Was dropping the Bomb on Japan racist?

[Eagle_Eye]

We dropped two A-bombs on Japan instead of invading the home islands. Was this just war or racism?

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

We dropped two A-bombs on Japan instead of invading the home islands. Was this just war or racism?

War. I'm sorry that we did it and killed so many civilians, but the loss of life from an invasion would have been even worse. I think it is a tribute to humanity, and to organizations like NATO, the UN, etc. that we haven't used a nuclear weapon in 75 years despite the proliferation of the devices.

 

[CFM]

War. I'm sorry that we did it and killed so many civilians, but the loss of life from an invasion would have been even worse. I think it is a tribute to humanity, and to organizations like NATO, the UN, etc. that we haven't used a nuclear weapon in 75 years despite the proliferation of the devices.

Why be sorry about something that you admit caused less loss of life?

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Don't you have anything better to do than ask to be humiliated -- again?

This message is hidden because CFM is on your ignore list.

 

[RB 60]

We dropped two A-bombs on Japan instead of invading the home islands. Was this just war or racism?

Talk to a few WWII vets and yes, it was racist, at least racist against the "race" who would kill us. It was also war, our military was attacked. So it was both, IMHO.

 

[NiftyNiblick]

I wasn't quite in my mom's tummy when those two bombs were dropped.
Just missed it by a tiny bit.
And my not having gone through what the world was going through then, Truman's decision is not one upon which I can easily make judgement.

We're the only nation in the world to have used nuclear weapons in war and everybody knows it.
We were fighting Europeans and Asians, and we dropped the bombs on the Asians.
Everybody knows that as well.

Whether it was racist or not is something that may be argued forever.

 

[Phantasmal]

I believe it was barbaric. The Japanese army was defeated. It was not necessary to kill innocent citizens.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

I wasn't quite in my mom's tummy when those two bombs were dropped.
Just missed it by a tiny bit.
And my not having gone through what the world was going through then, Truman's decision is not one upon which I can easily make judgement.

We're the only nation in the world to have used nuclear weapons in war and everybody knows it.
We were fighting Europeans and Asians, and we dropped the bombs on the Asians.
Everybody knows that as well.

Whether it was racist or not is something that may be argued forever.

We did horrendous damage and horrific casualty counts in Germany as well. Over 25,000 killed in the Dresden fire bombings, and almost that many in Hamburg. I think the decision to use the devices on Japan was not based on racism as much as it was practicality. Japan was the hold-out; Germany had been crushed months before, and Italy wasn't much of a player either.

 

[Cypress]

Americans in general were racist towards Japanese.

I think the bombing was immoral and inhumane.

But without the luxury of hindsight, it can be plausibly also be claimed to have been strategically warranted.

It is possible to believe all these things at the same time, without them being mutually exclusive..

There was little stomach to invade the Japanese home islands. Few Americans realize that the Soviet Army, fresh off their destruction of the Japanese Kwangtung Army in Manchuria, had battle plans to invade and occupy the northern Japanese home island of Hokkaido. That is one reason Truman was keen to coerce Japan into immediate surrender and compel them to submit to American military occupation.

There is no question in my mind that the Soviets would have set up a communist client state in a "People's Republic of Hokkaido", and giving the USSR a key strategic foothold in the north Pacific.

The Japanese were warned in the Pottsdam statement to either surrender or face utter destruction. That was obviously veiled language for a nuclear attack. In an ideal world, I wish the veiled threat we made could have been made more tangible to the Japanese before the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

 

[CFM]

Don't you have anything better to do than ask to be humiliated -- again?

This message is hidden because CFM is on your ignore list.

You're the one that's hiding, cunt, no me.

Prove your cowardice. I command you.

 

[CFM]

Americans in general were racist towards Japanese.

I think the bombing was immoral and inhumane.

But without the luxury of hindsight, it can be plausibly also be claimed to have been strategically warranted.

It is possible to believe all these things at the same time, without them being mutually exclusive..

