequal US-Japan security alliance that came under major debate and protest in 1960 and again in 1970.

[clowa]

The documentary, the article by Michael Herr, and Apocalypse Now all feature soldiers who fought in Vietnam. The documentary that interviewed surviving soldiers emphasized PTSD, the after effects of the war, and the comradely and duty soldiers felt among and to one another. One man spoke about a time several of his team were shot – and presumably killed – trying to save him when he was fatally wounded. The Article also emphasized comradely and duty but its informal style and variety of narratives gave a more complete, candid perspective on what went down on the ground. The movie revolved around a deranged officer, and much of the movie is unexplained, most likely to showcase the absurd and unprepared nature of the war and the soldiers. All the sources barely mention the Vietnamese people. Last semester Viet Nguyen, the author of the Sympathizer and a refugee from Vietnam, came to BC and spoke about the first time he watched Apocalypse Now. The so-called Vietnamese characters, if they were featured saying anything, weren’t even speaking in Vietnamese. The article highlights a quote by a soldier who couldn’t bare the sight of dead Americans but didn’t blink an eye when a Vietnamese was brutally slaughtered.

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