Comfort Women, silent no longer

Why were the Korean Comfort Women “silent” so long? To answer this question, one thing you will need to think about is how much women’s “worth” is tied to their status as virgins or “sexually pure” and how women who are not “pure” are shamed in societies. You also need to reflect on how rape has been characterized as simply an “unfortunate consequence” of war—this is not true, of course; rape does not “just happen.” Why could the words and actions of Japanese officials and government be interpreted as attempts to further silence them?

During the Pacific campaign of World War II, the Japanese committed several atrocities. One of the major atrocities that affected many Korean, Burmese, Filipina, Chinese, and Indonesian women were the comfort stations set up to please the Japanese soldiers. At these comfort stations, women were repeatedly taken advantage of, beaten, and raped by the Japanese soldiers. The horrible event that occurred at comfort stations changed the lives of the women, who where the victims, forever.

The largest group that was affected by these comfort stations was the Korean women. Part of the reason that the Korean women were affected the worst was because Japan had conquered Korea when they invaded Manchuria. The Japanese government ordered young women to participate in factory work, which the Korean government complied with. However, the Korean government did not realize that the real reason that the Japanese asked for these women was to exploit them at the comfort stations. The Japanese believed that if their soldiers’ sexual needs were satisfied then they would fight harder.

One of the major reasons that the Comfort Women were “silent” so long was their status in their own community. Traditionally, in Oriental cultures a woman who is a virgin or “sexually pure” has a higher status than a woman who is not. Also in Oriental cultures, women are not viewed as highly as men and this is even truer if a woman is not pure. The Japanese soldiers stole these women’s virtue at the comfort stations. Another reason that so many of the Comfort Women chose not to speak up until they were older is so that they might possibly obtain a decent marriage. In Oriental cultures if a young woman is pure they can obtain a better marriage that otherwise might not be available to them. It goes without saying, that the Comfort Women felt ashamed that at such a young age they had lost their virginity. They simply did not want to tell their families or others the horrors they had faced in comfort stations.

One way to look at what the Japanese soldiers did to these women was repeatedly rape them. Even today in our society, women who have been raped tend not to talk about the event. This could also be part of the reason that the Korean Comfort Women chose not to say anything. However, this story is not that simple and there are some interesting facts. In the Japanese culture, prostitutes and prostitution has been going on since at least the 1500s. As it was stated in the video Silence Broken, the Korean people had to learn the Japanese language and history. This is important, because the women were 12 to 15 years of age when they arrived at the comfort stations. In reality, they were children. They were also repeatedly drugged with opium. It is possible, that these women were taken to the comfort stations at such a young age they did not fully comprehend what happened till they were older.

In Japan, the government and officials are trying through words and actions to continue to further silence these women and their horrible claims, of what truly happened in World War II. At the lowest level of the Japanese conspiracy, to cover up the truly heinous acts, there are the soldiers. One of the soldiers interviewed in the movie, Silence Broken, stated that the women in the comfort stations were paid far better than if they were working in their homeland. In an opposing view, one of the Comfort Women stated that some were not paid and others were paid very little. The next level of the conspiracy involves the people that recorded the events at the comfort stations. The military officials would court martial the soldiers that raped the Comfort Women. What they considered rape was not using a condom when they were with the women. It is not surprising that later the records of the events were burned, so there was no longer an official record of what happened. The Japanese say that it is their soldiers’ recollection of the events versus the recollection of the events by the Comfort Women.

Unfortunately, this conspiracy continues even higher in the Japanese government. Some of the Japanese scholars that were interviewed in Silence Broken blamed the United States and the Dutch for not following through on the investigation. These scholars put the blame on the US because they surrendered to them at the end of World War II. If the US truly knew what was happening on the Japanese front lines, and chose not to investigate then we are partly to blame. Also, as far as the Japanese government is concerned the lawsuits that the Korean Comfort Women have filed will probably not be heard. The actions of Japanese government and officials are making it seem as though the events never happened. They continue to deny that these women were forced; rather they insist that the women voluntarily participated in the comfort stations. By the Japanese government not wanting to hear these cases, it seems as though they would rather not acknowledge what truly happened. For the Comfort Women, they feel that if they do not try to get their stories out, then once they die the Japanese government will continue to deny these hideous events.

In my opinion, one step that the Japanese government could do is issue a formal apology to these women. However, the Japanese government would need to admit to themselves and others that something happened to warrant an apology. Here in lies the problem. Conventional war crimes such as murder, rape, pillage, etc. are also offenses under the criminal law of every civilized nation. An admission of guilt would be an admission that someone should or could be prosecuted. Out of fear, arrogance or a lack of respect for women, the Japanese government refuses to correct the atrocities of the past. Even though this action could possible prevent these atrocities from happening in the future. The Comfort Women should continue their fight with the hope that they might find some form of closure.

