I am a student of history and anthropology concentrating on East Asian studies (history and culture), I have to tip my hat to you for this post! Every point that you made was right on.
I remember when I learned (last year) that the US had never sent any diplomat to the site of either bombing I was so appalled. It seemed so completely wrong that the US would never even seem to acknowledge the heinous acts other than to say that "Hell yeah, we stopped the war!" And yet, it seems that our government delights in the fact that foreign dignitaries visit the 9/11 sight. Sure, they don't have to apologize for what happened because that horrible day wasn't really attached to any country, but I can just imagine the government wanting to keep that day as fresh as possible to the world and milk it for everything.
Sure, Japan has issues - as you have said - and they have to live with that. But whether the government has issues or not, the people whose lives were completely and utterly destroyed or changed beyond repair are due a few words of apology. While I love my country, there are times that I am utterly shamed by it's government. On the topic of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and an apology owed - this is one of those times where I am shamed. I have read that one of the sites (whether it was Hiroshima or Nagasaki, I cannot recall) was a random target because the clouds were so bad over the original bomb target - the victims couldn't get more innocent than being randomly chosen.
Of course, no one should be surprised. The government, to my knowledge, never has apologized to our own indigenous peoples for everything that was done to them through official channels.
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regna
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-12 08:22 pm (UTC)I am a student of history and anthropology concentrating on East Asian studies (history and culture), I have to tip my hat to you for this post! Every point that you made was right on.
I remember when I learned (last year) that the US had never sent any diplomat to the site of either bombing I was so appalled. It seemed so completely wrong that the US would never even seem to acknowledge the heinous acts other than to say that "Hell yeah, we stopped the war!" And yet, it seems that our government delights in the fact that foreign dignitaries visit the 9/11 sight. Sure, they don't have to apologize for what happened because that horrible day wasn't really attached to any country, but I can just imagine the government wanting to keep that day as fresh as possible to the world and milk it for everything.
Sure, Japan has issues - as you have said - and they have to live with that. But whether the government has issues or not, the people whose lives were completely and utterly destroyed or changed beyond repair are due a few words of apology. While I love my country, there are times that I am utterly shamed by it's government. On the topic of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and an apology owed - this is one of those times where I am shamed. I have read that one of the sites (whether it was Hiroshima or Nagasaki, I cannot recall) was a random target because the clouds were so bad over the original bomb target - the victims couldn't get more innocent than being randomly chosen.
Of course, no one should be surprised. The government, to my knowledge, never has apologized to our own indigenous peoples for everything that was done to them through official channels.
So thank you. Thank you for this post.