During World War II, Korea was conquered by Japan. Koreans had no freedom. Their civil rights were not protected under Japanese rule. They were forced to speak, write, and read Japanese only to make Korean a forgotten language since language is the first step in intelligence. Their respected king was treated not even the way they do to Japanese soldiers. When I was young, I used to hate Japanese. But as I grew older and encountered several Japanese people in America, I came to realize how nice they were and they were not to get blamed for what Japan did to Korea since they weren't even alive back then. So, I decided to just hate their ancestors' actions. Then when I learned about accomplishments of other countries, I began to think: what was Korea doing when Alexander the Great was conquering most of Asia? They were fight among themselves for that little land that they have! I still dislike the fact that my people suffered and prayed for the day when Korea would be free every night under Japanese rule. But the reality is that weaker ones obey the strong and Korea was the weak one. Instead of hating Japanese for what they have done, I dream about one day when Korea will become economically, politically, culturally, and physically stronger than all the nations that tried to oppress weaker people. It will be a long journey to get to the destination and they might get lost, but they will not be "taken care" by anyone anymore.
Below is an article from Britanica related to Japanese rule in Korea.
3 comments:
I don't understand why my article does not show, but the site address is:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/693609/Korea/35021/Korea-under-Japanese-rule
I have to say that I disagree with you. You can't blame a society for what another society does to it. Should we blame the Native Americans for being too weak to avoid the Trail of Tears? They never stood a chance. The backstabbing, money-obsessed society would do anything for their valuable lands. Same goes for the Africans - Europeans were so far ahead of them that they never stood a chance, even if they resisted (perhaps some successfully did, but you get the idea). Now yes, you cannot blame people for something they didn't do themselves, but Afro-Americans are entitled to something.
I can somewhat relate to your feelings about the Japanese. Being Jewish, I might be tempted to hate Germans. But I know that German people aren't evil and that you cannot blame them for their ancestors misdeeds. I'm glad that you are looking at the light at the end of the tunnel instead of the darkness behind.
Interesting/thoughtful post Ellen. @Jesse: Ellen never blamed the African Americans for their enslavement. She made a point, which I agree with, that because they were part of a weaker, under-developed civilization, it wasn't surprising that they were easily dominated by more capable, modernized cultures, such as those of Europe and, eventually, North America. Also, the Native Americans could have easily avoided the Trail of Tears through simple assimilation and integration into American society. In fact, their were numerous Indians who did do this and became much more successful and prosperous (economically) in their new lives. Also, I'm not exactly sure what you mean when you say "Afro-Americans are entitled to something". Are you suggesting something such as reparations for slavery? Nevertheless, I would like to just conclude by saying that it is simply the natural order of things for a new, stronger civilization to consume or replace an older/weaker one. This cycle has been repeated through history many times, such as the fall of the Roman Empire or the Mayan Kingdom. Manifest destiny is, and always will be, an integral part of human nature. Thanks again for the great post Ellen.
Post a Comment