# Forrest Gump anti-war rally scene

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forrest-gump-anti-war-rally-scene/220946>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 25, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forrest-gump-anti-war-rally-scene/220946 "2003-12-25T02:34:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forrest-gump-anti-war-rally-scene/220946/1 "2003-12-25T02:34:26Z")

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At one point in the story, Forrest is coaxed up on stage at a rally at the Washington monument. Other vets have been speaking out against the war in Viet Nam.

When Forrest starts to speak about his experience in the war, someone sabotages the sound system and the thousands of people gathered never hear what he has to say.

So what does this scene mean? Was he spared their reaction to him?  
Was the world not ready for his point of view?  
The vets on stage appear to back him when he is done. WT?

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forrest-gump-anti-war-rally-scene/220946/2 "2003-12-25T02:42:34Z")

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From [imdb.com](http://imdb.com)…

> [@](#):
>
> - When Forrest gets up to talk at the Vietnam rally in Washington, the microphone plug is pulled and you cannot hear him. According to Tom Hanks, he says, “Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don’t go home at all. That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that.”

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**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forrest-gump-anti-war-rally-scene/220946/3 "2003-12-25T03:15:57Z")

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Thanks, **Ranchoth**. I still am unclear as to who was spared what in that scene. I’m sure the other vets had horror stories to tell.

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**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forrest-gump-anti-war-rally-scene/220946/4 "2004-01-01T00:35:30Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by jimpatro \*  
> \*\*Thanks, **Ranchoth**. I still am unclear as to who was spared what in that scene. I’m sure the other vets had horror stories to tell. \*\*

I just watched the DVD I got for Christmas, and remembered your question.

Presumably, since it’s an anti-war rally, the vets are speaking about the horrors of war, down with the establisment, all that jazz.

The guy who pulls the plug is one of the officers sent to keep the peace. Presumably he wasn’t doing it in the line of duty or anything, but he probably got tired of Abbie Hoffman’s spewing F-Vietnam and F-the government and everything, and decided to pull the plug.

He was a member of “the establishment” who got tired of hearing that “the man” was wrong, and decided to do something about it. It didn’t look like he was specifically trying to sabotage FORREST’S speech, just the rally as a whole.