In criticizing Japan's history textbooks, Americans should think twice

[kliljedahl]

By Jonathan Zimmerman

NEW YORK – Should history textbooks make you love your country? Most people would say "yes." And that's why textbooks inevitably distort the past - even here, in the good old USA. Americans like to think they've reckoned with their history, while other nations remain mired in propaganda and distortion. Americans should think again.
Consider the recent controversy over history textbooks in Japan. Last month, Chinese and Korean protesters took to the streets to condemn a new set of Japanese junior high school texts. The books omit mention of "comfort women," the roughly 200,000 females - mostly from Korea and China - whom the Japanese forced into sexual bondage during World War II.

But scour the textbooks that Americans use in schools, and you won't find any serious discussion of our own comfort women. I speak, of course, of female African-American slaves.

Sure, today's textbooks - unlike earlier versions - contain lengthy descriptions and denunciations of American slavery. So far as I know, though, not a single commonly used textbook explains one of the most brutal aspects of the institution: coerced sexual relations. And I'm betting that most Americans would just as soon keep it that way.

Link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0504/p09s01-coop.html



Keith’s Barbeque Central

[oneighty]

1. Not to mention

The 'comfort women' provided to the occupiers of Japan following the end of WW2.

180

[JPZenger]

2. Do they really need to discuss that in JUNIOR High School?

I can understand that the Japanese would not mention comfort women in a JUNIOR High School textbook.

In regards the U.S., let's distinguish things that happened 140 to 200 years ago, compared to things that the Japanese did 60 to 70 years ago.

[democracyindanger]

3. Absolutely. They're old enough to understand the issues.

Especially in Japanese society, where sexuality in the general media is widespread.

And the only thing that needs to be "distinguished" between US actions 140 years ago and Japanese actions 60 years ago is the time difference. History books shouldn't be whitewashed, regardless of timeframe.

[kliljedahl]

5. Was gonna say that

but was at work when I posted. Got busy & lost it. You stated it better than I probably would have.


Keith’s Barbeque Central

[bpilgrim]

6. k, how about just 60 years ago...

do we mention how we nuked a defeated, ready to surrender nation's cities filled with innocent men, women or children against the wishes of every military leader in theater at the time or all the comfort women we continue to support at almost every military port on the planet?

judging by the reactions i get i doubt that history is made clear in our history books when we refuse to deal with it even in our most prestigious national museums.

sex slaves still exist today cept they also get paid in dollars.

peace

[democracyindanger]

7. We should

We won't, but we should.

[MountainLaurel]

4. Pot, Meet Kettle

This writer's point is dead on.