I think what made the brothel scene repulsive was the scene that immediately followed. Right after one of the dudes says something to the effect of "If my girl at home could see this...", there's a quick cut to a Zippo being held by a U.S. soldier lighting a village hut on fire while his soldier buddies have them herded outside their homes. It's like Davis is saying not only is this brothel business demoralizing, but everything entailed by the Vietnam War is. The unnecessary herding of Vietnamese villagers through the use of force reduces them, making them as though they are less less than human. Forget that the huts are their homes, their personal sanctuaries, and everything in them is all they have. And as we watch their homes burn we cling to the words of the American solider that echo on, "If my chick at home could us now." Davis uses this scene to emphasize not only do the soldiers not know why they are fighting, but everyone back home has no clue what's going on in Vietnam. Davis seems to say if only everyone back at home could see what was going on over here, people would be pissed. What makes this scene so gross is that it reveals to us what is expended when "my chick" or an entire nation back home is unaware, be it personal ignorance, a government that hides it's actions, or both. What makes this scene disgusting is that it is all at the cost of burning villages, the demoralization of Vietnamese citizens, the sanity of young American soldiers and the death of so many people, Vietnamese and American alike.
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