Australian Left Review
Article Title
Vietnam: Beyond Pity
Abstract
VIETNAM IS A KNIFE that was not twisted into me until the end of my second year at University, 1965. Before then, I had been afforded, and allowed myself to enjoy, the luxury of a casual approach to what was happening in that country. The pictures of the Buddhist monks who immolated themselves just before Diem’s downfall in 1963 had aroused a momentary, uncomprehending horror in me, but nothing more . . . it was only when the monks again burned themselves to death in 1966, this time in opposition to Ky’s regime, that they burned their way through to me as well. What had happened to change my response?
This paper has been withdrawn.