Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
I think a some of you are operating under misguided notions. It feels like you want to hold the Japanese to some higher shame for their history then we expect of other nations and cultures. Why should every Japanese citizen have his nose rubbed in the shame of his ancestors when we certainly don't expect that of American, English, Italian, German, Greek, Russian, etc. citizen.
What expression of wartime sorrows are you expecting? At what poing are we allowed to pull ourselves from the mud and move forward?
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I heard someone explain about the relationship Japan has with other Asian countries like S. Korea and China (among others), and how there is a general dislike for the Japanese in these countries. During the explanation, the speaker said something similar to "
It's not that the Koreans or Chinese people hate the Japanese people, it's that they hate the Japanese attitude. They don't seem to be doing enough to take responsibility for the horrible acts their country committed in the past, acting as if nothing happened."
Apparently this explanation was well received, and I can relate to it to a certain degree. However, it leads me to ask the question...
What difference it will make if Japan did more openly expressed it's sorrow towards Korea, China, Philippines, (etc.)? I don't foresee any big gain as a result of it -- other than pride. I think this is similar to the issue of some African-Americans' attitudes towards the "white man". How long do modern day Caucasian people have to take responsibility for the actions of their ancestors? I can understand their argument to a certain point, and I do acknowledge the fact that racism exists even today, but it can get ridiculous sometimes.
I find it all kind of childish. Perhaps I'm just naive.