"A Challenge to Democracy" Short Film

During the troubles in Japan, the Japanese were sent to America to relocation centers like barricades. There were set up like camps with a shared bathhouse and laundry building. The barricades were guarded by military police and a metal fence. They were given one room mattresses, a stove, light bulb, and pots and pans. To eat, 300 Japanese ate in a mess hall. The food they were given was nourishing but very “simple”. They were given a maximum of 45 cents per person per day for food. The Japanese were given Oriental dishes for them and American dishes for the Americans. They lived in the desert and there was desert growth for land. The land had to be cleared before farming started to make their own food. Half of people in the relocation center were farm people. The food productions of the workers meant “self support” for the relocation centers. If they were not a farmer they did truck cares operations, roads maintain and water pipes, and clearing of trees for heating and construction. The workers were given 12 dollars per month for beginners, 16 for most who had been there and 19 for professionals such as doctors and most Caucasians. They were also given small allowance for clothes. There were stores for clothing, toilet articles and beauty parlors. The stores and schools met the standards for the state. Most of the school teachers were Caucasians, and few were Japanese. Vocational school was given when students were enrolled in high school. They learned types of trade, mechanical and farming. Medical care was supervised by Caucasians, but mostly done by Japanese. They had a form of community self government and if you were 18 or older you could vote. There was even a judicial system within the camp. Base ball and soft ball was played on the weekends along with touch football. Most attended Sunday church services because there was no restriction on religion in the centers.
The whole theme to this short film is that the life of these people was NOT NORMAL and the home life was disruptive. Americanism was trying to be taught to the Japanese. Near the end of the film the government decided the relocation centers should be no longer than necessary. Permanent locations were given so their labor can help win the war and taxes will be lower for Americans. Only ones who were loyal to America were allowed to leave the relocation center.
Those who weren’t loyal had to live in one center. At the end of the film it only gave examples of successful Japanese who were released and didn’t give conclusion to the ones who weren’t. It made it seem as the Japanese were living a perfect life here in America at the time of the war and this was not the truth. Almost half of the Japanese were in part of the war. Hundreds of them volunteered while in the relocation centers. The movie made it seem like the Japanese were fighting for American because they knew what was going on in Japan.
This shows no sign of complete democracy in America at his time. They were treated as animals being surrounded by fences and military. This relates to Johnson completely by the Caucasians having complete control of the “camp” and in complete supervision. They were given the power of the Japanese. This also is in great comparison to Chapter 10 of Takaki and how the Japanese were treated in Hawaii. They were underpaid, overworked and had to create their own place of culture in America.

Takaki Ch. 10 Pacific Crossings

In “A Different Mirror” in Chapter 10, Takaki describes the Japanese and other Asian cultures and their migration to Hawaii and eventually part of America. Takaki writes about the reasons for the Japanese in specific to why they came to America. Their frustration with the taxes in Japan and economic hardship for farmers is what made them pursue a “new world” the most. Initially the immigrants from Japan were all men, but what was significant was also the number or women crossing the seas. This is what made them different then the Chinese. The women immigrants from Japan were allowed entry because they were considered “family members” (248). This is where Takaki starts to describe the term “picture bride”. The women coming to America were given this term if they were leaving Japan to be married. This was a form of arranged marriages and the ones engaged were only allowed pictures of each other until the day they would meet. Whether the Japanese woman was to go to America depended on which son she married within the Japanese family. If she were to marry the first son, she would stay in Japan where he would tend to his parents and take over the inheritance. If she were to marry the second son, this is where she would move to America because he would be the one to leave the family and find employment. This is around the time when thousands of Japanese were relocating to Hawaii. The Japanese then settled within the sugarcane business and farming. The management control decided to “Keep a variety of laborers, that is different nationalities, and thus prevent any concerted action incase of strikes, for there are few, if any cases of Japs, Chinese, and Portuguese entering strike as a unit.” (252). By going this, the management of the crops will have no problem with being overthrown because those nations despised one another. They wanted to “diversify and discipline the labor.”

Takaki then graphically describes the awful work conditions and how they workforce were living in dormitories and worked from dusk till dawn. The field work was punishing and brutal. The workers were never even called by their name, they were given numbers. The Japanese then began to protest. They organized themselves into “blood unions” (258). The Japanese and the Filipinos had come together and Takaki describes it as the “Hawaiian version of the ‘giddy multitude’.” (260) Planters then granted them equal pay and tried to improve their living situations knowing that the workers who are married and have families are the ones who work the best. The workers were now happy and began to plant their roots in Hawaii, but they did not want their children to live the same lives as they did so they pushed the dream of an education. The Japanese thought if you were Japanese and you had a great education the Americans would accept you. But this was not the case. Takaki concluded with the racial segregation of Asians, specifically Japanese descent and how they were never accepted. People in America THOUGHT that racism were only between the blacks, but it was with the Japanese as well. Takaki ended with the sentence “but their hope to be both Japanese and American would be violently shattered on a December morning in 1941.”

