Tom Hanks says Pacific Marines racist

[Phil502]

Thats real nice, a real great parting shot to the heroes who fought through some of the worst battle conditions ever against an enemy that would not surrender and was absolutely inhumane to almost all that it encountered.
Hanks is a piece of ****. These "Citizen Soldiers" had to work themselves up to kill the determined Japanese Soldier and I guess to Hanks they were not nice enough while they were doing it.




CNSNews.com - Tom Hanks: America is Overcoming Racism, ?It?s Just Taking an Awfully Long Time?

 

[irishfan]

Honestly, I don't get what he is saying. He is making the point that racism was a part of the war in the pacific but i do not believe that to be true. We were attacked by the Japanese for their steel and oil interests as well as to take us out of the fight. At the time of WWII Japan was a world power that needed to expand its empire and attacked us to do that but I do not believe racism had anything to do with it. Also, we did have to "kill them all" because the Japanese refused to surrender as well as commited suicide to prevent capture. It is a shame we didn't get the bomb earlier so that we could have put an end to that dreadful war earlier.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

Tom Hanks is an assbag that can only expel foul air from his sewer because of those "racist" Marines.

 

[E5RANGER375]

look at frame 1:41 isnt that Jim axelrod (i may have the name wrong) but one of BAMAS chief advisors???? hmmmm that wouldnt be suprising that hed be hanging around in that company talking about racism would it???

why in the HELL do we give so much credibility to these artist and actors on political issues? WHO GIVES A FLYING POO POO!!!! (im not slamming the OP for posting this, im slamming dumb americans who are gulable)

lets stop giving these guys a second thought and then they will go away.

i was in OEF. can i tell you that i didnt develope a hatred for the arabs that killed my INNOCENT countrymen and my friends and tried to kill me also???? NO. i most certainly did. and i cant say if i will ever be able to make that feeling go away. maybe by trying to find the reason they are different from us is the way it makes us able to disasociate them and easily kill another human being?? i dont know, im not a doctor.

its a fact of war. sure some people might be stronger than me and i commend them, but im weak i guess because i cant get over it. how can you when you see their faces every day? I think the best way is to talk about it, and that way we are honest and people dont think we are closet racist or something.

do i treat a arab i see walking down the street, or i might know any different? Of coarse not! Its more of a feeling i have inside. but i may say things from time to time that might seem off color to a lot of people but maybe thats how i cope.

I SALUTE all of the MEN & WOMEN who served in WWII, and i will never allow some dumb azz clown actor discrace your sacrifice!!!

 

[Blue Tile Spook]

I think he is confusing racism with objectification.

 

[Expat]

Tom Hanks doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as the men that fought in the South Pacific. If it wasn't for them this would not be the same country we have now and he would not be enjoying the right to make a fool of himself for the whole world to see.

 

[dross]

His comments are coming more from a misguided world view that from a desire to paint the WWII American soldiers as racist. He's trying to say that wars spring from racism and ignorance, and that Americans were guilty of racism as well.

Factually, he's correct in that in Japan, racism was (and still is to some degree) formalized as part of the culture. I'm given to understand that their word for foreigner can be directly translated to "barbarian." As to our part in it, it's hard to argue that there wasn't an element of racism in our opposition to the Japanese. This doesn't change the fact that we were attacked by a warlike culture, expanding their power through force and violence.

Wars, and the causes and conduct are complicated. What Hanks's moral equivalency overlooks and oversimplifies is that there are degrees. Japan invaded China and committed the most horrible atrocities on the population. They attacked us and we fought back. The fact that racism existed by differing degrees on both sides is close to irrelevant in this context.

There have been plenty of wars that had nothing at all to do with racism, in fact, the bloodiest in history are between culturally similar people.

 

[E5RANGER375]

Tom Hanks is an assbag that can only expel foul air from his sewer because of those "racist" Marines.

 

[Ogre]

his comments don't surprise me.

 

[Knife Lady]

This is the same Tom Hanks who also produced Band Of Brothers and the movie Saving Private Ryan. I think he is a great actor but his view point on War is mislead and frankly quite hypocritical. How can you portray a war hero then have this view. I agree he should stay with acting. Sorry Tom but you blew it man.

