JakeStarkey
Diamond Member
- Aug 10, 2009
- 168,037
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- Banned
- #21
Most people shy away from the concept of racism because we were taught that it's wrong. Fair enough but emotion doesn't overcome history. Institutional racism was rampant in the European And American culture for decades before WW2. The US had little in the way of what we call an intelligence network before WW2. It might seem strange but the US relied on stupid ignorant racist opinions regarding the Japanese military. Credible influential people in the US government really thought the Japanese had a genetic eye and balance problem and were poor at math skills. The prevailing thought was that the Japanese were incapable of building a ship that would float or a plane that would fly. The belief was in place right up to that Sunday morning in early December 1941. The bottom line is that FDR wanted a limited engagement with the Japanese in order to get into the real war with Germany.
You are fine until your conclusion, and give absolutely no evidence for it. In fact, FDR would have rather had no war with the Japanese in order to have a real war with Germany.
On racism in western culture before WWII, boy, you hit the nail on the head.