ORIGINAL: dr.hal
Although this discussion is a very valid discussion, the whole tone was tainted by the first post and a number there after. Which is sad, as it is important. Culture is a very difficult aspect of humanity to understand. The reason is simple, we all filter our information input through our own cultural bias. Thus many Westerners can not understand Sharia Law and and its "draconian" penalties. An interesting point about the Japanese culture at the time was the fact of how they treated their OWN Japanese soldiers who surrendered and were "liberated" by the Japanese at a later point. The surrendering troops were treated as lepers and many took their own lives rather than live with the "shame". So some actions that an alternative culture are indeed difficult to understand... and there are very valid reasons for that misunderstanding. What is not appropriate is to make culturally derogatory statements based upon that misunderstanding.
The signal to noise ratio on this thread has become very low. However, trying to stay somewhat on topic...
Culturally the Japanese were following their own patterns. The Code of Bushido infected the entire society and colored everything. They did treat their own soldiers in ways that westerners would not tolerate. Most westerners would be horrified if animals were treated similarly.
It also brings up questions about cultural relativism vs. judging other cultures through your own cultural lens. Japan started the war with the US in part because they saw US culture as weak and figured if they hit American hard enough, it would run away rather than fight. It was a terrible miscalculation, but one made because they didn't bother to get inside US cultural thinking before making a judgement. Yammamoto, who had attended school in the US and spent time there as a diplomat knew American culture better than anyone else in the high command and he called it perfectly when he was given the order: "I will run free across the Pacific for six months, then it will all be down hill from there." (I'm paraphrasing)
There are some practices in past cultures and current cultures I find abhorrent. But there is a very big philosophical question about where do we judge other cultures? I don't have a good answer.
Bill