 

[Fletch]

When you encounter terms like "kraut", "gook", "towelhead", "hajji", etc. with reference to enemy soldiers, it certainly sounds racist. How is it not?

Factually, he's correct in that in Japan, racism was (and still is to some degree) formalized as part of the culture. I'm given to understand that their word for foreigner can be directly translated to "barbarian." As to our part in it, it's hard to argue that there wasn't an element of racism in our opposition to the Japanese.

I have friends who have spent time among the Japanese, even fairly recently, and they have all said that Japan has one of the most racist and segregated cultures they've encountered. One even said that it's almost impossible for a foreigner to rent an apartment.

Neither of these points should be taken to mean that I believe the wars were fought primarily for racist motives. Rather, it seems a part of military culture, used and encouraged in order to dehumanize the enemy in the minds of soldiers. Some have written that it's even necessary to do so, otherwise many soldiers wouldn't kill the enemy. To the extent that this holds true, Tom Hanks is right. He may not fully appreciate why the convention exists.

 

[Bushido Devil Dog]

"Tom Hanks says Pacific Marines racist"

Um....no, he didn't. Not that I support his remarks (because he is wrong), but nowhere in this article or video does he mention any specific branch of the U.S. military, nor does he connect a specific side with this alleged "racism".

Even the most casual study shows that U.S. and Japan relations were quit cordial right up until the mid-to-late 1930's, with numerous exchanges between the two countries taking place, and Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa (Bridge on the River Kwai) achieving the same level of popularity as a lead Hollywood actor as Charlie Chaplin in the early 1900's. In short, Japan and the U.S were friends for decades, had one huge-ass knock-down, drag-out, broken beer bottle vs switchblade bar-room brawl, then went right back to being friends.

Were there racist elements and actions taken (by BOTH sides) during the war? Absolutely. But that is a far stretch from it being a "war of racism". It was a war of Japan wanting to sit at the Big Kid's table of countries with colonial holdings of natural resources, but failing to see that the age of Empire was ending, then turning around and kicking a sleeping tiger in the ass and not having a good enough plan to deal with its teeth.

Even in TV shows that the have here on Japanese TV where they try to pull out the victim card about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I don't recall seeing any A-bomb survivors blaming it on "racism"...if anything most of them blame the Japanese government at the time for starting a war in the first place.

Now Forrest, it looks like you done forgot what your Momma always said, "Stupid is as Stupid does," and you done gone and done a Stupid with that comment you made. Now, "Run, Forrest! RUN!!," back to the library and read a book or two and try to learn something before talking out of your :moon:butt about something of which you have obviously studied very little about.





(By the way, the date on this article is from a couple of months ago, not exactly new news...just sayin.... )

 

[jsharmon7]

I guess I'm not seeing where Hanks specifically called the WWII vets "racists." He stated that THE WAR was "racist." I don't agree with him that the war itself was racist. I think it was a war of vengeance (and necessity) which sparked some racism. The concentration camps that Japanese Americans were put into would be a good indicator of this racism. I do see some parallels with our current situation though. We were sucker punched on 9/11 and we wanted revenge on the cowards who killed so many innocent people. In turn, I think we're seeing racism against those of Middle Eastern descent that we didn't see prior to 9/11. Admittedly, that's an oversimplification of the two wars, but my point is that I see definite parallels in the collective psyche. When we're attacked by an enemy, it becomes an "us vs. them" mentality. I also don't see anything wrong with Hanks' statement that they had to "kill them all." Yes, some of them surrendered but they were very rare. There was an interview not too long ago with the man whom one of the characters in "The Pacific" is based upon. Here is an excerpt:

Q.
'The Pacific' was grittier, darker and more violent than 'Band of Brothers.' Is that an accurate reflection of the differences between the War in Europe and the War in the Pacific?

A.
"The war in Europe was against people who would basically surrender if the situation was hopeless. The Japanese culture worshiped the Emperor, and it was an honor to die for the Emperor. They would never, ever surrender. You had to kill them all. You had to kill them to the last one or they would kill you. That wasn't true in Europe. The war in the Pacific was very brutal."

