Conservapedia:Did racism play a role in the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
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There was a form of racism that played a role in the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was the one form of racism that eminated from the idea that the race of Japanese people were destined to rule over the rest of the worlds populations. Similar to the same idea that Nazis Germany had of their own race of people being superior to all other inferior peoples of the world. As in Germany, this idea led to the brutal treatment of their enemies. Germany used death camps as well as death squads to exterminate millions. Imperial Japan had its own versions such as the rape of Nanking that occured in every nation that it subjegated. Japan was the victim of its own policy of racism that culminated in two of its cities disappearing into atomic wastelands. There is only one race, and that is the human race. Artificial constructs of more than one race was the racism that caused Germany and Japan to impose their own rule by war over the entire human race. Both received their just reward for such racist endeavors!--Roopilots6 19:39, 11 April 2007 (EDT)
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The Cessation of Hostilities
The decision to use two atomic bombs was meant to save countless lives at the end of World War 2. Operation Downfall was the allied plan to invade the Imperial Japanese mainland. The bombing of other Japanese cities with conventional bombs had already produced huge civilian casualties. The bombing of civilian populations was practiced by all sides during the war. This would have continued even after the first phase of Operation Downfall as Operation Olympic was slated to kick off on the 1st of November of 1945. The bombings would have continued even after Downfalls' second phase of Operation Coronet was to start on the 1st of March, 1946. The civilian population would have incurred losses from diseases, starvation, invading forces, as well as the regular allied bombers coming every day. A single bomber dropping a single bomb to destroy an entire city is what played the role that saved millions of lives on both sides. I have never seen nor heard of any historic record that could be cited to make any case that racism played a role.--Roopilots6 14:06, 25 May 2007 (EDT)
Apples and oranges
Racism, I don't know most American's wouldn't have thought twice about stating how we hated the Japanese then and it is hardly a secret that we didn't take many prisoners during the island campaigns. Lack of understanding one country to another certainly did cause the dropping of the Bomb. Part of it being the lack of cultural background needed to understand the Japanese language. I believe when the Potsdamn declarations were given the Japanese response was offically "no comment" but there was another way to take it "to kill with silence" and that was the way it was taken. The Japanese government had been trying to get the Soviets to intercede on their behalf to negoiate a surrender. Literally months were wasted before they understood that the USSR was going to attack them. We could have had a surrender 6 months before we did but simply agreeing to respect the Emperor and keep him safe, which is exactly what we did in any case. Tirronan 19:41, 22 June 2007 (EDT)
- The Imperial Japanese armed forces didn't encourage surrender as per their code of bushido, the way of the warrior. It was accepted among the Japanese military ranks to fight onto death and not be disgraced with surrendering. There was never a lack of Americans wanting their enemy to surrender before them instead of receiveing suicidal Bonzai wave attacks. To say otherwise is to disregard the historic facts from both sides of the conflict. To perceive the aggressors as victims speaks more of the recent attempt to rewrite history in order to suite a political agenda. There were many Japanese that had been educated in America before the war to know enough about how to communicate with Americans. To think that the Russians would intercede on behalf of Imperial Japan couldn't be farther from the truth in every historical sense.--Roopilots6 14:18, 18 September 2007 (EDT)
I don't think so. The internment of innocent Japanese American citizens, and the existing propaganda films of the era show that Americans were just as racist in attitude against the Japanese as they may have been against us. However, in the final analysis, it was a difficult and tragic strategic military decision that had to be made in order to close a horrendous chapter in human history. -What is disturbing about the OP's logic is that if the A-bomb is seen as some kind of retributive mechanism for racist actions, wouldn't that imply a tacit approval of, say, the USSR nuking the US for its long running treatment of blacks? In other words, you would have favored an attack on the US to "right" the wrong of Jim Crow, lynching, segregation, and other institutionalized racist policies? Sounds a bit treasonous to me, but hey, what do I know...
I think you misread my statement, most American's of 1945 wouldn't have hesitated to tell anyone that they hated Japan and any and all Japanese. The internment of the Japanese Americans was just proof of that. But in the end the fact that neither country could really make heads or tails of the other made communication all but impossible. It was the duty of every Japanese citizen to lay down his/her life to protect the Crown/Deity and even the majority of the military would have accepted surrender if Hirihito was protected. We didn't really understand this at that time and Japan had been trying to find a formula for surrender for months before the bomb was dropped. We were wedded to absolute and total surrender and in the end Hirihito had to order a surrender regardless of what happened to him for the military to accept and acceed to it.
Strategic logic
December 7, 1941 played a role, the rape of Nanking played a role, the Bataan death march played a role, ...etc. The war debt may have played a larger role, but to suggest that somehow some instance of ignorance played a factor is disrespectful of all that died as a result of Imperial Japans waging of war from 1937 until 1945. But we should acknowledge the reality of what resulted in using atomic bombs against a hostile Imperial Japan. That is the saving of lives on both sides and a fact that seems to be glossed over by some who willfully ignore the repercussions of what Operation Downfall would have entailed.--Roopilots6 14:34, 18 September 2007 (EDT)
Japanese vs Germans
Some might argue that if the US was not willing to drop the bomb on Germany that dropping it on Japan was due to racism. There are vast notable difference between Germany and Japan.
- Japan attacked us during a surprise attack destroying almost every ship in the Pacific fleet, legally we declared war on Germany 1 day before Germany declared war on us.
- Japan was known to have committed horrible atrocities in China (even decades earlier) and of doing the same to sailors, German atrocities were not generally know by the American public till after the war.
- Japan never signed the Geneva conventions for the treatment of prisoners or the Hague convention banning chemical/biological warfare
- Japan withdrew from the league of nations withdrawing after the first mention of the Rape of Nankin
- Many Americans had a German heritage, some being only second, third generation.--Mitrebox 19:49, 26 January 2008 (EST)
