John W. Dower's View Of Japanese Culture

Everywhere people looked there was propaganda.“There were posters on every lamp post that read things such as “help the troops, buy war bonds”. In this article, what glorifies war was the propaganda that was portrayed through Hollywood movies. The movies consisted of “propaganda themes” that aimed at influencing the American people. “The propaganda consisted of six main themes: The Nature of the Enemy, The Nature of the Allies, The Need to Work, The Need to Fight, The Need to Sacrifice, and The Americans-What we are fighting for”. These themes were created to target the American people in some way. For instance, in the theme, “The nature of the Enemy”, “The goal of this was to make Americans hate the enemy so much that they were willing to do anything to help the United States defeat them”. This was also to build interest in people. In the film “Education for Death: the making of the Nazi” by Walt Disney, it showed how Nazis had absolute control over Germans lives and how the children in schools were being brainwashed by the Nazis, making them believe Germans are a superior race. This made it appealing to people to get involved because this type of propaganda made people feel bad for the

In “War and Massacre” by Thomas Nagel, Nagel argues that there are limits on what can be done to an enemy even its for the sake of overall good. He believes that such an idea is grounded on the principles of Absolutism, where morality is determined by the action itself (deontology). This is contrary to the view of Utilitarianism, which relies on the premise that Morality is determined by its consequences (Consequentialism). Although could one in fact generate such a moral structure around war? Do the ends justify the means in War? Through identifying with a real-life example, I will look to expand on Nagel’s account where an action taken by a country in war would be prohibited even if it were for the overall good.

It is clear without the majority of other evidence that Dower gives exactly how stereotyping and racism were a factor for both Americans and British towards the Japanese as well as the Japanese towards the American and British when you look at the political cartoons in Dowers book. The first political cartoon on page 181, with a gun aimed toward Japan, makes the hatred clear with the headline, "Throw In An Extra Charge", and on the bag the sailor is carrying it says, "war without mercy on a treacherous foe." This cartoon was published three days after Pearl Harbor and it is easy to see the political climate and hatred of the Japanese in this propaganda.

In the article” Betrayed by America” by Kristen Lewis, the bombing of Pearl Harbor affected the attitudes toward Japanese Americans. The Japanese Americans probably felt mistrusted because the Americans were making up rumors about the Japanese Americans. In the article it says, ” Rumors flew that Japanese Americans were loyal to Japan and that they were spies planning another attack on the U.S. There was no evidence that these rumors were true.” It would make sense to think that the Japanese Americans were spies because Japan was bombing the U.S. It is natural for people to think Japanese Americans look Japanese. Most of the facial features look the same. The article says,” In fact, a military report in January 1942 stated that 3 percent of

In his 1986 commonly known book, “War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War”, American Historian, John W Dower, examined and explained the relationship in Japanese and Americans during World War II and studies links between culture, stereotypes, and ultimately the high levels of violence. From the start he mentions that “World War Two changed the face of the globe”. He further explained that during the Second War, society had to witness the rise and fall cycle of the empires and what it did to everyone. Dower’s statement of “… racism remains one of the great neglected subjects of World War Two” is definitely the most relatable and true quote from the entire piece. This is a large aspect that the world and society views from and that is why it is such a popular topic throughout the entire text. Even in today’s society, more parts of the world than others, racism still controls how we treat people, who we hire for a job, and what we say in certain environments. He goes on to mention the racist code words and imagery that came with the war in Asia and makes remarks in regards to the “dominant perceptions of the enemy” on both sides of the war. Part One of the book focuses on the relationship between the two whom are at war and the correspondence and differences between the “Enemies.

The decision to imprison Japanese Americans was a popular one in 1942. It was supported not only by the government, but it was also called for by the press and the people. In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, Japan was the enemy. Many Americans believed that people of Japanese Ancestry were potential spies and saboteurs, intent on helping their mother country to win World War II. “The Japanese race is an enemy race,” General John DeWitt, head of the Western Defense Command wrote in February 1942. “And while many second and third generation Japanese born in the United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become ‘Americanized,’ the racial strains are

Before the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941, the United States citizens and government was concerned about the alliance of Japan with Nazi Germany. It became patriotic to challenge the loyally of Japanese Americans. There were even “scare headlines” in newspapers describing invasions and acts of espionage that had never taken place that reflected the fear on the West Coast and in Hawaii. There was hysteria of the United States citizens and some of the Japanese Americans resisted the new government policy.

soil. Even propaganda showed more dislike towards Japanese. In a cartoon by David Low, there shows an ape stomping on Cebu, with Hitler in the back looking on acceptingly. The mere fact that they depicted Japan as a monkey and Germany as a human, illustrates the obvious preferred hate of the Japanese over the Germans. They also consider the acts Japan is taking as more threatening. All of this evidence further supports Dower’s argument that Japan was more resented than Germany by the United States.

The Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941 sparked an up rise in the anti-Japanese sentiment throughout the West Coast; however, hostility towards Japanese American was common in this area nearly 40 years before the attack (“Personal Justice Denied” 4). Citizens and state leaders of California were strongly against accepting the Japanese. In 1905 the anti-Japanese movement began making waves in California. On February 23, 1905, the San Francisco Chronicle issued on article with the headline: “The Japanese Invasion: The Problem of the Hour.” Soon after a series of editorials

“A day that will live in infamy” or more widely known as Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7th, 1941. The Japanese had attacked the American military base at Pearl Harbor, which is near Oahu. “The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded.” This caused the US to enter WWII, as well as caused a fear on the West coast of the US because of the dense population of Japanese Americans that are found there. The status regarding Japanese-Americans was changed rapidly after this event and they were thought to want to cause harm to the US because we declared war against the axis powers, which included Japan for revenge for Pearl Harbor.

It is deplorable how easily the American government faltered in its responsibility in upholding the rights of all American citizens, as well as how easily it was signed away. The United States influenced by the effects of racial prejudice and mass hysteria, which had been developing since the end of the First World War, lead to what were seen as reprimandable decisions in overruling the rights of Japanese-Americans. With the major influences of fear-mongering caused from a risen tensions of events in the East, beginning the Second World War in the Pacific, such as the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, and later, direct attacks in the United States at military base, Pearl Harbor in 1941, were all proponents into the development of an era of exceptions,

America’s initial response to the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 was that of disbelief and shock. This attack took place on a Sunday morning and what surprised many was the fact that a tiny island nation situated in the Asian mainland could bring out that kind of a feat thousands of miles away from its actual homeland. A major part of this shock and disbelief was based mainly on the stereotypical view that the Americans had on the Japanese people – short people with oriental features that appeared exaggerated.

On December 7th, 1941 at 7:48 am the Japanese Navy attacked the United States military base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. By attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had hoped to preclude the United State’s naval force and continue their siege on Southeast Asia. With the United States’ naval power incapacitated for a period of time the Japanese could gain Southeast Asia’s Trade routes and materials (Trowbridge, 2014). The Pearl Harbor attacks created a wave paranoia, and a sense of “what-if” when it came to the topic of Japanese immigrants possibly aiding in more attacks on U.S. soil. Furthermore, the government utilized the public’s fear of subsequent attacks, and the possibility of any Japanese immigrant being a spy or saboteur; therefore,

Culture. The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. The dictionary definition seems a little harsh, so let’s fix that. Culture. Something that we are all born into, one that we can’t escape, but it doesn’t define who we are as a person most of the time. You can’t just look at somebody, somebody who might be Japanese for example, and just blatantly expect that person to become the next doctor or lawyer. Just because a culture is well known or stereotypically seen to be something, doesn’t mean the individual bearing that culture has to live up to those standards. That Japanese person could want to be the next New York Best Selling author or just a mere teacher because that’s what interests them. Nobody’s future is set in stone the second they come into the world, nor does it come easy as their lives go on. Sure, culture has some helping guidelines to what they should do in their lives, maybe it be the habits or nature of Japanese parents always pushing you to do your best, or it’s just the different cultures of a family. Sometimes there are people born into two or more cultures, and they have to come to the conclusion that they can be any amount of any culture they want. Just because you’re born in America but come from a long line of Mexicans doesn’t mean you can’t be both. Ok yes, sometimes it’s hard to fit in with both cultures because both cultures see you as the other, but it’s not their choice to define who you are and what you believe in. It’s your job to come to that conclusion on your own and you must make that decision that you are proud of. Sometimes people can be cruel, judging you based on looks rather than personality or morals, but it’s just the way of life. How you choose to handle that as time goes on is the only thing that matters. No matter what the case, culture still plays a minor role in the scripting of your life but remember, you’re the author with the pen. You are in charge of writing your life story. Nobody else.

“Suddenly, in the early morning of December 7… the carriers released their planes, each stamped with a red sun representing the Japanese flag, swept down on the unsuspecting American naval base… dropping torpedoes and bombs.” President Roosevelt described Pearl Harbor as “a date which will live in infamy,” and launched the neutral United States into World War II. As every AP United States history textbook states, Japan suddenly attacked Pearl Harbor. Yet each book fails to mention a comprehensive explanation behind Japanese motives, such as Japanese politics, nationalism, and the divided nation. Although Pearl Harbor had one of the most significant impacts on the war, not much was mentioned from the Japanese perspective. If the United States adhered to their policy of neutrality, given the exceptions of the Lend Lease Act, shooting German u-boats at sight etc., why would the Japanese illogically decide to provoke the US? Every coin has two sides, and I wanted to learn about Japan’s perspective, instead of accepting the simplistic one sentence explanation I learned previously. This book certainly did not fail my expectations, for it provided a timeline of the complex year for Japan, detailed the failures of the government, the warring government officials, and thoroughly explained the decision behind why Japan decided to wage an unwinnable war, further slimming their chances of victory by inciting the United States to join.