Re: Japlish
avatar (renjie@uclink2.berkeley.edu)
Sun, 16 Mar 1997 03:40:12 -0800 (PST)
Sigh... I knew that I'd be opening a can of worms when I wrote that
letter though good getting people riled up. Brings new life to the list
and new issure to the forefront.
1) The most recent episode of American history that I refer to happened
little more than a decade ago when trade disputes began to stir up old
hatreds in American blood and culminated in the killing of Vincent Chin
in Detroit because of the color of his skin. As I recall, his murderers
were fined $1000 because the judge "understood" that their act was
committed out of stress when they loss their job. The only reason why
there is no tension between the two countries now is because of the
servere recession that has affected the Japanese trade market. Thus, no
longer a threat, their role in America's stereotyping climate is more
benign now. Just because an event occured in the past does not imply that
it is not likely to happen again.
2) Japan's conduct and its policies is not an accurate representation of
all 100% of its citizenship population. Nor is it the representation of
any Japanese population overseas. A totalitarian government is never
even a majority rules. And whatever pride or nationalism the women
children, elderly and infirmed may have felt does not imply that they are
of the same level as soldiers. Much like Westerland though, they
are used as pawns to cow their governments into submission. Firebombing
Tokyo, the bombing of Berlin, the nuking of Hiroshima, and the nuking of
Nagasaki. What were the tactical implications of that? THESE ARE
CIVILIAN LIVES!
The US entered the war because it was attacked by a foreign
aggressor. Its entry into the war was on the context that it had been
victumized. Thus the US had the moral high ground and righteousness at
its side. The problem is when one feels righteous, one can do no wrong.
Look at the Christian Scientists! Look at Islam fundimentalists! I am
not trying to argue that there was intrinsic evil with the US entry into
WWII but that it was not above the evils committed in war. If anything,
the twentieth century should be showing us that war can not be carried out
under a righteous banner. War is not politicks by any other means. War
is hatred by other means! And, it's legacy we see to this very day. All
I'm asking is for a little more sensitivity to other people's feelings is
all.
mike
On Sat, 15 Mar 1997, Sledge Hammer! wrote:
> On Sat, 15 Mar 1997, Walter Amos wrote:
>
> > On Fri, 14 Mar 1997, avatar wrote:
> >
> > > > the names :) Aha! finally, a way to explain the Japlish!
> > >
> > > Please don't take this the wrong way since I'm not out to make accusations
> > > nor make inference about anyone here on this list. The fact that our
> > > taste in anime does credit to our sensibilities. Call it a note from an
> > > anal Cal student or what have you but please don't use the abbreviation of
> > > the term Japanese/Japan in the shortened "Jap" Hear alot of it out there
> > > like Jap anime. And although I'm sure that there is not harm in t (whats
> > > in a name?), it is by itself not altogether PC due to a certain recent
> > > episode in American history. Thanks.
> >
> [...]
> > And out of curiosity, what "recent episode in American history" are you
> > referring to? World War 2? If so you have a slightly different standard of
> > "recent" than me. And in not mentioning its name, does this carry the
> > suggestion that our participation in WW2 was in error? Now don't get me wrong
> > from what I imagine the tone of this letter is coming out like - I am all in
>
> I think avatar was refering either to the dropping of the atomic bomb on
> Japan, or the internment of Japanese and Japanese-Americans during the
> war.
>
> > far. And the suggestion (though I am still not sure that the author of
> the
> > previous post is suggesting this, and if he is not I apologize, but in any
> > case I *have* heard this view from some anime fans) that US participation in
> > the Pacific theater in WW2 was intrinsically evil and therefore something we
> > should feel collective guilt over is so patently ludicrous as to hardly bear
> > discussion. And I say this not out of some brainless gung-ho patriotism, but
> > out of a reasoned consideration of historical forces.
>
> I could not agree more, especially considering japan's conduct during WW2.
>
> -Hank
> -----*****-----*****-----*****-----*****-----*****-----*****-----*****
> Hank Wong hankwong@soda.csua.berkeley.edu
> California '95 Technical Writer and PP-ASEL-IA
> Legend of the Galactic Heroes List Administrator
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