Tom Hanks doesn't understand that racism was a coping tool, not a reason for WWII

In defending his comments that the war in the Pacific was racially motivated, Hanks cites hearing many people use racial epithets of the Japanese in that era. While those epithets were certainly used, that does not make them the motivation for the war. We also used epithets in the Atlantic theater, like calling the Germans "krauts".

The fact is that anytime one goes to war one of the coping mechanisms that makes war possible is the dehumanizing of the enemy. There is an instant reaction when one is attacked, i.e. in Pearl Harbor or in the WTC attacks of 9/11/2001 to vilify and dehumanize those who have attacked us. And in order to fight back, we dehumanize them further. In order to be able to mentally and emotionally deal with the horrific acts of war soldiers come up with all kinds of names, some racially based, for their enemies. That does not make either racism or ignorance the reason for the war. The reason for the war in the Pacific was that the Japanese wanted to control the Pacific, and tried to cripple us by bombing Pearl Harbor in order to do so.

The reason for the war in the Atlantic was to stop the aggression and genocide of the German regime. I have been a lifelong fan of Hanks screen work, but if he can't tell the difference in a reason for a war and a coping mechanism in the midst of war, then he is the one who is displaying ignorance.

Posted via email from It's Just a Thought

Tom Hanks doesn't understand that racism was a coping tool, not a reason for WWII