Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog

Yuki Watanabe,

Sorry for your loss. Hope you find peace and never let that happen again.

Gen. Sherman said it; "War is hell"

"Nanjing Massacre - Inhuman Civilian PoW Massacre
In terms of extreme brutalities and atrocities with great magnitude and diversities, Nanjing Massacre is definitely the worst crime case of systematic massacre and rape of civilians and PoWs against Humanity committed by a country in our modern History . So ghastly that it made Nazi's Auschwitz Gas Chamber and the 2 Atomic Bombs appear Humane. "

I guess you guys have never traveled in mexioc. This is nothing, stage shows in black face, and outright hatred making fun of black people.

And this is in 2006!

The US had its problems, but is one of the least racist nations in the world now.

Anyone who thinks that is racist is WITLESS COWARD who wouldn't have been able to win WWII if anybody's life depended on it (which it did!)

Our country did what it had to do to end fascism. If it were up to the INTELECTUALLY VAPID LIBERALS who seem to abound these days we'd be all be dead (or worse!).

But don't mind me. Go on and live in that magical fantasy-land where you always have the moral high ground - even while the rest of the world wallows in misery and tyranny around you. At least you'll feel good about yourself. And that's really what it's all about isn't it?

Why are people suprised that these artyfarty types jump at the first chance to beat their chests about how anti-racist they are? At least they arent petitioning to have the website shutdown because it might offend somebody. In this case, the chance to prove to everybody that they are the most anti-racist trumps the chance to squash something.

Sorry Carlos. I was being an idiot and I apologize. You are dead right, sir!

Well, Jack, how do you feel about U.S. Japanese internment camps? Equating racial appearance with unequivocal evil = dumb. Institutionalizing it is even worse. I never said "OMG, america is like the nazis lol!" I'm saying things like this are inexcusable regardless of who creates them. Don't confuse my head for yours, incidentally.

Carlos
Are you seriously trying to draw a moral equivalency between Americans & Japanese and Nazis & Jews? If so, I strongly suggest you read a history book...or get your head out of your ass.

So....how does everyone here feel about Nazi guides to spotting Jews? It's just a product of the times to be sure.

If your from Chicago you may know Jay's potato chips, they used to be called Jap's, they changed the name when the war started.

Some of you sound like you've been living in a bubble. If this is shocking to you, perhaps you shouldn't venture too far from home. You might have a heart attack if you encounter the real world. This is from a different era... stop being so dramatic.

If the word 'Jap' is racist (today), then so must be Yank, Pom, Aussie, Gwilo, etc; and if those words are racist we're all a bit over-sensitive.
I think context and tone is more of an issue than a specific set of buzz words.

Let me tell everyone a little story...

It was a long time ago during WWII in Japan. I was with my husband and child. In the instant that I thought I heard the sound of a B29(bomber) wondering why I was hearing such a sound since the all clear signal had been sounded, the house collapsed and I was trapped under it and passed out. When I came to, I felt like I was in a hole, and I wasn't sure how long I had been out. Forgetting about my husband and child, I went to where I could see a little bit of light, crawling on the ground and breaking wooden plates until I got out. Fire had broken out in about three places. I ran away not knowing where I was going. When I heard my husband calling for me and our child from behind, I realized for the first time, that I was holding my child tightly to me. I still can't remember how or when I took my child up in my arms, even after 40 years. While I was running away, blood-stained people were crying out for help, but since I was bleeding myself, I couldn't do anything for them.

When I went to the south of a prison building in Yoshijima, many people had already gathered there.

The next day I went to the place where our house had been, but there was nothing but cinders. Everything was burnt out. So from that day we slept outside looking up the sky. In the day time I walked around the city everyday, looking for our family members, with my child riding on my back. I even walked to Itsukaichi. I saw mountains of dead bodies by the river and in the office buildings that had escaped the fire. There were bodies lined up in order in front of the Red Cross Hospital, too. Although people asked me for water with weak voices, I couldn*t give them what I didn*t have.

