Comments on: Manzanar: America’s Concentration Camp

By: WM

WM — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:08:46 +0000

I appreciated the blog. As a Japanese American myself I am always interested in the non-asian perspective of the internment and was interested in the commentary that was generated.

a lot of animosity, denial, etc. yes the Japanese (from Japan) committed great atrocities in China and Korea. As someone of Japanese descent I cringe. but I was born here. If one is German American, should they feel guilty about what happened with the holocaust? And what of the American Indians and what was done to them? It never ends.

There is a great documentary called Cats of Mirikitani. please watch it if you can.

We just need to remember as Americans, the past and hope to learn and be better people.

By: mumblesquid

mumblesquid — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:48:09 +0000

It seems inappropriate to call it a concentration camp, considering the type of image that conjures up. But not calling it a concentration camp is a lie–it was. It was wronger than wrong and unforgivable to tear Americans away from their lives. But these camps, unlike Nazi camps, were not death factories. They were horri

By: T.

T. — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:16:31 +0000

korean-american While I appreciate how shitty Japanese treated your people in history, most of the people in the camps had nothing to do with it and IMO shouldn’t be punished for other peoples’ sins. I am not saying you should forget about what happened but you should try to take a chill pill and stop perpetuating hatred.

By: Ransom Riggs

Ransom Riggs — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:18:13 +0000

@ Babbo —

I guess it was more the “have a nice day!” that I thought seemed ridiculous on a gravestone. Not a mockery, just tone-deaf.

By: Babbo

Babbo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:44:38 +0000

RE: “Some offerings, however, seemed less appropriate than others.”

Woah, woah woah woah. Ransom, bro, I understand where you’re coming from, but you may be rushing to judgment on this just a bit. Japanese internment is hardly something to smile about, but a smiley face American flag isn’t necessarily some kind of prank or cruel gesture of mockery. Placing a flag there could very well be some survivor’s way of making peace with the history of the place. They were Americans after all, and the very least we owe the survivors of that tragedy in its aftermath is equal protection of that small recognition don’t you think?

Maybe I’m rushing to judgment too, but I really think it’s assuming bad faith to call the button-offering “wrong”.

By: imshandon

imshandon — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:30:20 +0000

……………Does it make you feel better as an American ( yes I am an American) to call it something other then what it was….a concentration camp….Wake up America! or we can just continue to feel better when it is our turn in the camps ( compliments of the same people that sent the American/Japanese away)….
we can call them vacation retreats if that will help?……I think it is so sad to be in such denial peoples.

By: korean-american

korean-american — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:45:02 +0000

Although the internment of the Japanese was terrible, it was in no way a “concentration” camp type of scenario.

If you want to know about true atrocities, look up how the Japanese army treated Koreans and Chinese people during World War 2 and I promise you, Manzanar will look like girl scout camp.
Stop trying to make Americans feel bad for trying to safeguard their nation.

By: sa

sa — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:49:34 +0000

ok, so i get why people are up in arms with the term ‘concentration camp.’ On that note, what will we use for the term ‘slaves’ if it doesn’t refer to the American slavery and the civil war?

By: Anaximander

Anaximander — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:52:16 +0000

Icl – An interesting point of language is that in Canada they are referred to as Reserves and in the US they are called Reservations.

By: lcl

lcl — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:48:24 +0000

Very good work, Ransom.
That some would argue terminology is partially why we can so easily be kept in ignorance and repeat the same horrible treatment of each other.
To futher the point, what does the term/word “RESERVATION” conjur up?
I grew up in a small northeast town and learned it was where southwest Native Americans were ‘sent’ to be ‘civilizied’ during the ‘Indian Wars’.
If nothing changes, nothing changes.
Showing the reality of graves so far away being cared for is certainly a step in a positive direction and worth a thousand words.
Call it anything you want. We can learn to treat each other better or imagine what our ‘holding facility’ will be called.
Thanks.