Irrational Sentiments: Why Japan Deserved The Recent Natural Disasters
by Comments from ignorant people are usually funny, but when it it involves saying people deserve to die because of historical events… Well, then I actually get annoyed.
In the wake of the tsunami that hit Japan as the result of an earthquake on March 9, 2011, there have been numerous outcries of disgust against the village idiots of America. The most well-known example is Gilbert Gottfried, who was recently fired from Aflac due to tasteless jokes he tweeted about the natural disaster. What remains an issue is that there has been nothing said in the media about the absurd comments of karmic retribution Japan supposedly deserved. We’re keen to point out high-profile citizens who should know better, but overlooking asinine comments on Facebook and Twitter made by ordinary people is just fine. (Note: Thankfully, there is an increase of Internet backlash.)
Payback for Pearl Harbor
Here’s a very quick and oversimplified run-down of events. The naval base known as Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, as part of a surprise attack; the latter is now a widely debated and controversial subject among all people, believing that it was allowed to be used as propaganda. Regardless of whether or not that is the truth, this attack upon American soil is what drew the “Sleeping Giant” into World War II. On August 6 and 9, 1945, America dropped two atomic bombs on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That doesn’t even take into account the bombings of Tokyo and other cities.
Japan erected both the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (1954) and the Nagasaki Peace Park (1955) to memorialize the victims of the direct bombing, those who died in the aftermath due to radiation, and those who survived (regardless of whether or not they died). While teaching the history of the war and what role the cities played in it, they also provide information as to what effect the bombings had on Japan. The information isn’t glorious; it’s often painful to read, and it should be. The goal is to educate visitors on history and advocating world peace.
In my eyes, that is apology enough for the events of World War II. In 2011, there is no reason any Japanese person should be apologising for something they were unable to control in 1941. They should remember the events, just as everyone whose history is affected by it should; they should not apologise for it, but they should never forget it. If you apply this logic to any other historical event, it makes just as much sense. Should those living in England apologise to the descendants of those affected by the potato blight during the Great Famine? Should all Germans today be considered Nazis and apologise to the Jewish community, including those who tried to help and suffered the same fate as their Jewish counterparts because of it? No, because there is no logical reason for it. It should be remembered through our actions, but there is nothing to be done today to reverse events of the past.
Except, then I see comments as such posted on Facebook:
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