The racism between blacks and whites was happening all over again, but this time it was with the Japanese and the whites. Takaki makes great distinction between the African Americans and the Japanese and how they were both treated by the Caucasians.

Ethic Notions-Movie

As a class the other day we watched a documentary entitled “Ethnic Notions”. This film was portraying the images of African Americans throughout the 1900’s. Jim Crow, Zip Coon, Sambo, the Mammy, the pickaninny, were all used as examples and are all popular culture figures from our past. Except that these exaggerated images were racial stereotypes whose legacy has been the systematic political and social repression of Black Americans. Ethnic Notions traces the history of these figures in the media and their awful hidden messages that blacks were considered ugly, savage, happy servants, and lazy. Messages which were often contradictory suited to the political climate of the time. For instance, during the years of slavery, blacks were portrayed as happy servants, but during reconstruction, they suddenly became “animalistic brutes”. Children were seen as animalistic due to their “nappy” hair and being undressed properly. Blacks were portrayed as being in uniform with a smile as they were all happy. They were happy to serve others and happy to be confined and to forget about their own needs, only the needs of their masters. The movie included many historical stills, film footage, songs, and gift shop trinkets to make his stereotype seem so surreal. Most of us think that because we went to college, we have a basic understanding of the history of racial injustice. It was noted in the movie that the United States was the country that made the LEAST progress in the world. Everyone grew up playing Parkers Brothers board games. Just before we came along, people were playing a Parkers Brothers game called "Ten Little Niggers." No one new the actual impact and how things have really never changed.

Takaki Ch3 Discussion Question

Jefferson at one time owned up to 267 slaves in 1822, but then in his notes mentioned the recommendation of the gradual abolition of slavery. What would make a man as we see of great discovery and making of our country become so contradictory? Why did Jefferson simply own 267 and then start to feel guilty for the way his slaves were treated and the liberty they were not given?

Takaki Ch. 3

Chapter 3 of Takaki’s book entitled A Different Mirror, he focuses on the beginnings of slavery in the early colonies. Takaki makes many descriptions on the beginning of slavery that many people never even recognized. Although there were Africans in the U.S. during its start much of the labor was actually done by white servants. He made it very clear how they were the exact same but treated very differently. The white servants and the blacks would even join together and try to escape. If you where caught, the whites would be punished with extra time to serve their master, but the blacks were served with time forever. They were never to become free for what they did. Their children would even have to be born into slavery, even if they were not permitted to have children. Takaki even mentions the incidents where the white servants and the blacks would so called “laying together” or showing emotion towards one another. Another issue that Takaki discusses is during this time was a difference of religion. Before, Africans were thought to be savages and believed in no religion. But, once they became Christians, laws had to be passed to separate race from religion. Takaki explains how whites would blame the black slaves in order to keep the white race in charge. He noted that class was one of the major issues facing the colonist. Takaki also addresses the struggles the white servants went through once they were granted freedom. They had a really hard time earning the land they were promised. To the farmers and land owners, slaves were a good way to solve the class problem because they were indentured to the whites and where there to serve them. This is what gave them the superiority.
Takaki also portrays Jefferson in two different lights. He shows how many slaves he actually owned in contrast to the way he was feeling about slavery. He then gave the white man right to own land and this would keep the slaves below the white man. Jefferson at one time owned up to 267 slaves in 1822, but then in his notes mentioned the recommendation of the gradual abolition of slavery. What would make a man as we see of great discovery and making of our country become so contradictory? Why did Jefferson simply own 267 and then start to feel guilty for the way his slaves were treated and the liberty they were not given?

Takaki Ch. 2 “Drawing the Color Line”

In Chapter 2 of Takaki’s book “A Different Mirror”, Zinn illustrates the history of slavery in the United States and how you were viewed if you were a slave. He deeply describes the desperation of the starving and clueless settlers and how they needed something more. They then took control of the desperate and helpless Africans and used powerful incentive of profit for the common slave trader and farmer. Zinn also describes the temptation of the superior status for the white man and the elaborate controls against the ones who escaped and rebelled. He described this as the “Legal and social punishment of black and white collaboration”. He deeply argues the issue that these types of culture and ways of life are simply historical and not something to be considered natural. He also makes a statement that these kinds of actions for race to make slave of another, was warranted by someone of high status.

