Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 63

Bom on the Fourth of July

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The dualistic nature of competing values may be problematic
for some scholars because of the limitations inherent in any
dichotomous perspective. However, the value systems based in
materialism and moralism are not the only ones available to human
beings. Rushing and Frentz observe that society's "collective
conscio usness" includes "broad clusters of values."23 They cite as an
example the dialectical tension which exists in the fundamental
differences between the "utopian" vision and the "tragic" vision of a
culture. Rushing and Frentz's work is a useful tool to examine
competing sets of values, and Born on the Fourth of ]u\y provides a
text through which we can examine the intersection and changes in
value systems.
Born on the Fourth of July reflects the dialectical tension
between two myths of the American Dream. Walter Fisher describes
these myths in his work on the 1972 Presidential campaign. Both
myths are based in traditional American religious values. The
competing myths reflect a dichotomy of values distinguishing
between materialism and moralism. The materialistic myth:
...is grounded on the puritan work ethic and relates to
the values of effort, persistence, 'playing the game,'
initiative, self-reliance, achievement, and success. It
undergirds competition as the way of determining
personal worth, the free enterprise system, and the
notion of freedom, defined as the freedom from controls,
regulations, or constraints.^^
In contrast to materialism, moralism is based on the premise
of equality, and the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness found in the Declaration of Independence. The basic
tenets of tolerance, charity, compassion, and a regard for human
dignity and worth are values inherent in moralism. Fisher explains
that in this myth, "governments are instituted to secure these rights,"
and they derive power from the consent of those they govern.^ From
the moralistic point of view, government exists to serve the people,
but ultimately, the disabled Vietnam veterans featured in Born on
the Fourth of July eventually challenge the government's authority.
The tension between moralism and materialism emerges in
the rationale for nulitary involvement in Vietnam. U.S. action in