"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.