Viet Thanh Nguyen & Ariel Dorfman on the Vietnam War, How Hollywood Reframes U.S. Imperialism & More

democracynow.org - Extended interview with the writers Viet Thanh Nguyen and Ariel Dorfman, who have both contributed essays to the new collection, “The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives.” Nguyen won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, “The Sympathizer.” Dorfman has been described as one of the greatest Latin American novelists. His latest novel is “Darwin’s Ghost.”
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[@DominicBHaven-qm6nx]

We are lucky to have so many Vietnamese people in the US. The war was a painful time when we tried to win a war with a bombing campaign and it failed, killing thousands of people in the process. We should focus on diplomacy and establishing good relations with other countries because military solutions to our problems usually fail and cost too much in lives and money. This is the conclusion I have reaching after years of reflecting on the conflict in Viet Nam. God bless you all.

[@p.brooksmcginnis1749]

No More War

[@p.brooksmcginnis1749]

Hi Wuz; You know that my decision about stop paying my american income taxes was a difficult one for me. You saying profanity directed at me will not change my decision. My country has been taken over by the very worst human beings ever to walk Mother Earth. War is our norm. Death is what we americans export. My religion says that nuclear weapons are EVIL. My government is making nuclear weapons as fast as they are able. That conflicts with my religious beliefs. The outcome was I stopped paying any income taxes in protest. That was under president Reagan. Things have only gotten worse in the last 30 years. Any way thank you for your thoughts. You of course have your own decision to make; support American wars of aggression, death, corruption, pollution, and worship the few men that own 50% of all the wealth in America; very evil men; or do something that may get the attention of our government if enough Americans protest by stopping support for these monsters monetarily. Lastly if you have been watching Israel protests currently, you will notice the Zionist monsters are killing 100's of peaceful protesters with sniper rifles. That will be coming to american protests soon. Death to protestors is what our very terrible government will offer soon. I do not support such actions. My tax money can not be used for such activities. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h329e3ikfL-jbJY&feature=share

[@music.blooming.garden]

I wanted to hear more of Viet Thanh Nguyen's perspectives...

[@corneliakoller1914]

😊

[@Homeschoolsw6]

Thanks. Vietnam has alot of lessons for us.

[@gatodecheshire5549]

The entire world have a Lot of Lessons For you

[@NellieKAdaba]

Great talk

[@corneliakoller1914]

[@rb-uv5bs]

Arial unfairly dominated the conversation ,, I watched to hear Viet

[@bingkuxyavong7566]

U.S refused to acknowledge Laos period!

[@corneliakoller1914]

[@corneliakoller1914]

keep the love going

[@corneliakoller1914]

[@corneliakoller1914]

[@hansblitz7770]

But they were fightin' furrr da freeedumbz!

[@kkurajam]

Not Ariel calling Viet a gringo skskskksksk

[@user-eq4ny1cy5r]

who controls the past now; controls the future! who controls the present now: controls the past.

[@moussaouiahmed]

....................AM

[@user-eq4ny1cy5r]

people own everything? what? How dare they!

[@gatodecheshire5549]

Salvador Allende WHO diez... are You so funny. That's they euphemism for asesination?

[@maxmeggeneder8935]

Everyone repets endlessly how pol pot was the worste dictator ever and this guy claoms that Vietnam liberating Cambodia was not a good thing...think about that.And sure the people that cooparated with the enemies of the vietnanese people,the USA,who supported an opressive regine in the south had to be dealt with in some way. After what the soutvietnane regine with theyr imperialist partners werevon the wrong sude of hustiry. Yes-every historic event is complex.

[@bruins4rent213]

Prof Nguyen states that the victorious northerners persecuted their enemies the southerners. Nothing resembling the bloodbath, particularly of Catholics, predicted since the division of the country in 1954 and which did occur in Cambodia. I've always suspected that the Viet Kieu have always been just a little pissed that the disaster they fled never happened. As for Vietnam extending the war into Laos & Cambodia! This is surely American centric! Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam were part of French Indochina and resistance to all occupiers had allied peoples throughout the empire. "Widening the war" had happened long before Nixon bombed the shit out of any parts of Indochina Johnson had missed, as Amy ironically reminds Prof Nguyen who says no, Viets don't want to think about what they did in Laos and Cambodia and what they still do there today. Which is what? Nothing but the vaguest innuendo. Following the reunification of Vietnam the homicidal Khmer Rouge invaded Vietnam, killing untold thousands of southerners. Hanoi invaded Cambodia and alone stopped one of history's epic genocides. Please, Professor, tell us what "they did and still do today" that remotely approaches the horrors of the French, the Americans and the Khmer Rouge and how much course time this diverts.

[@leaderneverfollow8604]

Usa didnt lose the vietnam lose

[@ORH_Engineering]

Being a Vietnamese refugee coming to America at the age of 14 in 1981, I do get Viet's points about having a stronger voice for minorities. I am fighting a bigger battle of wokeism in our educational system which is the brand of communism I escaped from. I came to America during the Reagan era with a vision of making America a shining city on the hill and a beacon of hope for the world. I am afraid we are losing that vision under the Biden administration.

[@suutzi]

I was born in America and grew up in the Reagan era, and I can attest that Regan's "shining city on the hill" was the same rhetoric that you attach to wokeism and communists, but it's just the right-wing side of it. Under Reagan, patriotism became an either "you're with us or against us" and "the only good American is one who cannot admit to any critique". So, yeah, it's just the same - the flip side of the same coin if you will. Under Reagan, there were attacks on the National Endowment for the Arts where certain artists were to be "forbidden" or cut out entirely (Robert Maplethorpe, etc.). Under Reagan, people who had AIDS were viewed as dirty and deserving of their illness; that they were homosexual and could be converted using certain heavy-handed persuasive techniques to shame them. So, I would take your comment in the context of the actual history under Reagan.