The shadow
The shadow knows!
Samantha brought a copy of this graphic novel home from the library at school. She asked "did this really happen? Is it true?"
This started a conversation with her about a shameful period in our history. Takei takes the reader on a sad journey. One filled with sadness loss and humiliation. You may call it woke. I call it history. A forgotten chapter. It brings FDR down a few pegs. Thousands locked up for no other crime but being Japanese. Highly recommend
nivek
As Above So Below
From our point of view, yes it is a sad moment in history, but from their point of view, meaning the American government back then, it was totally justified and I support that decision...They simply did not know who was who, who was possible saboteurs for the Japanese government or who was living here in America peacefully...George Takei likes to twist the truth...
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pigfarmer
tall, thin, irritable
That's George's story and since I haven't read it have no real opinion other than what I can glean from the cover. He lived it, I didn't. Why he is writing such a book now is an open question but again, it's his story.
I have said many times that context is important and looking back at historical events with modern eyes tends to discount that, we like to cherry pick agreeable facts and ignore others. It's done all the time with ufologists but isn't unique to that interest.
FDR had many flaws and was far from perfect but incarcerating Japanese American citizens did not just happen in a vacuum. Racial bigotry against Japanese, citizen or not, could arguably be traced back to the 1905 San Francisco earthquake. The Japanese government at that time was actually sane and had demonstrated on the world stage not only it's military capability but it's chivalry and compassion to defeated enemies and it took great offense at the behavior toward it's US based citizens or descendants.
That all went by the wayside and by 1941 it was a very, very different story. There were spies at Pearl Harbor and the FBI and military were aware of them at the time which is why most of our aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Add the nature of the attack and extreme loss of life to the list of atrocities Imperial Japan had already committed in China during their brutal occupation and it doesn't paint a very nice picture; racial bigotry wasn't the sole impetus behind incarceration it was grease for the wheels. The Philippines fell, the Asiatic Fleet was destroyed, Wake Island held for a time against extreme odds and the public mindset at the time was perfectly displayed in the 'Battle of LA' . That had zero to do with UFOs - more ignorant cherry picking - it had everything to do with extreme paranoia and fear. That's the important context and I wonder how George covered it if he did at all.
I'd add that at the time blacks were segregated and women had only been allowed to vote for 21 years - it certainly wasn't a Woke society by any stretch of the imagination. Domestic race riots were not uncommon during the war but they tend to get little treatment in the historical record.Here's one example: Zoot Suit Riots
In spite of all that the story behind the 442nd Regimental Combat Team stands out and if anyone wants to read George's book I'd say that unit history deserves some attention as well.
I have said many times that context is important and looking back at historical events with modern eyes tends to discount that, we like to cherry pick agreeable facts and ignore others. It's done all the time with ufologists but isn't unique to that interest.
FDR had many flaws and was far from perfect but incarcerating Japanese American citizens did not just happen in a vacuum. Racial bigotry against Japanese, citizen or not, could arguably be traced back to the 1905 San Francisco earthquake. The Japanese government at that time was actually sane and had demonstrated on the world stage not only it's military capability but it's chivalry and compassion to defeated enemies and it took great offense at the behavior toward it's US based citizens or descendants.
That all went by the wayside and by 1941 it was a very, very different story. There were spies at Pearl Harbor and the FBI and military were aware of them at the time which is why most of our aircraft were destroyed on the ground. Add the nature of the attack and extreme loss of life to the list of atrocities Imperial Japan had already committed in China during their brutal occupation and it doesn't paint a very nice picture; racial bigotry wasn't the sole impetus behind incarceration it was grease for the wheels. The Philippines fell, the Asiatic Fleet was destroyed, Wake Island held for a time against extreme odds and the public mindset at the time was perfectly displayed in the 'Battle of LA' . That had zero to do with UFOs - more ignorant cherry picking - it had everything to do with extreme paranoia and fear. That's the important context and I wonder how George covered it if he did at all.
I'd add that at the time blacks were segregated and women had only been allowed to vote for 21 years - it certainly wasn't a Woke society by any stretch of the imagination. Domestic race riots were not uncommon during the war but they tend to get little treatment in the historical record.Here's one example: Zoot Suit Riots
In spite of all that the story behind the 442nd Regimental Combat Team stands out and if anyone wants to read George's book I'd say that unit history deserves some attention as well.