Zinn writes numerous occasions where the white man and the black servants actually rebelled to gain their freedom together as one. This brought constant fear among the white planters and slave owners. Were all people of this day and age convinced that slaves were something natural to be doing to another human being? Or were the people of the colonies being told this one specific thing and to obey this? I think this is why some of the whites living in the colonies turned against everyone to help the poor slaves. The slaveholders and planters tried everything to keep the power and wealth where it was. By this time the Africans were giving themselves hope that one day they will not have to live the lives they were currently living.

You often hear the term that “history repeats itself” and I think that is what Zinn is saying in regards to things such as these being historical and not natural. Well of course it is not natural! I’m not sure that everyday you will run into someone and they will tell you that they wish they owned a slave to do all their busy work. Well if history seems to shape who we are today, then we must hope that something such as this will not be in our future. We are still constantly challenged with the issue of racism even though the actions described in this reading took place over 300 years ago.

Johnson Ch. 8

In Chapter 8 of Johnsons book PPD, he discusses the technique called “Getting off the Hook” that many people in society use to deny or resist the existence of racism or sexism or any other oppressed problem. Johnson points out different techniques people use to avoid the issue. At the end of the chapter, Johnson concludes that by staying “off the hook” people will continue to distance themselves from the other. Men will distance themselves from women, whites from color, heterosexual from lesbians or gay men, and the non-disabled from the disabled. Off the hook, you live in illusion denial as if you can choose whether or not to be involved in the life of society and the consequences it produces.

Johnson gives great examples and reasons why people will try to get off the hook. The first way to get off the hook is to just simply deny that it exist entirely saying something like “Racism and sexism used to be issues but they aren’t anymore” (Pg. 108). Another way that people try to get off the hook is by blaming the victim for that specific situation. Another way that Johnson discusses is calling it something else. By doing this, you’re creating the appearance of being in touch with reality and not having to do something about it. The final way in which Johnson writes is when people say that the situation is better this way. People are simply assuming that the groups prefer to live one way. Many would assume that African Americans would rather live with people of their color; which in a study conducted it was found that blacks would rather live in integrated neighborhoods. By using all of these common techniques, many people are able to get away of the touchy subject.

This is an everyday thing for society. Most of the time when people use these tactics, they are completely oblivious to the hidden meaning. It will be extremely difficult for people to accept that they use these terms to simply avoid the topic. It is almost guaranteed that every single individual uses one of these techniques everyday. Slowly, everyone will come together with their senses and realize what is happening. When slaves were brought over and used here in the United States, many believed that this was ordinary. We have now changed how we look at things like this. Some progress will be made, but I believe not anytime soon.

Johnson Ch. 7

In Chapter 7 of PPD, Johnson addresses the issue of how systems of privilege work in our society. He takes systems in which are discriminated against and directly compares them to ones of privilege. Johnson distinctly compares the lady prime minister of Great Britain and how she was labeled as “The Iron Lady” which resembles her strength as a leader. With a strong man leader, no one would start to call him “The Iron Man” because his power would be assumed by society. For Margaret Thatcher, she was placed with more pressure to succeed in fulfilling the country than a man would. Johnson concludes with the fact that people of privilege live in a society which is normally dominated by whites, white identified, and even white centered. Johnson states that individuals are scared do attempt something different or out of the ordinary, and instead they do nothing and continue to let racism grow in our county.
Johnson includes one particular argument in this chapter which I think is one of the most shocking. Johnson creates a list of every single Academy Award winning movie for “Best Picture” from 1965-2003. Sure enough, every single one of the leading roles played in all 40 movies were white and obviously middle to upper class. Not many people would actually realize that this was a trend that has been followed since the 60’s. It was almost amazing to my eyes to actually see it in facts and on writing.
Johnson states that as a male, he feels drawn to respond to questions whether he knows the answer of not, to interrupt in conversations, avoid admitting that he is wrong, and to take up room in a public place. Why is that? How did the male dominant type start to overcome women and feel as if they were the ones in control? Slowly I am starting to see the issue of male dominancy become less. More and more we are seeing women with more successful careers and making more money than their husbands. Hopefully one day women will be treated as equal as men and greatly be respected because they are WOMEN and not be given the advantage and privilege they sometimes get.