Watching the film it was difficult watching people testify about the truths that happened to them while experiencing the horrors of interment. It’s difficult to think that Americans did something like this just because of blatant xenophobia and fear because we had a attack at the time of war. We essentially had a cold war going on inside of the United States dealing with Japanese people. But I understand the threat and for years after Pearl Harbor I think that the American government decision to do in tear meant was unnecessary. Most of these people were traumatized and experienced racism during and after the times in interment. They lost their homes their jobs their livelihoods and the respect as an American. Many people did not trust them or people who look like them in this caused an issue
4 thoughts on “Kyree week 11”
Kyree, great point about blatant xenophobia being the only explanation for America’s gross mishandling of its Japanese-American citizens during this time. Obviously, as other congressmen in the video had said, this kind of internment was not something that happened to German-American citizens. I am curious about your point that you ‘understand to a degree’ why the U.S. did it, because of the threat Pearl Harbor faced. Do you think there were any other avenues available to people like Roosevelt at the time, and perhaps we’re being too harsh? Or do you think it was an ill-advised decision by our government, that didn’t even have that much evidence behind it? Are there any connections we could make to the modern world and our treatment of, say, illegal immigrants? Just a thought.
This post I think gets to the point of why people wanted to address any form of redress for Japanese-Americans despite it occurring forty years ago(at the time of the hearing). The Japanese-American community was thoroughly damaged by these actions not just economically but also socially, people grew to have a stigma against Japanese-Americans because of internment. Which makes the arguments against redress even more frustrating, the two senators against redress continued to justify the government’s xenophobia and racism despite the evidence implying otherwise. Seeing how people were still affected by internment shows why it is so important to rectify the wrongs committed against the community. I can’t say I understand the U.S.’s decision-making when it comes to internment it completely overstepped people’s personal freedoms when there was very little evidence implying that they were a threat, to begin with.
I agree with your post. During World War Two, and after the bombing of Pearl Habor, the United States government was afraid of the Japanese. Especially if the people who were living in the United States at the time and believed them to be spies towards the Empire of Japan. However, during the war, we were also fighting the Germans as well, but we never put them in internment camps during the war.
Its interesting how you said the United states was dealing with a war but also holding a war within Japanese Americans, basically locking them down in internment camps the Japanese Americans had no way to defend themselves . Exactly how you said this describes the xenophobic attitude America had at the time.