Existing comment:
Race and War in the Pacific:
America Views the Enemy:
Racial prejudice toward the Japanese appeared in wartime films, magazines, cartoons, and posters. The Japanese were often portrayed as animals -- monkeys and apes, most commonly. They also appeared as madmen or small, yellow, buck-toothed characters. Seemingly contradictory concepts appeared at times. The blood-thirsty beast existed alongside childlike figures. But the images shared the perception of the enemy as lesser humans.
American propaganda also attacked the other Axis powers, but with a different emphasis. In Europe, Americans saw themselves fighting the "Nazis" or "fascism." In the Pacific, their opponent was the Japanese people, or "the Japs, " in the common parlance of the time. Hatred of the Japanese as a people reflected racial prejudice and led to depiction of them as a race or even a species apart.
The Japanese were aware of American racial attitudes. They used evidence of American racism to convince other Far Eastern nations that Japan was fighting to liberate all Asians from "white oppression." In the end, however, Japan's prejudice toward her Asian neighbors and her brutal behavior in conquered territories dispelled that myth.
Race and War in the Pacific:
The Pacific war was marked by intense hatred. American anger about the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and Japan's belief that America wanted to cripple her economy and threatened her survival contributed to these feelings. Race also had a role. To an unusual degree, the Pacific war was characterized by racial stereotyping and demonization of the enemy. The war exposed racial pride, prejudice, and anger. Propaganda on both sides reflected a strong strain of racial hatred.
In America, the war inflamed deeply rooted views of Asians as racially inferior. The media frequently portrayed the Japanese threat in racial terms. Japanese atrocities and the fact that many Japanese soldiers chose death over surrender seemed to confirm prejudices about the subhuman and irrational nature of the enemy.
The Japanese view of Americans was also influenced by race, but in a different way. While Western racism was marked by denigration of others, the Japanese were more preoccupied with elevating themselves. Japan's leaders attributed unique spiritual virtues and physical "purity" to the "Yamato race." The Japanese were the world's "leading race": morally and genetically purer than others. Americans and other Westerners were pictured as degenerate beasts and demons. |