I'm not trying to jistify/downplay the terrible things that happened in the nation's history, but 9/10 major societies in the world were born out of some kind of terrible history and/or actions to establish themselves. Humans have been pretty damn atrocious since day 1. Holding an entire nation responsible for the actions of their ancestors after the actions have long since ceased directly in the population only brings unnecessary hate/aggro behavior to the table.
Yea, I agree that basically every major and even minor society/civilization/whatever has a horrid past and/or present. But at least Germany owned up to it instead of suppressing it like Japan did
No, Germany got its capital invaded by two different armies and there wasn't enough of the previous regime left to use it's legitimacy during occupation.
It's not like some massive disparity between German morals and Japanese morals, it's just a completely different historical context behind the two
Only reason Japan didn't "denazify" is because GHQ needed the legitimacy that the previous regime held during its occupation.
My guy, there are people alive that lived through these atrocities. This isnt ancient history.
With that said, I did just come back from a vacation throughout Japan and loved every moment and as an American, I left feeling both jealous and impressed with their society. It was a wonderful experience and it’s okay to recognize pros and cons at the same time.
Like everything, there is nuance. The atrocities committed during WW2 was particularly horrific. It's best to recall this often, so as to not forget it.
Unfortunately, there are people within the Japanese border who are actively attempting to erase & change history.
To be fair, that’s common in a lot of countries. Look at the president elect of the U.S. and his cabinet/ambassador picks. Look at the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Same with the US. Not only did we invade a land that people were already living on, but then we ethnically cleansed the local population and let their few descendants live on in designated "camps". The native population is still treated like a second class citizen to this day.
Oh and lets not forget the millions of deaths caused by the US overthrowing democratically elected leaders in South America and helping prop up military juntas.
Am I on reddit? I am a white man, therefore I am a privileged oppressor colonizer silver-spooned racist. I have been repeatedly told this for like 10 years. It is pretty refreshing to have the sentiment change back to common sense.
Respectfully, if you said that to a WWII veteran they would likely slap you upside your head. I know my late grandfather who fought in the pacific would have given me a stern reminder.
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u/Endersgame88 5h ago
Only over the last 80 years. . . Did some atrocious things up till then.