If you don't remember defeatism in the late 70s and even well into the 80s then you were indeed not an adult. It was rampant and awful. Left wingers were screaming I told you so and crowing about how our military was useless and that we would never win another war and that we deserved to "lose" the war, even though we didn't lose the war we just decided to quit fighting it. It was a crappy time in our history and, yes, I can see that some people might have used Star Wars or other types of escapism to quit thinking about it for a while. I didn't, I wanted to think about it and work to defeat liberalism where I could and I am still doing it.
Face it, the best part of Star Wars was the opening music. The movie was good but the John Williams intro was perfect.
Okay ... I yield to the greater experience of you older folks :-).
Having grown to adulthood during the 70's(turned 21 in 1972) I can tell you it was the most dismal decade of my existence. No jobs, Gas lines, high interest rates, Watergate, mostly crappy music, very crappy cars, the start of the AA industry and of course Mr. Jimmy occupying the WH following an almost as bad Gerald Ford. Yes a defeatist attitude did exist in the popular culture. I don't know how many TV shows and Movies had themes that included evil, white business tycoons being outsmarted by the HS dropout, inner city welfare mother, or drugged up Viet Vet goes on killing spree. It was remarkable to sit in the theater watching, "The Wind and The Lion"(a truly great movie in my mind) and seeing people give the US Marines portrayed in the movie a standing ovation when they took over the Sultans palace. People were aching for something good during the 70's and there was very little to go around.