Irrational Sentiments: The Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Were Deserved

In the wake of the tsunami that hit Japan as the result of an earthquake on March 9, 2011, there have been numerous outcries of disgust against the village idiots of America. The most well-known example is Gilbert Gottfried, who was recently fired from Aflac due to tasteless jokes he tweeted about the natural disaster. What remains an issue is that there has been nothing said in the media about the absurd comments of karmic retribution Japan supposedly deserved. We're keen to point out high-profile citizens who should know better, but overlooking asinine comments on Facebook and Twitter made by ordinary people is just fine. (Note: Thankfully, there is an increase of Internet backlash.)

Payback for Pearl Harbor
Here's a very quick and oversimplified run-down of events. The naval base known as Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, as part of a surprise attack; the latter is now a widely debated and controversial subject among all people, believing that it was allowed to be used as propaganda. Regardless of whether or not that is the truth, this attack upon American soil is what drew the "Sleeping Giant" into World War II. On August 6 and 9, 1945, America dropped two atomic bombs on two Japanese cities: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That doesn't even take into account the bombings of Tokyo and other cities.

Japan erected both the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (1954) and the Nagasaki Peace Park (1955) to memorialize the victims of the direct bombing, those who died in the aftermath due to radiation, and those who survived (regardless of whether or not they died). While teaching the history of the war and what role the cities played in it, they also provide information as to what effect the bombings had on Japan. The information isn't glorious; it's often painful to read, and it should be. The goal is to educate visitors on history and advocating world peace.

In my eyes, that is apology enough for the events of World War II. In 2011, there is no reason any Japanese person should be apologising for something they were unable to control in 1941. They should remember the events, just as everyone whose history is affected by it should; they should not apologise for it, but they should never forget it. If you apply this logic to any other historical event, it makes just as much sense. Should those living in England apologise to the descendants of those affected by the potato blight during the Great Famine? Should all Germans today be considered Nazis and apologise to the Jewish community, including those who tried to help and suffered the same fate as their Jewish counterparts because of it? No, because there is no logical reason for it. It should be remembered through our actions, but there is nothing to be done today to reverse events of the past.

Except, then I see comments as such posted on Facebook:

"those damn krauts deserve to be hit by a earthquake tsunami for nuking pearl harbor."

It makes me question a lot about the people living throughout the United States. First, do I seriously live with people who are so morally degenerate that they wish death and destruction on innocent people? Second, was this person really dense enough to believe the "facts" spewed by John Belushi's Bluto in Animal House ? Third, did any of these people even spend five seconds studying during their American history classes (as an educator of teenagers, my first instinct is to think the worst)?

The Final Word

How can these people be so entirely hateful? How can they utter such filthy and uneducated nonsense, wishing harm on thousands of innocent people? Families have been forever changed by their losses, loved ones are missing, and people are scared of radiation from nuclear reactors (with all due respect, they have every right to be).

The Japanese people have already suffered enough, and they are still in trouble. Every time a natural disaster occurs, it seems that ignorant Americans are the first to jump up and exclaim how deserved it was, even when it happens in our own borders. When Katrina hit, it was because God hated homosexuals. In the aftermath of Haiti's recent earthquake, the well-known fundamentalist Pat Robertson claimed it was because they had sworn a pact with the devil. Now, our misinformed population believes that Japan deserves both the earthquake and resulting tsunami as an act of retribution for the actions taken nearly 70 years ago.

The upside to this atrocious negativity, I suppose, is that we appreciate everything that is donated, all the time and skills that are volunteered, and all the charitable events that are trying their best to send aid. It's just unfortunate that all this ignorance exists. Free speech is one thing, but hate-filled stupidity is another.