There was little stomach to invade the Japanese home islands. Few Americans realize that the Soviet Army, fresh off their destruction of the Japanese Kwangtung Army in Manchuria, had battle plans to invade and occupy the northern Japanese home island of Hokkaido. That is one reason Truman was keen to coerce Japan into immediate surrender and compel them to submit to American military occupation.

There is no question in my mind that the Soviets would have set up a communist client state in a "People's Republic of Hokkaido", and giving the USSR a key strategic foothold in the north Pacific.

The Japanese were warned in the Pottsdam statement to either surrender or face utter destruction. That was obviously veiled language for a nuclear attack. In an ideal world, I wish the veiled threat we made could have been made more tangible to the Japanese before the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

They got the fucking job done. That's all that matters.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

I believe it was barbaric. The Japanese army was defeated. It was not necessary to kill innocent citizens.

My dad was a bit player as a scientist working on the Manhattan Project. I asked him years later if he felt guilty about that. He said maybe a bit, but it was war and the thinking was that if we didn't do it the war would have dragged on much longer. Then he asked me why I thought that he gave me John Hersey's Hiroshima when I was eight years old.

 

[Truth Detector]

We dropped two A-bombs on Japan instead of invading the home islands. Was this just war or racism?

Would you have preferred the allies lose a another million souls defeating a nation that started a global war and engaged in criminal atrocities?

I am always amazed that individuals educated in the west are even remotely stupid enough to question the morality of saving lives and ending a war we didn't start.

 

[Truth Detector]

We're the only nation in the world to have used nuclear weapons in war and everybody knows it.

So?

We were fighting Europeans and Asians, and we dropped the bombs on the Asians.
Everybody knows that as well.

The war in Europe had already ended dunce.

Whether it was racist or not is something that may be argued forever.

Arguments that it could have been racist are the arguments of morons and the uneducated. We didn't start the war shit-for-brains. We ENDED it.

 

[Phantasmal]

My dad was a bit player as a scientist working on the Manhattan Project. I asked him years later if he felt guilty about that. He said maybe a bit, but it was war and the thinking was that if we didn't do it the war would have dragged on much longer. Then he asked me why I thought that he gave me John Hersey's Hiroshima when I was eight years old.

It debatable whether the war would have drug on, I guess that is the debate that will continue on this issue.

 

[Truth Detector]

I believe it was barbaric. The Japanese army was defeated. It was not necessary to kill innocent citizens.

^Another uneducated dumbass who doesn't know history. Yeah, in dumbass land, the Japanese were defeated and willing to capitulate.

 

[CFM]

I wasn't quite in my mom's tummy when those two bombs were dropped.
Just missed it by a tiny bit.
And my not having gone through what the world was going through then, Truman's decision is not one upon which I can easily make judgement.

We're the only nation in the world to have used nuclear weapons in war and everybody knows it.
We were fighting Europeans and Asians, and we dropped the bombs on the Asians.
Everybody knows that as well.

Whether it was racist or not is something that may be argued forever.

Unconditional surrender by the European members of the Axis powers took place in May, 1945. Japan continued to fight. Perhaps is they had surrendered, they wouldn't have faced what they faced.

People that study history know that.

 

[CFM]

I believe it was barbaric. The Japanese army was defeated. It was not necessary to kill innocent citizens.

It got the job done and that's all that matters.

 

[SmarterthanYou]

dropping the bombs was just war. the internment of japanese americans was racist.............wait, a democrat did that.............right?

 

[Truth Detector]

We did horrendous damage and horrific casualty counts in Germany as well. Over 25,000 killed in the Dresden fire bombings, and almost that many in Hamburg. I think the decision to use the devices on Japan was not based on racism as much as it was practicality. Japan was the hold-out; Germany had been crushed months before, and Italy wasn't much of a player either.

Germany, Italy and Japan could have avoided all that costly damage and horrific casualties; just don't start a global conflict and engage in criminal murder.

My German uncle once opined about Dresden calling it a war crime; I told him starting a global war and murdering millions of Jews is the actual war crime. He was such a fucking Nazi. I can't say his death bothered me the least.