From: guest@sleepy.asd.sgi.com (Guest Account)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.china,soc.culture.hongkong,soc.culture.japan,soc.culture.taiwan
Subject: Re: An open letter to the Emperor Akihito of Japan
Date: 20 Aug 92 06:00:03 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.

In article <1992Aug20.003556.16931@gibdo.engr.washington.edu>,
tvp@gibdo.engr.washington.edu writes:
|> No. I think the point is that Chinese should demand change (in the
|> form of apologies, revised textbooks, etc.) from their own gov't
|> just
|> as much or more than they do of Japan. Japan won't listen and won't
|> apologize if China's position appears to be hypocritical in such
|> matters. If your position is consistent I have no problem with it.
|> If
|> you apply Japan to a different standard than your own country I do
|> have a problem with it.
|> 
|> In fact, the point is that you *shouldn't* accept either massacre. 
|> It
|> appears the Chinese people have silently accepted the Tianmen
|> Massacre
|> because I don't see any public movements to demand an apology for
|> that
|> atrocious act of the Chinese Gov't. In that light it appears
|> somewhat
|> hypocritical to put so much effort into changing the policies of a
|> gov't that isn't even your own when you appear to have plenty of
|> work
|> to do at home in China.
|> 
|> -- Tad Perry   Internet:    tvp@gibdo.engr.washington.edu
|>                CompuServe:  70402,3020
|>                NIFTY-Serve: GBG01266

Hypocritical?  Let's talk about hypocrisy:

1. When Manuel Noriega no longer served the purpose of the U.S. 
   government, U.S. simply invaded a foreign country and extradited 
   him to the states for trial.  What?  It was okay for him to 
   traffic drugs one minute but not the next?  And just what
international 
   law gave the U.S. government the right to go into an area out of its
   jurisdiction and force a foreign nationale to stand trial in its
   own justice system?

2. Similar analogy for Iraq (i.e. as long as Sadam is against Iran).

3. While it is okay for Jewish people to remind us of their sufferings
   during the holocaust, the Chinaman should just suffer in silence? 
And 
   if he even makes a wimper, then he has just transgressed his bounds?
   I realize this is an Eurocentric society, but the latitudes given
   for condeming the atrocities of the Nazi's has far exceeded that of 
   the Japanese governement of WWII.  This is beyond double standards!

4. On a more domestic front, L.A. police department has an abysmal
record
   on human rights according to Amnesty International - the same
standard
   that the U.S. government regularly uses to bash other countries. 
But
   where is the outrage when its own citizens are brutalized?  

   Using your argument, maybe you want to tell the African-Americans to
   stop killing themselves before complaining about police brutality?

Need I go on?

Look, I'm not here to bash anyone.  Just like you, I'm making a point -
which is that using your remember_the_log_in_front_of_your_own_eyes
argument, I could easily make a convincing argument for you to do the
same, instead of passing judgement on others.  

Yes, you're right that Chinese have suffered many tragedies committed
by
their own.  However, what you're offering is similar to saying to a
former victim of parental abuse that redress against a crime committed
by 
an outsider should not begin until the former has been dealt with.  By 
even suggesting what you've suggested, you've in essence, made a value 
judgement that somehow the latter crime is less brutal and how dare one
speak out against it more vocally.

No, most Chinese are not accepting silently what has transpired at
Tiananmen nor are they trying the make current generation of Japanese
wear scarlet letters on their chest.  The Chinese aren't trying to vent
all their anger by blaming the Japanese for everything.  However, not
even being able to set the records straight is an experience I don't
think you could ever imagine.  And as such, that's why it was so easy
to have your callous attitude.  If the Germans are doing what the
Japanese
government is doing today, what do you think the world opinions would
be?

No, world opinions isn't what really matters.  What matters is that 
somehow everyone gains something from this experience that everyone 
involved became losers (including the Japanese people themselves). 
Yes,
no amount apologies or monetary reparations could ever remedy what has
taken place if the victims can not set themselves free.  However, some
of the actions by the Japanese government not only makes it difficult
for the victims to forget, they actually make people cling to the old
fears and anger since they portend a repeat.  I guess that without
going through the actual experiences, you can be so enlightened about
not second guessing the true intentions of these steps.  But to ask
the victims to take similar steps while being content with what the
Japanese government has done is a double standard by any definition.

Back to the subject of Tiananmen.  It appears that you are not aware
of the numerous ralleys which occured overseas.  In China, how
do you expect people to express their support of the 6-4 movement?  By
lining their bodies up in front of the tanks again?  Well, I'm sorry to
disappoint you if you didn't get to see more people killed.  Will
that have proven Chinese aren't hypocritical to you?  Get real!  


James


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