LBJ Museum and Additional Movie Idea

To start, wow I never really have gone through a museum and felt like when I left I had learned a good deal of information. First to start, like Tim mentions, when we started with the 20 minute introduction video before entering the museum I thought LBJ is a good man. The video pointed out all the high point in LBJ's career and life, which leads us to believe up until Vietnam he really was a good, driven guy. The only thing I really noticed about the film is that it didn't really seem to want to address the Vietnam issues. Of course those other than us going through the museum probably aren't looking for the same things to be pointed out to them like we are waiting for them to be pointed out to us, but still I felt the video tried to cover his Vietnam influence.

As I walked further and saw the museum up close I noticed other side notes that made me feel like again the museum itself was rhetorically covering up the incidents in Vietnam, or maybe I only notice this because I know prior to this class I would have never noticed this stuff before. When the timeline referred to the military sent over to South Vietnam as military "advisors," literally in quotation marks on the wall, I couldn't help but feel that itself was an attempt to persuade viewers of the exhibit that we were helping in all ways by being over there. Something all of us know is not true. Along with that it was pointed out to me by Allen, I'm sure he will go into detail therefore I will not take credit for this observation, that LBJ's ability to persuade was even mentioned along the timeline. Upon this being pointed out, I couldn't help but think of the rhetorical strategies he must have used, especially in the Tonkin Resolution, to get people to further back him even after his mistakes.

I also found it rhetorically persuasive how when discussing the Tonkin attacks in the timeline, it was never addressed that these attacks did not occur. I felt we saw one side of things with this part of the exhibit, but still could learn from the evidence it presented. Further in the exhibit I did enjoy and learn about LBJ's life and legacy, but these small notices were ones that made me curious as to the museum's content since it was merely one sided to me, but I guess it should be.

Switching gears to a movie idea, after visiting the LBJ museum and seeing his experience cast out for all to see, I felt making a movie about our own rhetorical experience in learning Vietnam would make for a great documentary. This may be way out in right field, but I think seeing things from our prospective and putting that out there in making the argument that although all our life we have seen it one perspective, through our studies we are able to see the other side and our learning has development about Vietnam. This could make no sense at all, but it was a thought that came to me after visiting the Museum where LBJ's journey was on display, so I thought I would put it out there. I haven't thought it all through but why not put our journey on display too?