There are always exceptions and you can argue whether this man is right or wrong, but he was there.

WWII Veteran Dr. Sidney Phillips Reacts to HBO's 'The Pacific'

Anyway, I just don't see where Hanks was disrespecting veterans with his comments. I think he's done a lot for WWII veterans recently and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that there was no ill intent in his comments. The link below is a brief description of the opening of the memorial that he helped create.

Tom Hanks comforts overcome war veteran whose heroism inspired TV series The Pacific | Mail Online

The last few paragraphs don't sound like the actions of a man who lacks respect for Pacific vets.

 

[Eddie]

The man studied theater before he dropped out of college. His opinions on theater, acting or making movies may have value but his opinions on history are simply those of an educated/ignorant person. We should stop giving credibility to celebrities when they comment on things that they know nothing about. Would you let Hugh Laurie operate on you just because he plays a doctor on T.V.?

 

[Fletch]

The man studied theater before he dropped out of college. His opinions on theater, acting or making movies may have value but his opinions on history are simply those of an educated/ignorant person. We should stop giving credibility to celebrities when they comment on things that they know nothing about. Would you let Hugh Laurie operate on you just because he plays a doctor on T.V.?

Formal education is not the measure of knowledge. Plenty of us have studied things informally as a hobby, and I see no reason to believe that celebrities necessarily do not. Whether Tom Hanks' interpretation or knowledge is correct is a matter of debate for those who've studied the war(s) in question; it should not be discounted simply because he is a celebrity.

 

[Go Devil]

What about the (someone of Japanese descent) hate crimes against the Chinese and Koreans?

 

[Bigum1969]

He's just an actor.

I give him credit at least for making Band of Brothers and the Pacific. These types of miniseries need the backing (both name and $$$) from folks like Hanks and Spielberg to get made.

But again, he's just an actor. Probably wasn't any good at sports in high school.

 

[Fletch]

What about the (someone of Japanese descent) hate crimes against the Chinese and Koreans?

Those would tend to reinforce the idea of a racist element to the war in the Pacific.

 

[Eddie]

Formal education is not the measure of knowledge. Plenty of us have studied things informally as a hobby, and I see no reason to believe that celebrities necessarily do not. Whether Tom Hanks' interpretation or knowledge is correct is a matter of debate for those who've studied the war(s) in question; it should not be discounted simply because he is a celebrity.

Sure, but he was being interviewed because he is a celebrity who produced a television series, not because he studied something informally as a hobby and became so knowledgable on the topic that someone interviewed him for a news story.

 

[Bushido Devil Dog]

Factually, he's correct in that in Japan, racism was (and still is to some degree) formalized as part of the culture..

No...and yes. The Constitution (written by the Allied Occupation) supposedly guarantees protection from discrimination, but the Japanese version uses the word "citizen", while the (original language) English version says "the people". In practice, it is perfectly legal to discriminate against people for reasons that are illegal in the U.S.

I'm given to understand that their word for foreigner can be directly translated to "barbarian." .

This is incorrect. "Barbarian" directly translated in Japanese is 野蛮人 'Yabanjin'. Although the first Europeans were referred to (the very similar) as "Southern Barbarians" (南蛮人 'Nanbanjin'), this faded out of use during the Meiji Restoration and was replaced by "Other country person" (異国人 'Ikoku-jin'), which was gradually replaced after the war by the current, official term "Outside country person/outsider" AKA 'Foreigner' (外国人/外人 'Gaikokujin/Gaijin'). We get called "gaikokujin" on the news, and "gaijin-san" on the street, and just "gaijin" by the haters...
Frankly, I think I'd rather be thought of as a 'barbarian' than an "outsider"...

Wars, and the causes and conduct are complicated. What Hanks's moral equivalency overlooks and oversimplifies is that there are degrees. Japan invaded China and committed the most horrible atrocities on the population. They attacked us and we fought back. The fact that racism existed by differing degrees on both sides is close to irrelevant in this context.

There have been plenty of wars that had nothing at all to do with racism, in fact, the bloodiest in history are between culturally similar people.

Well said...