At 04:31 PM 06/08/2001 -0500, Harvey Newstrom wrote:
>Al Villalobos wrote,
> > Wesley Snipes in Rising Sun (also a novel by Michael Crichton) with Sean
> > Connery? I dont think the book made any reference at all to the
> > charachter's (Snipes')race
>
>This is ironic. It is true that there was little if any reference to the
>black character's race. But that is because the book was so busy discussing
>Japanese racism.
>
>The Japanese felt that non-Japanese were inferior.
Yes. This is something that struck me when I grew past my child-innocence
of thinking that our Western society was abnormally racist.
I have some friends from the Philippines, and the stories they told of the
way the Japanese treated Philippinos during the war are really horrific. Of
course no side is blameless during war -- I mean it is really the ultimate
senseless expression of "us good, them bad" with license to kill and maim,
isn't it -- but wow, the torture and crazy violence visited upon the
Philippinos astounded me. (I won't go into the revolting details here.) I
was also surprised to find out that many restaurants in Japan still
routinely discriminate against against Philippinos today. They are barred
from entry.
[shakes head in wonder]
I hasten to add that I've not seen any hint of this dark side in the
Japanese I've met; they have each been enlightened and delightful people.
My girlfriend is part Fijian. I was amazed when I found out she agreed with
the Fijian coup and the move to discriminate against Fijians of Indian
descent. There didn't seem to be any way to convince her that restrictive
laws based soley upon race are unfair and dangerous. All she saw was the
traditional Fijian culture being swamped by the Indian Fijians.
Of all the stupid, arrogant isms we humans create, racism has to be one of
the ugliest. I am so glad it seems to be a dying meme. I can hardly wait
till we get lifespans exceeding hundreds of years so that people can
finally get a chance to truly grow up. It is an exciting thought that it
may well be soon.
Best wishes,
- Miriam
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Q. What is the similarity between an elephant and a grape?
A. They are both purple... except for the elephant.
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