ive been pondering over the fact that there was a lot of hatred towards Japanese after wars end and indeed during and notice a lot of German names in America.was there the same hatred towards them as there was towards the Japanese
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I think it was tilted more so to the Japanese side. Even during the war there seemed to be a mutual respect between the American and German forces. Also take into account that the Germany did not directly attack US soil.
When the Japanese attacked US soil at pearl harbor, it hit very close to home for many Americans. The stories of prison camp brutality did not help the Japanese image either. The image that Americans had towards the Japanese was simply a more barbaric one. However it receeded for a lot of people as time went on and now both Japan and Germany are major US allies. -
The difference is interesting though. I've met PTO vets who still despise the Japanese. But, never really found that among ETO vets.Comment
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not so much hatred but.. I think unlike japans involvement in the war germany's part in the war is something that will be remembered and associated with germany for a long time.Comment
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Something that has always irked me. If Germany has to bear her share of war guilt then so does Japan, especailly after their treatment of Allied POW's.Originally posted by jager17Comment
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Hate
The Germans have been in the USA for many years and we were used to them, they assimilated into society. The japanese were still few in numbers on the continental US. And the ones who lived in the USA may have tried their best to fit in but they still looked different and we all know it is easy to dislike someone that is not the same as you. I suppose the Germans in the USA who spoke with an accent were treated poorly because they talked differently.Originally posted by prussian.guard View Post
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I think there are several reasons that the American soldiers, Navy & Marines that fought in the PTO bear more of a grudge. 1. They attacked America without the declaration of war in a surprise attack which strikes Americans as being sneaky and underhanded. 2. They fought fanatically most often to the death. 3. They treated POWs horribly, chopping their heads off. (pictures of this was found on dead Japanese soldiers and quickly got around) 4. This is a theory of mine but I think the simple fact that they looked different than Americans. (how many times have you seen a photograph of a German soldier and you thought "Hey, that looks like Uncle Max" or someone that you know?)Comment
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To her dieing day My Grandmother hated the "Dirty Japs" wouldn't even buy anything made in Japan.Comment
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I think your theory is true fact. I agree with you totally. I think it's in our genetics/dna to be suspicious and hostile to someone who is different from us. Of course we've evolved and thus have become more accepting of others, but it must be a primal instinct still found among lower animals.Originally posted by DennyB View PostComment
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The hatred was so great that there is a LIFE magazine cover photo of a woman sitting at a desk, looks like she is writing a letter to a loved one in the military with the skull of a Japanese soldier on the desk that this individual probably sent to her.
The hate was so acceptable that even a large magazine would allow a photo such as this on its cover. We as Americans have never shied away from using propaganda to help a cause
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I wonder now days if one of our young soldiers sent the skull of the enemy home from Iraq or Afghanistan to his wife, girlfriend or mother and it was put on the cover of a major magazine with the individual posing for a photo what the response would be.
Makes one think
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Over and Out,
BillComment
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Fact is Americans feel superior to the Japanese and so it was a case of how dare this inferior being attack us and cause us a defeat. It was intolerable for an American to forgive. There's no mystery to why American hatred against the Japanese was so great, while many Americans felt a sense of respect for their German counterparts. It's sad but true. Racism will always be there, however much one tries to deny it as the cause of over the top racism which is condoned as per that Life magazine front photo.Originally posted by MaxxBrunn1938 View PostComment
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Originally posted by Jaegerhando View Post
Goes both ways, Japanese were very racist themselves, and thought of themselves not only superior to Americans, but were the cream of the crops of Asians as well.
Its worthy to note that most Asians detested the over bearing Japanese, and there weren't many sad to see them smashed into bits.
Your argument is extremely simplistic, I don't think its possible to accurately gauge the feeling that Americans had after the sneak attack at Pearl - To that generation, the 1,000's of dead and the wrecked battle fleet confirmed everything that they had ever heard about the Japanese being dastardly, cowardly sneaks - And the thirst for revenge ran fever pitch, and millions of average men, hitherto not in any rush to get tangled up in a war, volunteered in droves to get a chance at whacking a "Jap".
Most American citizens at that time were of direct European extraction, doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why there was a greater affinity for Germans than Japanese, and its ridiculous to propose that that was because they were racist.Comment
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Don't forget that Prussian officers, including Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, were involved in the Revolutionary War, fighting the English with American forces.Comment
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race
IMO in the eyes of the average american after the attack on pearl harbor , the japanese soldier was seen largely as a villan.many companies raised posters target paper board games toys with the japanese male seen as a cross between a human and a buck tooth rat . this was common , however previous to this the japanese villanized the u.s. male as a demon who will try to conquer and rape and enslave the japanese peoples . many americans were ignorant towards the japanese culture and did not really know the japanese peoples values and ways of social behavior.anglo imperialism did not sit well with the japanese .the american advancement and wealth and british colonialism was held in resentment by the japanese as well. so i feel that the american in that era had a sense already that the japanese were on the offensive politicly previous to the start of the war . germans already were very assimilated into the american culture and basicly as another member stated we looked the same . race is a complicated subject with regards to the human race . it is not PC to say that different races have different physical and mental strengths and weaknesses but this is in fact scientificly true . it is a deep subject to get into but very interesting non the less, look at our current involvement in the middle east , we are viewed as the great satan , demons again! one thing is for sure and that is that we are all human and have much to offer each other .Comment
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