A while ago, I posted some pictures of "peace demonstrators" doing things like vandalizing the Capitol steps, burning the American flag, and burning a U.S. soldier in effigy. The caption I gave it was, "Now can we question their patriotism?" This article points out that antics like this may wind up working against the declared objective of the "peace" movement.
That was 1967, and conventional wisdom credits anti-war demonstrations with triggering a shift in American strategy in Vietnam. Yet, as these protests became increasingly violent, another reality emerged: As unpopular as the war had become, the activist anti-war movement was reviled even more. Put-off by the viciousness of the anti-war protests--which came to be characterized more by the prevalence of drugs, sex, rioting, bomb-throwing, and a general disregard for authority than by a sincere desire to sow peace--many Americans were alienated by the so-called peace movement.
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