British Concentration Camps

[angus]

Well, let's be blunt.  The US had "concentration camps" for Japanese citizens and residents during WWII, though treatment was better and they were disbanded prior to the end of the war.  At least two future US Senators were inmates.

A "concentation camp" is not an "extermination camp."

I'd always learned that the US put japs in concentration camps as well, and since neither those of german nor italian descent were concentrated this way, on can infer the racist component of the philosophy of "better safe than sorry" in concentrating the potential disloyal japs.  Fine.  But one day I was discussing wwII with a colleague, and when I mentioned the jap concentration camps, he came unglued.  We never had any concentration camps!  What do you mean?  Apparently "concentration" is a word you can add to that list of emotionally-charged words we discussed before.  Still, a rose by any other name smells just as sweet.  Clearly our government has, periodically, concentrated people into camps, though I'm not sure what the politically correct term for concentration camps is nowadays.

[angus]

but rest assured that the hawaii japanese remember the camps.  when we were in honolulu last summer I got into a long conversation with this really old guy (coulda been anywhere between 60 and 100; he was asian, so who can tell?)  He was obviously of japanese descent, and described to me a vivid recollection of the bombing of pearl harbor.  Said he was working at the time, so he musta been at least 80, and had no doubt that it was his country (the usa) that was in flames.  He then described the horror with which he learned that many of his fellow americans were being concentrated (interned, whatever) into holding facilities, based solely on their ethnicity.  True story.  And interesting to hear it.  My wife, being from Nanjing, and raised to despise the japs, obviously had no patience for him, but I found his story of the morning of December 7, 1942, and its aftermath fascinating.

[angus]

but rest assured that the hawaii japanese remember the camps.  when we were in honolulu last summer I got into a long conversation with this really old guy (coulda been anywhere between 60 and 100; he was asian, so who can tell?)  He was obviously of japanese descent, and described to me a vivid recollection of the bombing of pearl harbor.  Said he was working at the time, so he musta been at least 80, and had no doubt that it was his country (the usa) that was in flames.  He then described the horror with which he learned that many of his fellow americans were being concentrated (interned, whatever) into holding facilities, based solely on their ethnicity.  True story.  And interesting to hear it.  My wife, being from Nanjing, and raised to despise the japs, obviously had no patience for him, but I found his story of the morning of December 7, 1942, and its aftermath fascinating.

Did you ever read the Rape of Nanking? Pretty powerful stuff.  (I believe the author killed herself a few months ago.)  It was really sickening how the Japanese officers were having beheading competitions. 

we had this conversation once before, I think.  maybe not you and me.  somebody and me.  No, I didn't, but I have listened to some first-hand accounts of the rape of nanjing by some older chinese people.  I also have a February 1938 issue of national geographic issue.  powerful stuff, no doubt.  War is hell, any way you slice it.  "cold war" and "strategic competition" which we have had between USSR and china, respectively, are neurotic, but I think preferable to shooting wars.