My parents' home was located behind where the NHK TV station is now. My mother died there. One of my brothers was inside the city office when the bomb was dropped and died on August 8. My other brother ran to the Red Cross Hospital. Since he asked someone to find me, I found out where he was. I went to see him straight away. He was lying down on the rough straw mat. Then, on August 14, he died, leaving me with his last request. In his last words, he begged me to look after his two children who were supposed to be at the Fukuro-machi Elementary School at that time.

After my brother died, I looked for his children until the end of August, but I couldn*t find them. So we went back tom my husband's parents' home in Tsuda. After that my husband was sick in bed for 5 years, then he died. And I still have no idea where my brother's children are today.

How many times did I cry for the people dead in those seven famous rivers? The phosphorus was burning everywhere at night. That made me think of the all the dead bodies everywhere. I felt so sorry that I couldn't help people, because there were no medicine. In 3 or 4 days, they had maggots breeding in their bodies. I can't accept any war anymore!!

My brother's family was dead, and his children's bones were never found. Although he had been working for the telephone office, no insurance money was paid, and I couldn't arrange any Buddhist funeral services. I had to raise 4 children of mine. Well, all I could do was ask the priest to pray.

What bothered me the most still is that I couldn't help those people in agony; I couldn't even give them a sip of water. I also never found the bodies of my brother's children.

I deeply feel the misery of the war. I remember my own children were bleeding from their heads or legs, but I didn't have any medicine for them.

I know how you can "spot" a JAP. We're the ones weeping over the loss of our families, our homes and our souls. Happy hunting.

Yuki

Yes, the cartoon contains racist materials but it is also accurate in many of the features mentioned in distinguishing a WWII Japanese soldier from a Chinese national. It was crude but very useful and should be considered within the context of the times. I am speaking as someone who loves Japanese culture and as the son of a veteran who fought the Japanese in the South Pacific. The values and cultures of our nations were extremely different when it came to war (at that time) and it was important for our soldiers to have some understanding of the Japanese soldier. Also remember that cartoons were effective tools for the Army since most of our men did not have a high school education.

Touchy as this all is, Mike: touché – that made me laugh muchly.

I think I want to do a modern version which explains how the Japanese can be detected by their enormous eyes, blue hair and panty shots.

It's funny, but I saw the headline and I figured it was just another Thursday night mixer at Temple Emanu-El.

Surely not 'shockingly racist' for its time, by either North American or Asian standards. (I've known, incidentally, Koreans & Chinese to say they easily identify other Asians' nationalities on sight — though I don't know if that's general.) Cultural context is important to acknowledge about a historical item like this, it seems to me.

On the other hand, certainly not justifiable simply because unremarkable.

And not, in all likelihood, nearly thoroughgoing or accurate enough to be all that useful for military purposes. That's got to be at least in good measure why the bit got pulled from the later edition.

This is pretty tame.

We need more stuff like this to lighten the mood.

You guys are taking things way too seriously.

While it may be a fine piece of propaganda at the time (guidelines to aid period cartoonists in just *how* squad, squint-eyed, and splay-toed their caricatures should be?) I doubt its use as field guide.

Brings to mind the "All Look Same" quiz online (http://www.alllooksame.com/)

Is it racism to aknowledge a set of features that distinguishes a group of people from other? And features that are plain to see? I think it odd to advocate diversity and in the same breath forbid any mention of the most obvious differences that set us apart; according to that comics, the Japanese took advantage of this very attitude (or rather this unawareness, since there existed no P.C. thought control then) mingling with U.S. oriental allies. I wonder if the guide would be less "shockingly racist" had it stated instead that they looked all alike in a manner that defied differentiation; but then there would be no guide at all.
As it is, there's nothing offensive about it --nor nothing to be proud of --all in all, I think the folks at DRAWN! would agree that they were just paying the habitual lip service to the P.C. assumptions that pervade the western world today.
much more offensive (and revealing of the peculiar ethics of the offenders)is to pick on a guy who --I assume he is telling the true --fought in WWII for a mistyping.

