Learning about Wars
People have to learn from the history. We can't repeat the same problem and tragedy over and over again. People know about this, but they don't do this. We never stop having war. Ever since humans are on the earth, there were always wars. Maybe that's a human nature to fight to survive from enemies, for food and for the land. But nowadays, the earth has changed. Human beings have a control on the earth, and people know what shouldn't be done to the earth.
After the World War II, Japan learned something. They have now anti-war-laws. They swear that they'll never have war, whatever the reasons are. They swore that they'll never have any weapon no matter whatever the usage is. They have self-protective-military. They help nation only when we had natural disaster or some kind of major destruction. Our military never went to war for over forty years since the World War II. I'm really proud of my country that we have this great law to protect human beings. When America make up Gulf War, French came up with a great idea and solutions for the tribal conflict, but America neglected it. America just wanted to make up a good reason to start out the war. As a consequence, many of Americans got jobs and this made America a little bit of come back from the great debt. America forced Japan to send a military to the Middle East. However, we didn't because we know that no matter the reason is, having war, and participating the war was wrong. America bashed Japan for not participating the killing people under the official name of war. They still forced Japan to join the war, after all they had agreement on contributing money to the war. To Japanese people this was such an betraying to the law we have not to participate to any wars. But the sad thing is that, America cannot survive, without Japan, and Japan cannot survive without America, and at a certain point, they had to negotiate what they want maximam. It was so ridiculous that they showed on TV almost like TV game. They said, "Today, American army destroyed two hundred tanks, and hundred and thirty people are dead" They didn't sound like this is a reality. To them, the modern war is games.
In America, no one teaches about wars, not in high school, not in college. We have to attend some kind of lecture which rarely happens. Teaching of wars must be mandatory. No matter how many students are interested in or not. Americans think war is just war between country and country. That's not it. War is a killing of people and people. I feel so sad that, no one ever talked me about war. What people in Japan think, or what did it affect people? I hear sometimes on TV that, "Japan lost in war..." To me, to Japanese loosing or winning don't matter at all. We are just proud of ourselves that it's over anyway. To American people, war is not reality. They never shown any picture of any documents about war. First time I learned about war was when I was about ten. I've never thought of it because we are the second generation, third generation who didn't experienced the war. And people who know are now older generation and many of them are not alive anymore. We don't have chance to learn except if teachers, government force us to know. I wish we could talk or we could learn something about war in this English class because I feel this is my duty to make American college students aware of war.
People think the war is over, but it's not. Many people in Hiroshima, and Nagasaki are suffering from the effect from the nuclear bomb. I bet you didn't know, I bet no one in this country know about this fact. People's skin are all gone. Some people don't have any facial feature. Some are just dying but couldn't die and suffering those days with hurts from the bomb. The only thing I heard about Nuclear Bomb from American people was that it was a good choice that we dropped the bomb. After all the war got stopped. Is that it? They think they are some kind of crits who knows what's right in the world history. They just have to step the land of Japan and see people who are STILL suffering. And people are so nice. They don't blame Americans for their suffer, it's just the war. War makes people go crazy and no one should be blamed. However in America, they are still trying to blame on Japanese for the war. For now it's not the matter. We have to recover the injure from the war.
In America, they never really had war experience. They always go to other land and kill the people of the land and killed their soldiers. They don't know the horror of the war. In Japan, we are faced to the war problem from our childhood. I read, and my mom read me books about war since I was three.
At the Gulf War, America made money. In Vietnam War they made money. In Korean War, they made money. I hate this country's materialistic philosophy. This killed people around the world. Ane they should be shamed. I have to mention that some people were aware of this, like hippies. I see some kind of disrespect in this country to those people. After all we need PEACE!
It is really hard to see what we are doing in America when we are in America. When I talked to my boyfriend about how horrible American military system is. But he really believes in Uncle Sam and they are honors of the United States. Now they are giving young solders scholarships to go to college, for full four years. This is ridiculous. First of all government's money is our nation's money, and it is my money. Now they are giving away to people who contributed to the stupid wars.
There are more than thirty American bases in Japan. They claim that they are trying to protect our country. But the fact is not. They need some places to be able to fo to Russia and Korea and so on. And also we, Japanese are paying for every penny they spend in bases, their foods, clothes, housing, school, planes, payments to soldiers and everything. This is so ridiculous. No one in Japan think we need American military in our land. The war is over. Americans believe that Japan don't have ability to protect when some country try to conquer Japan. What kind of logic is that? We, Japan are strong country. No one would overcome our country because without Japanese power, the world would get in the second great depression. Americca owes significant amount of money to Japan, and the amount is still rising. The world is no more interested in other's military power, but economic power.
I really hope American students could get chance to know about the fact. I really do. I can't blame anyone when they don't know the fact. Ms. Bickford, Could I ask you a favor? I want to you to think about having discussion or research paper in classroom. It doesn't have to be this semester. I just want to remind you that you have a great chance to make students aware of that. One student like me have almost little chance.
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