Race versus Radicalism: Why the Community Should Not be Blamed for the Actions of Extremists

As evidenced by historical events and current situations, an entire group or race should not be blamed for the actions of a few radical extremists, and taking this opinion can lead to disastrous consequences. In the context of World War II, there were many examples of this type of worldview at work. One example of this is the propaganda against the Jews in Germany, which served to blame the country's economic issues on them. This, of course, led to genocide. The focus of this post, however, is on the actions and treatment of the Japanese. In WWII, the Allies were pitted against the Axis, which consisted of the nations Germany, Italy, and Japan. The actions of these three countries varied greatly throughout the war, but some of the greatest noticeable differences were in the treatment of Japanese, Germans, and Italians in the US and Canada. Most notably, the internment of Japanese-Americans and the use of the atomic bombs comes to mind. As shown by the article, "The Sinking of Japan," Japan proved to be a formidable enemy in the beginning of the war, boasting a primarily offensive strategy. However, as the fighting wore on, their lack of resources and undefended importing system was becoming their downfall. In the end, it was the pride of leaders in the Japanese military that was dragging the war on, but it was coming to a close. This brings us to the article "Japanese Internment: Was the Internment of Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians During the War Justified?" Due to the actions of a few high-ranking authority figures in Japan, residents of the US were incarcerated and sent to internment camps. In most cases, there was hardly any reasonable suspicion against these people. The only prerequisite for these actions was to have Japanese heritage or connections to the culture. These actions are usually justified by arguing that it prevented espionage, but most scholars agree that the internment was a decision enacted out of fear that did not accomplish anything but cementing racism in people's minds. Curiously, German-Americans and Italian-Americans did not receive this same treatment. This could be partly due to the fact that it was the Japanese who were more successful with their attempts at espionage, but it is also reasonable to assume that an element of prejudice played a role. In addition, there were other events that punished the Japanese civilians rather than the extremists, such as the atomic bombs. Although there are arguments to justify either side, in "Was the US Justified in Dropping Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War? You Debate," the two co-authors debate both. The two sides of the argument boil down to whether it was necessary or not. One states that the war needed to come to a close quickly to prevent the deaths of more US soldiers, and the other argues that the war was beginning to end anyway. However, both agree that it was a horrible act that killed civilians who had no part in the fighting. This relates back to the main point; many times, the whole race or group suffers from the actions of a few.
This is a topic that has many connections to modern events, most prominently the attitude against Muslims by the people of the world. Due to the rise of terrorism, prejudice against people of the Middle East has skyrocketed. Many political decisions were made that exemplified fear over logic, and many US citizens have targeted their anger on them. It is not uncommon to hear Muslims as a whole being blamed for terrorist attacks, even when the community makes an effort to uproot extremism or when nothing could have been done for the situation. This worldview, which paints entire groups of people as enemies, serves to do nothing but inflate conflict and must be apprehended.


Works Cited

Murfett, Malcolm. "The Sinking of Japan." History Today, vol. 66, no. 12, Dec. 2016, pp. 20-27.

Showalter, Dennis, and F. H. Min Min Lo. "Japanese Internment: Was the Internment of Japanese
Americans and Japanese Canadians During the War Justified?" History in Dispute, edited by Dennis
Showalter, vol. 5: World War II, 1943-1945, St. James Press, 2000, pp. 183-190. World History in
Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2876500034/WHIC?u=hell32414&xid=27789261.
Accessed 15 May 2017.

Evans-Hulme, George, and Roy Ceustermans. "Was the US Justified in Dropping
     Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War? You
     Debate." History Extra, Immediate Media, 6 Aug. 2015. Accessed 19 May 2017.