Events commemorate unjust WWII Japanese-American detentions
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0
yabits
A very wise perspective.
Any person, group, company, or nation that expresses certain values can be assured that, at some time, those values will come under test. The WWII internment of Japanese-Americans is an example of failing the test. Many of the actions taken by the US government since 9/11 also constitute falling far short of the ideal.
0
Gaijinocchio
Don't rewrite it, don't censure it, don't deny it, and don't make excuses.
Detentions happened and it was a terrible mark in U.S history, but at least Americans can't/won't ignore the fact that it took place, apologized, and took responsibility...unlike some countries out there that like to rewrite history, etc.
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smithinjapan
The encampment of Japanese (NorthAmericans) during WWII remains a blight in the history of said continent, and should remain a deep source of shame. It should definitely continue to be acknowledged, and used as a source to educate and learn from.
While slightly off topic, it should be pointed out that during the last presidency it was clear that some had not learned at all from previous mistakes, and establishing places like Gitmo and acts like the Patriot Act which allowed the government to do as it pleased with anyone 'suspicious'. Fortunately, the current government is in a great position to reverse that trend from the previous admin.
I hope news of this day is spread evenly through both the US and Canada.
0
Tatanka
I don't think any of the posters are over 80 so their only experience of the event is through what they learned at school or watching tear-jerking Hollywood movies. After the "sneak" attack on Pearl Harbor we can never understand the mind-set of the general population towards Japanese living in the U.S.
Back in 1941 a large percentage of the Japanese living in the U.S. could not speak English and many still had strong allegiance to Japan. In actuality they were asked to move away from coastal areas, but refused to do so. (Don’t ask me to prove this, try reading up on a subject before you spew out an uninformed opinion) Sure internment of all Japanese was regrettable, but the US government had no way of knowing how many were spies and reporting vital information back to Japan -- that ultimately would have lead to more American losses.
Of course, the bleeding heart, liberal posters don't talk about the American servicemen who were possibly not killed due to this interment. Democracy has its price: America lost over 100,000 servicemen in the Pacific War defending democracy in a war Japan started. Did any Japanese die while suffering the inconvenience of interment? They should drop to their knees and thank God we did not follow the German way of dealing with people that they perceived as undesirable...
0
poshdrivel
"I learned about being Japanese,” said Minami, 40
So she learned that Japanese are communal people who prefer to live close together. And she learned that Japanese enjoy living in confined quarters much like they still do today. And she must have learned about the problems Japanese have with decision making which led to their internment (seems the Japanese at that time failed to express exactly which side of the pacific their loyalties swayed). And finally she must have learned alot about the character of Japanese people most notably their tendency towards "meisms" like "ware-ware nihonjin, Uchi/soto, honne/tatemae" etc. In short, she must have come away thinking that life in the internment camps was more or less the same as life in Japan except they were provided with spacious living quarters, quality medical care, and plots of land for gardening... if I could be so lucky today !
0
Helter_Skelter
Geez. A little over the top there, don't you think smith? It's not as if they were gassed and sent to ovens. I guess any excuse for a little exaggerated anti-America rhetoric. Japanese Americans have gone on to be one of the most successful and productive minorities in the United States. Some have even defended the detentions. Most seem to have gotten over it, perhaps you should too.
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skipthesong
Were the Japanese the only people put in camps during the war? I hve heard of stories of people yelling at Italians and Germans in NYC and their shops being closed down. But does anyone know if they ever had to be put in camps such as what Japanese Americans had to?
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Midnightpromise
Who made the determination that the camps and the detention were "unjust"? Seems like something stopped a lot of acts of subversion, espionage, and sabotage, perhaps because so many poeple, good and BAD, were taken out of circulation? I just love the revisionist historians we have running around today.
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smithinjapan
skip: "I hve heard of stories of people yelling at Italians and Germans in NYC and their shops being closed down. But does anyone know if they ever had to be put in camps such as what Japanese Americans had to?"
Not to my knowledge, though indeed a lot of Germans and Italians suffered abuse (particularly the former), and especially if they refused to go off and fight while the kids of others were dying and what not. Don't recall ever hearing of them being rounded up, and this was one of the major reasons why Japanese could press for damages and what not later -- it was pretty clear that only their group were put in camps.
Tatanka: "Sure internment of all Japanese was regrettable, but the US government had no way of knowing how many were spies and reporting vital information back to Japan -- that ultimately would have lead to more American losses."
BS! You cannot prove that a single American life was saved because of the racism and crimes against humanity that took place by locking up Japanese-Americans.
"Democracy has its price: America lost over 100,000 servicemen in the Pacific War defending democracy in a war Japan started. Did any Japanese die while suffering the inconvenience of interment? They should drop to their knees and thank God we did not follow the German way of dealing with people that they perceived as undesirable..."
How selfish of the Japanese-Americans betrayed by their country and locked up for nothing but the paranoid delusions of people like yourself (or at least, you seem to support what happened)! Again, prove to me that a SINGLE American was saved, matter of factly, by the Japanese being put into camps. And bringing up the whole 'fighting for democracy' crap that has helped destroy your country under the previous admin.'s bombast doesn't help your political cause here.
It was wrong, bottom line, and the US and Canada should continue to get on THEIR knees and apologize for the wrong-doing they committed. There is ZERO excuse for it, and looking for excuses as you do is tantamount for approval to repeat it.
Fortunately people like Tatanka, who begin their arguments with "Don't ask me to prove this...", are an extreme minority.
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smithinjapan
Midnight: "I just love the revisionist historians we have running around today."
