Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Again, you are reacting to something which was not there, I am not saying the above, I am not trying to say the above, it is a different topic from what I have been addressing.
My point was that the Pacific War was racist in nature. Racism was behind Japan's belief that they had a right to colonize East Asia and rule the territory. Racism was behind the west's reaction to this, Japan was doing what European powers had been doing for many years, cutting out slices of China and other areas for purposes of exploitation. The US had never objected when Britain, France and Germany had seized colonies in Asia, they only began to object when it was another Asian nation doing it.
Once the war was underway, both sides portrayed the enemy as non-human, as inferior racially, and as evil in nature.
I made no comparisons between the Pacific war and the European war, but here you are demanding that I defend such assertions. Please respond to what I write, not to what you imagine I must be thinking.
I think Japan’s belief in its racial superiority, as compared to other Asians, was buoyed by its victory over the White Man in the Russo-Japanese War, which certainly surprised the major Western powers at that time.
That dominating victory fueled Japan’s belief that it was an equal to the Western powers, and should rightly have a place at the table as a colonizer power. Its rejection as such greatly hurt Japan’s pride, leading it to withdraw from the League of Nations and embarking on the course of events that eventually lead to its role in WWII.
I think Japan’s belief in its racial superiority, as compared to other Asians, was buoyed by its victory over the White Man in the Russo-Japanese War, which certainly surprised the major Western powers at that time.
That dominating victory fueled Japan’s belief that it was an equal to the Western powers, and should rightly have a place at the table as a colonizer power. Its rejection as such greatly hurt Japan’s pride, leading it to withdraw from the League of Nations and embarking on the course of events that eventually lead to its role in WWII.
When the greatest generation entered the American scene in the 1930s every American city was a great, safe, clean place to live. By the time the so called 'greatest generation' started to retire in the mid 1980s every American city was a dirty, crime ridden dump. That speaks for itself. Go to youtube and look at 'Remembering Chicago' and see for yourself. Since I once lived in Chicago I bought the tapes of the interviews of the people that lived during the 1930s and early 40s. One women interviewed said that on a hot summer night(there was no air conditioning back then) she would walk down to the nearest park in her pajamas with a pillow and blanket and sleep in the part without one thought that someone was going to do her harm. And a person could do that in any park in the entire city. Fast forward to today and you know what I mean. So if the 'greatest generation' was so great then why didn't they keep those peaceful times instead of overseeing the fall of our great cities.
I would go by actual statistics not a youtube video. First of all homicide rates in America were much higher in the 1930's than today. And homicide rates in Chicago were double in the 1930's than in the 1960s. The murder rates in Chicago decreased each decade from the 30's to the 60's. After that they increased. You can blame a lot of factors for that but not the "Greatest Generation".
When you think about it, how many of the "Greatest Generation" both served and saw actual combat?
Right off the bat, the great majority of women, or roughly 50% of the greatest generation saw no actual combat at all. As for the men, how many served in the armed forces and served in the front lines? You can see that considerably less then 50% of the greatest generation actually deserve the title at all. The biggest thing of course is that they all waited on the sidelines while German and Japanese armies overran the cities of Europe and Asia until they had to fight.
I realize I am being negative but it only because of the word "greatest", which in my opinion is a claim that does not and cannot hold up. I think you say it best - "The WWII was a great generation, but not the greatest".
I remember reading Brokaw’s book. He did highlight some women who did not fight in his book. I think he meant to include everyone of a certain age range in his designation, The Greatest Generation.
They were the last generation to exhibit a hearty work ethic, a belief in selflessness over selfishness, community service, humility, faith, an focus on morality (even if often misplaced).
Of course they then raised the baby boomers to be a messed up lot and the decline in those areas began.
Then the messed up boomers raised a generation of snowflakes.
Now community service is something for criminals to do. Church? "No, what a waste of time, What do I get for going to church?" "Why should I work hard? I am not paid as much as some other people are and I cannot have all the tings I want. I am going to do all I can to sit at work and do nothing" "Selflessness? No way. I know that means I make effort and get nothing for me. that is backwards."
There are of course exceptions. But it is seen as the last of the really motivated, driven leaders and workers ended with that generation. For better or worse, they are the ones who raised this country from pretender to the greatest superpower the world has ever known. The following generations are at best holding things steady or by most estimations creating a decline. However the reason the rest of the world is not ignoring us, or dominating us, or ruling us, is because of the efforts of that generation.
I was born in 1946. I do not agree with your biased and broad brushed generalizations. They do not sound like my reality at all.
I believe Boomers changed modern society drastically, demanding change and changing minds. And we were the recipient of the most important social gift of all—birth control, or the pill. Because boomer women could control the size of their families, they could enter the workforce and have careers. Or they could reenter the workforce after childbirth.
Our generation took advantage of this amazing gift. And the changes keep coming. Our generation raised the collective consciousness regarding racism, inequality, and our involvement in unjust wars. I think this is significant.
I do think it is time for old boomers to leave politics though. It is time for the next generation to begin to lead.
And my Gen X children are not self involved snowflakes. Nor are their peers.
Like any other tag it is a generalization. Reality is that it is a continuum of generations, it wasn't like one day we flipped over to start birthing Baby Boomers.
Forgetting about generational tags, the American values began to change in the 60's and really degraded rapidly in the 70's and beyond. This is when we turned the corner to become a much more self-absorbed materialistic society.
That is the main reason we have a nostalgic view of the "greatest generation". They precede the change in values we saw in the latter part of the Twentieth Century.
Like any other tag it is a generalization. Reality is that it is a continuum of generations, it wasn't like one day we flipped over to start birthing Baby Boomers.
Forgetting about generational tags, the American values began to change in the 60's and really degraded rapidly in the 70's and beyond. This is when we turned the corner to become a much more self-absorbed materialistic society.
That is the main reason we have a nostalgic view of the "greatest generation". They precede the change in values we saw in the latter part of the Twentieth Century.
I see the change differently. I do not believe our values degraded. I do not agree with much if what passes for conventional wisdom, but I think we are gradually becoming more tolerant. Its a slow process, but I do see some progress.
We’ve always been materialistic! You think the Victirians were not materialistic? And with greater leisure, yes, I do believe some if us are self absorbed.
I do not feel nostalgia. I think much of what passes as nostalgia is cheap sentimentality. I’d rather be living now, than in any previous time.
However, if humans are going to continue to exist, we need to change. If we treasure our democracy, we need to change. I do not know if there is a will to change.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
