4 ms·

I’d like to point something out. When we look back at the racism of Americans against the Japanese during WW2, that racism was in the context of barbaric and ho

I’d like to point something out. When we look back at the racism of Americans against the Japanese during WW2, that racism was in the context of barbaric and horrific Japanese atrocities, particularly in China, but throughout the area of their conquest. Japanese soldiers murdered civilians and raped women. They took “comfort women”. They murdered POWs. They didn’t observe the rules of warfare. They (by mistaken timing) attacked the U.S. before declaring war in what was perceived as a “sneak attack”. The scale of the war crimes perpetrated by Japanese soldiers no doubt fed the desire to other them - to portray them in the most disgustingly racist ways. I think it’s important to remember that context. Unfortunately, the racism continued for a long time after the war.

metabagel 2y ago
The other aspect of this is that the Japanese soldiers were fearsome and won many victories at the start of the conflict. I think that part of othering in this context is to reduce the fear response to a very capable adversary.
082349872349872 2y ago
I wasn't alive then, but I'd be surprised if that racism hadn't been in the context of pre-existing racism, from well before 1937. My distant recollection of 1920-1930s "pulp era" science fiction and comic books is that even by the (for today) relatively lenient standards of the 1960s-1970s, non-white characters tended to obviously racist tropes. My father once told me about two classmates of his, who had promptly been christened "Chinee 1" and "Chinee 2" by the PE coach and remained thus thereafter ... despite the fact that their families had originally come from korea. The DoD (as it is now) didn't end segregation in the military until after WWII, with the 1948 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9981 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9981 ; in so doing they were of course well in advance* of the remainder of their society. For context, a comic cover (of a sympathetically portrayed character!) from 1947, one year before: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/The_Spirit_10.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/The_Spirit_10... * consider a judge in 1965: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Almighty%20God%20created,races%20to%20mix%2e https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation_in_the_Unit... EDIT: damn, that wasn't just said in an interview, the judge wrote that down in his legal opinion: https://discoveryvirginia.org/opinion-judge-leon-m-bazile-january-22-1965-page-1 https://discoveryvirginia.org/opinion-judge-leon-m-bazile-ja...

metabagel 2y ago

The other aspect of this is that the Japanese soldiers were fearsome and won many victories at the start of the conflict. I think that part of othering in this context is to reduce the fear response to a very capable adversary.

082349872349872 2y ago

I wasn't alive then, but I'd be surprised if that racism hadn't been in the context of pre-existing racism, from well before 1937. My distant recollection of 1920-1930s "pulp era" science fiction and comic books is that even by the (for today) relatively lenient standards of the 1960s-1970s, non-white characters tended to obviously racist tropes. My father once told me about two classmates of his, who had promptly been christened "Chinee 1" and "Chinee 2" by the PE coach and remained thus thereafter ... despite the fact that their families had originally come from korea. The DoD (as it is now) didn't end segregation in the military until after WWII, with the 1948 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9981 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9981 ; in so doing they were of course well in advance* of the remainder of their society. For context, a comic cover (of a sympathetically portrayed character!) from 1947, one year before: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/The_Spirit_10.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9d/The_Spirit_10... * consider a judge in 1965: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation_in_the_United_States#:~:text=Almighty%20God%20created,races%20to%20mix%2e https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_segregation_in_the_Unit... EDIT: damn, that wasn't just said in an interview, the judge wrote that down in his legal opinion: https://discoveryvirginia.org/opinion-judge-leon-m-bazile-january-22-1965-page-1 https://discoveryvirginia.org/opinion-judge-leon-m-bazile-ja...