Says a guy who makes up whimsical tales of espionage and what not without a shred of proof. That the US and Canadian governments made the mistake of locking these people up and have apologized for it being unjust is fact; your tales to try and justify it are simply that -- tales.
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yabits
Those with a nationalist form of pride who feel the US can do little wrong, also like to rewrite and revise history when they can get away with it. It's the United States of Amnesia.
One little historical fact is that, yes, the US admitted the wrong, but it took MANY decades for the US to reach that point. And many within the US still tried to defend the detentions.
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yabits
Gee, now there's a great example of damnation by faint praise if there ever was one.
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yabits
I can: their mind-set was one of cowardice given to rumor-mongering and fueled by hatred and race-prejudice. As it was with so many of the policies directed towards the Chinese and Japanese immigrants who came to help build the United States. Any nation professing that "all men are created equal" and committing these kinds of acts was living a lie.
Things are better now, but mainly because of the rise of women and non-white males to positions of power over the last few decades.
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pufnstuff
Nothing "unjust" about the internment of Japanese living in the USA during the start of WWII ! One only has to look at what happened in both Vietnam and Iraq to know that you never know who your friend or foe really is. Hell, one could argue if it weren't for the internment camps many Japanese could have easily been targets for espionage, suicide bombings, or any other kind of evil acts against Americans. History has shown that the Japanese at the time simply couldn't decide where their loyalties were. Many continued to communicate with relatives back home, and damn few joined up to support the US cause against the attackers of Pearl Harbor ! That in itself was reason enough to lock em up and keep a watchful eye. Sorry, I have no pity for those who lived in the internment camps.
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smithinjapan
pfnstuff: "Hell, one could argue if it weren't for the internment camps many Japanese could have easily been targets for espionage, suicide bombings, or any other kind of evil acts against Americans."
I see you're making being 'wrong' a habit on threads throughout the site. I notice that you refer to the people having being interned as Japanese who could 'target Americans', despite many being Americans themselves. This is part of the racist attitude that allowed them to be locked out, and why honest and just Americans must continually apologize for attitudes such as yours STILL existing despite your country's (and others') mistakes.
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smithinjapan
pfnstuff: " History has shown that the Japanese at the time simply couldn't decide where their loyalties were. Many continued to communicate with relatives back home, and damn few joined up to support the US cause against the attackers of Pearl Harbor ! "
I just want to get one more thing straight here: if for some reason the US attacked... let's say Okinawa.... you wouldn't try to call home or email and say you are okay, that you love your family/relatives, or try to figure out what's happening; you would simply go join the army and start shooting at the people of your homeland lest your reputation come into question?
pe-shaw!
0
sailwind
I am ashamed my country felt it had to intern Japanese Americans in intern camps during WWII.
I can understand why the country at that time thought it was justified but it does not matter.
It was shameful and we should never forget that...Never.
0
yabits
And I think you have just supported everything I claimed earlier. More than a few Americans are nothing but little, heartless bundles of hate and mistrust.
0
smithinjapan
sailwind: Excellent comment, my friend. Canada did it too, to an extent (actually pressured somewhat from our souther neighbours), and it is a blight on both countries' histories. My only disagreement is that it is inexcusable and even at the time many probably considered it to be unjust. Nonetheless, I feel as you do, and it should not be forgotten.
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yabits
What should also not be forgotten is that several hundred Japanese-descended immigrants living in South America (Peru, mainly) were transported to the US to be put in camps. Lose your country and get locked up too.
Also put into camps were native Alaskans -- Aleuts -- who lived in the island chain that bears their name.
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Midnightpromise
Yea, uh huh, the US commited so many atrocities in WW2 they should be ashamed. The place they really messed up was letting those folks walk out of the camps alive when all was over right?
0
yabits
The side that first recognizes that they are essentially no different from their enemies wins. All manner of injustice and atrocities come about from a failure to acknowledge that basic precept.
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Midnightpromise
Wow, 120,000 Japanese-Americans were inconvienced a few years. Shame, shame, shame on you America!
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smithinjapan
Midnightpromise: "Yea, uh huh, the US commited so many atrocities in WW2 they should be ashamed. The place they really messed up was letting those folks walk out of the camps alive when all was over right?"
No one says they committed 'so many atrocities', but clearly they did here.
"Wow, 120,000 Japanese-Americans were inconvienced a few years. Shame, shame, shame on you America!"
Shame on you, Midnight, for thinking that it was okay and that 'a few years' of 120,000 people's lives is no big deal. You'd cry a different tune if it were you, and certainly they did nothing worse than you.
0
grafton
pufnstuff at 10:33 PM JST - 20th February
“Nothing "unjust" about the internment of Japanese living in the USA during the start of WWII ! One only has to look at what happened in both Vietnam and Iraq to know that you never know who your friend or foe really is.”
As far as that statement goes it is true, but it all falls apart when somebody asks if the American/Germans or American/Italians were also put into camps & we know that they were not. Did Americans think that there would be no German & Italians who supported their “old country”? You can’t really win on this unless you argue that is was wrong not to have locked up the Germans & the Italians too. In a way you missing posts put me in something of a quandary in that I wanted to voice if not shout total support for what you said about being deleted & edited while certain nameless precious princesses are left untouched. Like you my posts seem to vanish without trace of explanation leaving a soulless one party site. I cannot agree with what you have written about the American internment of the Japanese, in fact I have my doubts that you can be as adamant as you sounded. But what you had to say about this site I totally agree with & I am sorry to see that your posts lasted so short a time.
0
Nessie
How many of these were U.S. citizens?
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