!!!

What's shocking is how shocked people seem to be (or at least claim to be.)

TylerB: nice use of 'Coulteresque' hyperbole....80 yr old granny vs 'Muslum' (sic) w/ AK47 ?? What about business man with dark complexion?

Anyways, I'm not against profiling per se, but it's hardly an accurate science and if our security depends on it we're not very secure.

I went out last night with a Jap woman. What a fine race of people they are.

Wait...a Muslim attacked an airport with an AK-47? How come I missed that on the news?

I do find it hard to condemn the people from the 40s for their attitude during the war. Keep in mind the very fact that there was a huge and horrible World War going on. Also at the time American culture still primarily viewed itself through white eyes.

I don't think that the word "Jap" at the time was neccesarily considered offensive either. To call a Vietnamese a "Charlie" would be offensive today, but to do so while at war seems less so.

Our current political situation is much more complex. We are not at war with a particular country or race. We are faced with certain extremists whose causes extend beyond politics and ethnicity. So, while a dark skinned man with a beard may be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks "terrorist", that is still a stereotype. What's to stop terrorist groups form hiring mercenaries or even altering their own apearances (skin color is difficult, but hair can be died and/or shaven) to get by guards who are, presumably looking for the "Muslum with the AK-47 around his neck"?

It is soooo politically incorrect to profile people..........my goodness, let's examine that 80 year old grandma's shoes instead of that Muslum with the AK-47 around his neck trying to get through the airport!!!!!!!!!
This is from a WWII veteran whose life was saved by dropping the awful,
terrible, unnecessary A-Bomb. If you weren't there, don't comment on these situations.

Interesting to note, that generally foreigners are depicted in unflattering ways, while the host culture depicts themselves as best as possible.

There's this famous scroll by a Japanese court artist (mid-late 1800s I think?) that shows the perception of the British by the Japanese when these two cultures first met. The British were depicted as being hairy, having large, beaklike noses, heavy brows, muttonchops...generally an unflattering stereotype of Caucasians.

Apart from the use of the word 'jap' it's not that racist. There are distinctive physical & verbal distinctions between Chinese people and Japanese people. It was a time of war and those distinctions were important ones to make. China was an American ally and Japan was the enemy. American troops needed an quick education to avoid deadly mistakes.

Oh my god! back then they thought that different races and nationalities LOOKED different. How racist and backwards thinking they were. We are so enlightened we know everyone looks the same.

This book reads like one of those ancient atlases that describe bizarre species of human with no necks, or feet for hands, or mouths on their chests...

And E.Grossman has to chime in with his neocon polarized world view. It's like if someone killed a bus load of orphans, he'd point out that someone had killed a train load of nuns, so the orphans don't count.

Its funny because in these cases the people providing the information tend to be more ignorant of the subject than the those reading it and being exposed to the subject. I think the average soilder involved in the populace during this time found the book to be a joke (though I wouldnt be upset at them for having a laugh at it considering the difficulty of the situation)

Nobody's saying that. Terrorism, racism, forced prostitution...all of it sucks. Japan, the U.S., and my country (Canada) have all done horrible things at several points in history. Other countries, too.
Ignorance breeding ignorance is just as ugly, thank you very much.

Yes, this is far more shocking than the murderous conduct of Imperial Japan during the war . . . . Pearl Harbor, Bataan, China, Korean "comfort women", etc. Easy to smugly condemn Caniff today, isn't it?

Holy shit. War uncovers the darkest of ignorance.

Not a big surprise they used Caniff, who, as talented as he was, nonetheless authored a pretty racist adventure strip set in Asia.

My goodness, that was so difficult for me to go through. It's amazing that they even printed that in the first place. Not at all stereotypical or prejudiced.