Anthony Giddens: The Secret War In Laos

Change is a common and necessary part of life, however it does not always take the form of a choice. Many times throughout history, people have been pushed from their homes and communities through the threats of warfare and tyrannical rulers, forcing them to start a new life in a land very much foreign to them. Among these many souls who have been displaced, sit the Hmong, who within their culture have had a multitude of families immigrated to America, including the families of Sou Hang and Paja Thao.

During the Vietnam War, the Hmong people were enlisted to assist the United States in fighting the Vietcong by fighting in Laos, where the U.S. was not permitted to send troops. This resulted in what was known as “The Secret War in Laos”. When

A Sociologist by the name of Anthony Giddens would attribute their depression to a lack of ontological security, describing it as the consistencies in our lives that allow us to maintain a stable sense of who we are. He goes further to break it down into four parts, known as customs and traditions, kinship, locality and place, and religion. With the disruption of their ontological security, both of the men’s sense of self was weakened, resulting in the depression. Both Sou Hang’s and Paja Thao’s sense of locality and place was disrupted as they were thrown into a new country, and while they came with their families, the many neighbors and friends who would have been right next door in Laos were now gone, disrupting their sense of kinship. Furthermore, as time went on, Paja Thao’s children began to move away and become distant, whereas in Laos they would’ve been together most every day. Looking at Sou Hang’s concepts of tradition, in the U.S., he was unable to find a job anywhere, lacking any sort of social or cultural capital, not knowing anyone who could get him a job, along with lacking any required skills, or even the required language. His wife, however, was able to sell crafts that she created, bringing in money for the family. This idea was the exact opposite of what he was accustomed to, resulting in a disruption of ontological security. Looking at Paja Thao’s, his concepts of both tradition and religion intertwine, as he is a Hmong shaman. In moving to the U.S., there did not exist any real demand for Shamans, resulting a feeling of being obsolete. Along with this, many of his children were not interested in participating in his rituals anymore, whereas in Laos this would have been customary. All of these things sent both men into a depression, however, by the end of the film, “Split