[godson_drafty]

Whenever looking at these pictures, it's worthwhile to consider how white (or any other color) Americans living in Japan were treated after war was declared.

Oh, that's right. There weren't any! The American government had some unique challenges in maximizing their chances of winning the war against a zealous and absolutely ruthless enemy (Japan). It would have been extremely irresponsible not to at least attempt to neutralize the threat posed by the population of first-generation citizens.

American authorities acted within their rights in making a reasonable effort to neutralize domestic saboteurs or collaborators by interning these people. Of course it's sad that it happened, but remember that battles such as Midway were won through superior intelligence and code-breaking. A single Japanese acting as a spy might have overturned that. It would have been very bad for east Asia had Japan won. They were committing numerous, documented war crimes and would have continued to do so.

[tptacek]

It is in fact not worthwhile to consider how "white Americans living in Japan" were treated, because Japanese-Americans are American citizens, simultaneously not answerable to the crimes of Imperial Japan and owed a basic obligation of the defense of their liberty by their fellow American citizens.

The internment of Japanese-Americans is a national disgrace because it harmed the fabric of the entire country, and every citizen living in it: that citizenship being in part defined by the duties and obligations we share to each other, as established by the Founders.

It was a betrayal of our founding principals, which is why every American schoolchild is taught about it.

[adrienne]

If only that latter thing were true. It's not. It's especially not after years of the Republicans gutting public education and pushing expurgated, jingoistic, pro-American-exceptionalism textbooks through school boards everywhere.