JemmyRuth Lee, a Chinese-American woman, flying the flag of China while at the beach to avoid being mistaken for Japanese, Miami, USA, WW2, December 15, 1941
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PugJesushttps://media.piefed.social/posts/Gp/Rj/GpRjT6hmm0pC5qS.jpeg
Anti-Japanese sentiment was rampant in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, and it would only get worse. Racism against Chinese-Americans was considerably less, as China was seen as an ally against Japan.
The absurdity of racism is all the more exposed when what an arbitrary social construct it is is highlighted. Throw the Japanese-Americans in internment camps and forbid them from serving the military with white people - but praise Chinese-Americans as allies against Imperialism™ and let them serve as officers in non-segregated units with white folk.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s great that WW2-era white America got over its anti-Chinese racism for ten seconds, but it would have been a nice bonus had it not been just another extension of racism’s arbitrary nature.
Just ask George Takei.
It is shocking because on the one hand you can think about the logic behind a young nation with significant immigrant populations not allowing immigrants from the nation that just invaded you to hold positions of power, but then you get to internment, then you realize they don’t inter German Americans … yep, it’s racism thru and thru
I hate to be the “well ackshully” guy, but the US and Canada interred and relocated Japanese, German, and Italian Americans/Canadians during WWII. Japanese Americans get a lot of attention in this regard, but it wasn’t just them (and not just the US).
That’s not to say that there wasn’t racism, plenty of that too.
And the internment was not about any perceived threats. Many Japanese descended businessmen had successful businesses around Vancouver and the local white community just stole everything.
For what it’s worth, based on the research of Tetsuden Kashima, the total numbers of ethnic internments during WW2 breakdown to:
Japanese: 17,477
German: 11,507
Italian: 2,730
Other: 185
Total: 31,899 (up from the Justice Department’s official count of 31,275)
source
Additionally, while mass internment of citizens with German heritage was considered, at least in coastal and high security areas, it was determined not to be practical. While that could very well have been true, Reagan (of all people) codified the actual reason into law when he signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which explicitly lists the rationale for Japanese American internment as “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership”.
no no no I appreciate you being that guy here, thanks for the correction
That’s the current Taiwan flag.
The Republic of China. At the time, the PRC had not taken over all of mainland China.