It was Madonna who once said at the intro to the “Human Nature” video, “Absolutely no regrets.” Now, if only Jane Fonda could have taken a page from this sentiment before she stated at recent speaking event in Maryland, “It hurts me and it will to my grave that I made a huge, huge mistake that made a lot of people think I was against the soldiers.” Consequences
Fonda’s apology is all very sweet and everything, but negates the point she was originally trying to make about war: choosing sides is the country’s business, but remaining friendly with both camps is the key to convoluting why the fight began in the first place. Fonda was anti-war, not anti-soldier–a distinction many have trouble making. On enemy lines
After flying to Hanoi in North Vietnam, Fonda was pictured with Vietnamese troops on top of an aircraft gun that was being employed to target American planes. Was it the best publicity stunt? No. Was it politically charged enough to make a statement about the lack of faith in what the American government was doing at the time? Yes. And in this regard, Fonda should stand by her actions–because it opened up American public consciousness of the situation far more and invoked a greater discussion about the mockery that was the Vietnam War.
