Whoi knew a bunch of Japanese textbook could cause such trouble?

[mindseye]

Originally posted by Dracon II
We mostly hear about the suppression of democratic activists in China here in the west... but they seem to be arresting Maoists nowadays too.

http://www.monthlyreview.org/0105commentary.htm

(Mind you, the Chinese Government has always had an ambiguous relationship with Mao and has a history of arresting leftist, as well as rightist elements).

But it would be interesting to know just how much the unrest in China is actually about liberal ideals (as we like to flatter ourselves thinking) rather than the tumultuous economic changes that have been occurring there since 1978.

Of course the political beliefs are unimportant, all that ideology business is just window dressing for power politics. That is China.

There is a very revealing passage in the biography of Mao written by his personal physician in which the Party leaders hold an emergency meeting just after the seizure of the Gang of Four. They are trying to decide if the Gang of Four should be imprisoned because they are rightists, or imprisoned because they are leftists.

Some things haven't changed.

Regarding Mao, I think most educated, urban Chinese are now fairly realistic about him, they do not revere him as a saint, but as a great leader who made some huge mistakes. If I ask a class to each describe a person they dislike, there are usually one or two students who choose Mao.

[Drake Tungsten]

They are going to continue to do it, and they should, seeing as how the Japanese engaged in a Holocaust against their people.

1/10

I really shouldn't have given you any points due to the invocation of Godwin, but I did anyway. What can I say? I'm a generous man...

[Imran Siddiqui]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Holocaust

Definition 2.b.

A massive slaughter: “an important document in the so-far sketchy annals of the Cambodian holocaust” (Rod Nordland).

---

[mindseye]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

My problem is with the Chinese govt using propaganda.

So you think they'll just stop if you express disapproval? They are going to continue to do it, and they should, seeing as how the Japanese engaged in a Holocaust against their people. The Chinese government is going to continue to do what they do, so welcome any valid abuses they can report on, and report on their abuses yourself. That's how the story goes.

Imran's point is a good one, Chinese reaction should not detract from the merit of the accusations. The overt racism growing here is dangerous and deplorable, yet it should not obscure the validity of the criticisms.

[Drake Tungsten]

If you were using it as a general noun, why'd you capitalize it?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
If you were using it as a general noun, why'd you capatalize it?

Why not?

[Drake Tungsten]

Why not?

Now you're being purposefully obtuse. Actually, you probably have been the whole time...

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Oerdin
If 17 official apologies aren't enough I doubt the 18th will make detractors happy.

What offical apologies? There has been none, zilch, nada.

Originally posted by Oerdin
If they're for kids younger then high school then there really is no need to go into graphic detail.

Graphical details?

It would be nice to state that Japan invaded China, Korea and a number of SE Asian countries, comitted wanton murders and a bunch of other atrocities, etc. That is a nice start.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by DaShi
I think that shouting "I hate all Japanese!" is pointless and counterproductive

I didn't any of that in the coverage for the Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen protests. The banners had slogans such as "Boycott Japanese goods," "Down with Little Japan," etc. I even saw protestors tangled with reporters using Japanese equipment.

But there wasn't any "I hate all Japanese."

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Who cares if they don't take the same path Germany took?

We do. Isn't that obvious?

Originally posted by Kidicious
If you seriously think that there is any chance that Japan is going to invade China you're crazy.

That is not the point.

Originally posted by Kidicious
So why should the Chinese govt be concerned with what is written in Japanese textbooks.

Why should Jews care about Holocaust deniers?

[Drake Tungsten]

What offical apologies? There has been none, zilch, nada.

Wrong again, as usual...

[Tingkai]

There have been individual apologies by various Japanese, but no official apology to China.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Ned


I think you whitewash the problem. It was virtually all the Japanese who took part in the abuse of the Chinese, Koreans, et al.

Really? There hasn't been a single birth in Japan for fifty years. That's amazing!

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


I didn't any of that in the coverage for the Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen protests. The banners had slogans such as "Boycott Japanese goods," "Down with Little Japan," etc. I even saw protestors tangled with reporters using Japanese equipment.

But there wasn't any "I hate all Japanese."

You're joking, right?

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
China I can see . I have more faith in South Korea's textbooks. I'm not up on South Korean history, but I don't think they have anything quite like the Rape of Nanking to cover up.

They do actually

The Japanese considered Korea an integral part of Japan and conscripted Koreans into the Japanese armed forces. The Japanese army was what I call a "kick em in the guts" army. It had tough discipline, based on fear and physical punishment. Everyone was brutalised in the Japanese army and Koreans were treated even worse as kind of second class Japanese.

I don't know if there were Koreans at Nanking but I do know that Koreans were often used as prison guards for allied POWs and they were notorious for their cruelty.

Many Koreans were hanged as war criminals after the war.