Ivan points out: Im not sure that all cultural discrimination is bad, if it is used perhaps somewhat loosely and carefully.
Cultural discrimination is practiced every day in just about every culture. IMO, it is basic instinct, developed over several thousand years of the human development. More Ivan: japanese, as it seems to me it obviously was, it is whether or not it was justified. Im not sure that it was racism as we have come to know it however, it seems to me that it was a very special circumstance and required drastic measures to ensure our safety. It was wartime in the worst way. Im not saying that the japanese were fairly treated, I don't know enough about it but from what I know it may have been justified from their potential religious associations with the emperor and all... I just don't see this Emperor bit as being a factor. What I do see the the wielding of absolute power, and that power corrupted. It was one thing to take the precaution of internment after Pearl Harbour, and I feel the American people were justified in their concern, but ultimately not in their actions. What started as internment was subverted to greed - I don't know the details, and I may be wrong - but I have the impression that the seizing of their property went well beyond internment. This was totally unjustified. It can be easily argued that if there was simple concern over the possible actions of Japanese people, then their property could simply have been returned to them after the end of internment. I'm wondering exactly who did profit from all that seized property? The same goes for Canada - read on. I think the difference with the Germans may have been the fact that they did not attack the American mainland. If they had done something similar to Pearl harbour, I'm sure there would have been some similar reaction by the government. What we are seeing today with the terrorism threat is quite similar to when Pierre Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act in Canada in 1970 when the FLQ (Quebecois terrorists) kidnapped a British diplomat and a Quebec cabinet minister They killed the minister but the diplomat was eventually recovered. The War Measures Act was finally repealed in 1985 and replaced the Emergencies Act so the government could enact special laws in time of need. The War Measures Act essentially suspended the Canadian Bill of Rights. Most CAnadians agreed at the time but later thought there was serious problems with this exercise of power. For those who wish a reading of Trudeau's Oct. 16, 1970 speech to the nation is of interest: http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/discovery/cantext/speech2/1970trwm.htm Further to this and parallel with the US Japanese internment, the following article demonstrates all the times the Canadian government interred peoples of various ethnic groups during wars and national emergencies. It is very revealing and perhaps went even further than the US: http://www.educ.sfu.ca/cels/past_art28.html The same motives of greed by certain groups is clearly demonstrated in this article, taking advantage of dispossessed people. If anything, we might draw from all of this that groups like government as a whole can be racist in their actions. Also, that people everywhere are capable of over reaction and as in a riot, anything goes, and there is no one to accept responsibility at the end of it. -- Scotty Henderson
