According to Laura Hillenbrand, in Unbroken, in Nazi and Italian POW camps, 1 to 2% of US GI's perished, while in Japanese POW camps, 25% of US GI's perished. I find it curious that while neither Germany nor Japan should forever be chastised for their World War II past, why are the Nazi's so frequently trotted out as the example of all things evil. We should share the infamy and let a few other past bad examples get some play.
Comment 1: Mark Gammell - One word.....Jewish-Genocide.
Comment 2: John Hinckley - Yeah, what Mark said, the Germans had the Jews, Gypsies and gays to do their medical experiments on. Could have been racial too; or maybe revenge for the internment camps. No Geneva Convention until after the war so...
Comment 3: Loren M. Lambert - @Mark, yes, that is a glaring truth--I'm just saying--maybe we spread a little reflection elsewhere. Perhaps the homogenous Japanese population (at least in Japan, not in occupied Manchuria, Korea and Vietnam), prevented that imperialistic drive from being focused internally and only outwardly.
Comment 4: Mark Gammell - Maybe I am partial, but I believe the behavior of the Japanese Government post-WWII has displayed admirable and adequate evidence of self-reflection and repenting of its ways. Perhaps the Germans as well. I am less familiar with German government and politics post-WWII.
Comment 5: John Hinckley - My first landlady in Korea spent the war years in her parents attic to prevent her from "volunteering" to give "comfort" to Japanese soldiers during the second world war. Our Branch President in Chung Ju volunteered for and was in Kamikaze training when the war ended. He'd been told life would be better for his family.
Comment 6: Loren M. Lambert - Yes, it was an amazing transformation. It makes me wonder why other countries are so incapable of embracing reform and democracy.
Comment 7: John Hinckley - Consider the fact that in Japan and Germany we imposed our will on them and ran the whole show until 1949 in Germany and 1952 in Japan. For better or worse we didn't run to the U.N. or anyone else and ask mother may I. Food for thought...
Comment 8: Mark Gammell - I have no use for the U.N.
Comment 9: John Hinckley - Why not Mark? Doesn't everyone want to give bundles of money to and give up power to a group that hates them and everything they stand for?
Comment 10: Mark Gammell - It could be argued that the Japanese have executed democracy or a U.S.-style constitutional government better than the U.S., and that they hold truer to that constitution than we do, and retain more of their freedom than we do.
Comment 11: Loren M. Lambert - @John, yes but we had a very compliant population and a plan that was not based on revenge or reparations (for the most part).
Comment 12: John Hinckley - Very true Loren; do you think a relatively homogeneous population also played a role? I do.
Comment 13: John Hinckley For example in Iraq we have Shia, Sunni and Kurds.
Comment 14: Mark Gammell - Education plays a big role as well. On the whole, they are much better educated than we are....at least in terms of achieving very high and consistent results across the whole population. There are no illiterate people in Japan. They know how to educate children much better than we do. And, the parents are much more involved in the children's education. Their standards are much higher than ours.
Loren M. Lambert © July 15, 2014
Comment 1: Mark Gammell - One word.....Jewish-Genocide.
Comment 2: John Hinckley - Yeah, what Mark said, the Germans had the Jews, Gypsies and gays to do their medical experiments on. Could have been racial too; or maybe revenge for the internment camps. No Geneva Convention until after the war so...
Comment 3: Loren M. Lambert - @Mark, yes, that is a glaring truth--I'm just saying--maybe we spread a little reflection elsewhere. Perhaps the homogenous Japanese population (at least in Japan, not in occupied Manchuria, Korea and Vietnam), prevented that imperialistic drive from being focused internally and only outwardly.
Comment 4: Mark Gammell - Maybe I am partial, but I believe the behavior of the Japanese Government post-WWII has displayed admirable and adequate evidence of self-reflection and repenting of its ways. Perhaps the Germans as well. I am less familiar with German government and politics post-WWII.
Comment 5: John Hinckley - My first landlady in Korea spent the war years in her parents attic to prevent her from "volunteering" to give "comfort" to Japanese soldiers during the second world war. Our Branch President in Chung Ju volunteered for and was in Kamikaze training when the war ended. He'd been told life would be better for his family.
Comment 6: Loren M. Lambert - Yes, it was an amazing transformation. It makes me wonder why other countries are so incapable of embracing reform and democracy.
Comment 7: John Hinckley - Consider the fact that in Japan and Germany we imposed our will on them and ran the whole show until 1949 in Germany and 1952 in Japan. For better or worse we didn't run to the U.N. or anyone else and ask mother may I. Food for thought...
Comment 8: Mark Gammell - I have no use for the U.N.
Comment 9: John Hinckley - Why not Mark? Doesn't everyone want to give bundles of money to and give up power to a group that hates them and everything they stand for?
Comment 10: Mark Gammell - It could be argued that the Japanese have executed democracy or a U.S.-style constitutional government better than the U.S., and that they hold truer to that constitution than we do, and retain more of their freedom than we do.
Comment 11: Loren M. Lambert - @John, yes but we had a very compliant population and a plan that was not based on revenge or reparations (for the most part).
Comment 12: John Hinckley - Very true Loren; do you think a relatively homogeneous population also played a role? I do.
Comment 13: John Hinckley For example in Iraq we have Shia, Sunni and Kurds.
Comment 14: Mark Gammell - Education plays a big role as well. On the whole, they are much better educated than we are....at least in terms of achieving very high and consistent results across the whole population. There are no illiterate people in Japan. They know how to educate children much better than we do. And, the parents are much more involved in the children's education. Their standards are much higher than ours.
Loren M. Lambert © July 15, 2014
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