Japanese Schools to Teach Patriotism

[Heibges]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6669061.stm

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Unless they start a massive Aircraft Carrier building program at the same time.

[SUBMAN1]

They already dumbed down their textbooks in Japanese schools to lessen Japanese atrocities during the war, so don't be surprised!

-S

PS. Oh I forgot - they got rid of the clause in their Constitution about military being used for defensive purposes only a couple months back. Starting to see the picture?

[Chock]

Nothing wrong with that, unless you subscribe to Samual Johnson's view of patriotism that is...

I can see it now:

"Good morning class, time for your first revisionist history lesson, but before that, join me in our traditional shout of 'Banzai!'"


:rotfl:

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by Chock

Nothing wrong with that, unless you subscribe to Samual Johnson's view of patriotism that is...

I can see it now:

"Good morning class, time for your first revisionist history lesson, but before that, join me in our traditional shout of 'Banzai!'"


:rotfl:

And don't forget the class on how Japan sat out the war and it was really China invading the Pacific over! And how the Americans mistakenly nuked Japan instead!

-S

[Chock]

Joking aside - as the above threads clearly were - I don't think we should hold a grudge against an entire nation forever, after all, most people on this forum weren't even alive when WW2 took place. Yes, some of my relations suffered at the hands of the Japanese in WW2, but that's really up to them to hold a grudge, as they were the ones that suffered.

But having said that, it is slightly worrying to note that some history appears to have been tweeked before it is taught to Japanese children. Most nations have some stuff in their past of which they can be less than proud, certainly my country (UK) has done its fair share of stomping on other cultures throughout history, and while it's not really up to me to apologise for it, there is nothing wrong with accepting that it happened and keeping it in the history books.

So if the Japanese want to be proud and patriotic about their country, okay fine, but altering history isn't exactly a great basis for a proud heritage. Sure, they could be proud about some of the great technical innovations they made in WW2 and before (like the Mitsubishi A6M, Samurai swords or whatever), but an Orwellian-style missing out the nasty stuff from the text books is just plain wrong.

Chock

[fatty]

Originally Posted by Chock

Joking aside - as the above threads clearly were - I don't think we should hold a grudge against an entire nation forever, after all, most people on this forum weren't even alive when WW2 took place. Yes, some of my relations suffered at the hands of the Japanese in WW2, but that's really up to them to hold a grudge, as they were the ones that suffered.

But having said that, it is slightly worrying to note that some history appears to have been tweeked before it is taught to Japanese children. Most nations have some stuff in their past of which they can be less than proud, certainly my country (UK) has done its fair share of stomping on other cultures throughout history, and while it's not really up to me to apologise for it, there is nothing wrong with accepting that it happened and keeping it in the history books.

So if the Japanese want to be proud and patriotic about their country, okay fine, but altering history isn't exactly a great basis for a proud heritage. Sure, they could be proud about some of the great technical innovations they made in WW2 and before (like the Mitsubishi A6M, Samurai swords or whatever), but an Orwellian-style missing out the nasty stuff from the text books is just plain wrong.

Chock

Good points all round Chock. This thread is not really anything big; here in Canada we are made to stand for the anthem in grade school and the U.S. of course has the pledge of allegiance. The revisionism is fishy and certainly not helping to quell tempers in that region. Here is an interesting paper on Japan's revisionism from the IJPS.

The idea that Japan is out to re-militarize and conquer is pretty silly :p

[gnirtS]

Originally Posted by Heibges

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6669061.stm

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Unless they start a massive Aircraft Carrier building program at the same time.

I dont see the problem even if they do start building it. No reason for them not to have them. Plenty of other countries have.

[joea]

Originally Posted by gnirtS

I dont see the problem even if they do start building it. No reason for them not to have them. Plenty of other countries have.

Well it was a joke. I'd love to see a modern Shokaku for example or this:



Seriously nothing wrong with patriotism ... historical revisionism is something else, and I personally have noticed a lot around lately. (Not only Japan).


BTW: Excellent article Fatty. In case someone missed your "hidden link" I post it again.

http://www.gmu.edu/academic/ijps/vol5_2/oh_grbi.htm

[Heibges]

This is almost a re-re-revision.

They looked at the world a certain way before WWII.

The United States made them change it after WWII.

Now they are changing it again.

What we considered atrocities, they just considered "war".

They didn't sign the Geneva Convention because it required them to treat POW's better than their own soldiers.

[AntEater]

I often have the feeling that this "japanese nationalism" thing is blown way out of proportion.
Nationalism was always there, and the US helped sustaining it as an anticommunist ideology.
But I think even the most radical japanese realizes that Japan is not in the position of 1937, but rather faced with an almost equally strong south Korea, a resurgent Russia and a China stronger than since the middle ages. Agression today would lead nowhere.