Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 2, August 1997 | Page 70

66 Popular Culture Review Convention represents a symbolic confrontation between the disenfranchised and the powerful, a conflict often at work in the dialectical opposition between moralism and materialism. Through this confrontation the oppressed can focus the attention of those in power on social problems. For agents of change to succeed in this symbolic confrontation they must "proceed through unfocused alienation to increased psychological awareness."^^ Kovic's role as an agent of change begins with his alienation from society as a disabled Vietnam veteran. He ultimately reaches psychological awareness which enables him to fight for the human dignity he and other veterans deserve. Reaching the front of the convention hall as Richard Nixon accepts the Republican Presidential nomination, Kovic' s moving final statement illustrates his rejection of the government which was responsible for Vietnam: People say if you don't love America, then get the hell out. Well, I love Amerlca...We are here to say that we don't have to take it anymore...They are killing our brothers in Vietnam. We want them to hear the truth tonight. This wheelchair, this steel, our steel, is your Memorial Day on wheels....We are your Yankee Doodle Dandy come home....The truth is they have sacrificed a whole generation of young men.^ The veterans' protests both outside and inside the Convention Hall demonstrated their opposition to the government's decision to send more troops to Vietnam. They have rejected the government's authority to lead. Vietnam veterans who joined the anti-war protests became part of a movement which sought a fundamental political change in U.S. military policy. These former soldiers begin by acknowledging their participation in the war. Fisher argues that moral appeals succeed only if individuals are able to accept responsibility for their actions.^^ Thus, the soldiers have taken a step that is necessary to affirm the moralistic myth. Four years later, Kovic appears at the 1976 Democratic convention, which completes his transformation. He recalls his childhood and his mother's dream that someday he would be a famous speaker. The peace of mind that comes from Kovic's