Quote:
Originally Posted by GH85Carrera
One of my now dead friends served in the Marines and in the pacific. He saw many examples first hand of the atrocities committed by "Japs" and he flat refused to say the word Japanese, and he said Japs with a real hatred I had never come across before. The Germans were brutal, but the Japanese took brutality to a new level.
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Have also met similar.
Have also met some that forgave.
I believe the answer is multi-fold.
First, the Japanese changed aspects of their culture.
They went from honor/dishonor and gradually implemented our idea of right/wrong.
It is difficult for us to grasp as a society that does has a sense of right and wrong ingrained an entire country that does not.
So one part is a change of culture.
Another part is family, the Japanese had very strong family ties in their culture.
Something the descendants of slaves where families are easily broken up by being bought and sold do not.
Then there is the aspect referred to already, something I consider less important. There are people motivated to keep this contentious, motivated to prevent healing. But leaders need willing followers, and not all the blame can be put out into this category. We are however putting out policies that will help perpetuate the situation.