Although it might not be closure, it should be noted that on January 19, 1946 General Douglas MacArthur issued a charter for an international military tribunal for the Far East. The purpose was for the trial of major war criminals in that area. The trial began in Tokyo, Japan in May 1946. The judgment was read on November 12, 1948. The accused were charged with various crimes including conventional war crimes and crimes against humanity. Of the 23 accused, 7 received sentences of death by hanging and 16 were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Freedom from want and Freedom from fear

Of FDR's four freedoms, the goal of freedom from want and freedom from fear especially reflect American and European experiences during the 1930s and 1940s. Briefly explain what FDR meant by "freedom from want" and "freedom from fear" and explain how the desire for these freedoms was the result of American and European experiences during the 1930s and 1940s.

On January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt discussed four freedoms during a speech that he delivered to Congress. Of the four freedoms, the two freedoms that reflect American and European experiences of the time are the freedom from want and freedom from fear. The goal of President Roosevelt’s freedom from want internationally was to eliminate trade barriers with an economic understanding that would allow every nation the opportunity to provide a healthy peacetime life for its citizens. On a national level, President Roosevelt’s goal was to protect the future standard of living for the American worker and farmer by preventing a Depression from resuming after the war. In other words, he wanted to eliminate the average person’s feelings of need that they had experienced during harsh economic times. The goal of President Roosevelt’s freedom from fear was a world-wide reduction of armaments to a degree that no nation is ever in the position to commit an act of physical aggression against a neighbor. President Roosevelt’s goals are easily understood since World War II was raging in Europe and Japan was aggressive in Asia. There is no question, that President Roosevelt believed that freedom from want and freedom from fear were important. These two freedoms were included in the Atlantic Charter that he and Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed in August 1941.

In the 1930’s, Americans experienced unimaginable hardships that cannot be put into words. People who thought they were living the American dream lost everything. Those who were fortunate enough to have a job were frightened. This is not surprising since they had witnessed friends and neighbors lose their jobs. Then, the families where thrown out on the streets because they could not pay their bills. There was absolutely no guarantee that this would not happen to you next. Banks had failed and prior to 1933 there was not a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to guarantee deposits. This meant that if a bank failed, you could loose everything. After the FDIC was created, people still had no confidence and had lost all trust in the banking system. Obviously, bank failures meant industry failures and the losses were of catastrophic proportion.

Unfortunately, the 1930’s in Europe were far worse than in America. The extent of the Depression was greater because Europe was still recovering from World War I. Countries had staggering war debt that had to be repaid. Food was even scarcer because agricultural land had been destroyed and was in various stages of recovery. To make matters worse, Adolf Hitler became the dictator of Germany in 1935. He then started to remilitarize Germany and the Rhineland.

Economically, in the 1940’s, America was recovering from the Depression. The largest contributing factor to the recovery was that American industries were supplying Great Britain and its Allies with military equipment and supplies. WWII was underway in Europe, but in America something else was happening. Newsreels of the war were being aired in movie theaters all across America. For the first time, Americans could see in some what real time the destruction and human suffering that was taking place in Europe. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and in four short days America was at war on two continents. Reality and fear spread quickly because people knew that the media correspondents would now be reporting on American suffering and causalities. People were thankful that the war was not being fought on American soil.

The 1940’s brought absolute devastation to Europe. Countries were being destroyed and the numbers of military and civilian casualties were unthinkable. People were living in absolute terror. Imagine living near the industrialized city of Corby in Great Britain. The German bombing raids were relentless on industrial centers. To deter the German’s bombing raid at night all lights were turned off. Blackout curtains were placed over all windows so that no light could be seen from the outside. The city and surrounding countryside was in total darkness at night. Walking the streets at night was terrifying. People could hear the German planes in the distance. They could also hear the rats scurrying about but they could not see them. People literally lived from one moment to the next not knowing what might happen.

The Great Depression devastated America and Europe in the 1930’s. WWII destroyed Europe and the media allowed Americans to witness the destruction of countries and the loss of human life. The events of the 1930’s and the 1940’s impacted and changed a generation. There is no question that Americans and Europeans alike longed for freedom from want and freedom from fear. The problem was that trust had been lost. This meant that a Depression could happen again and so could war. These realities were forever etched in the minds of those who survived the 1930’s and the 1940’s. You cannot blame people for believing that although recovery was occurring in the late 1940’s anything gained could be lost at any moment.

Reaction 5: Alain Locke

What does Alain Locke Mean when he says, "The day of 'aunties.' 'uncles,' and 'mammies' is equally gone."? Why does he say this?

What I think Alain Locke is trying to say by the statement that "The day of 'aunties,' 'uncles,' and 'mammies' is equally gone" is that the use of these terms by African Americans is over. At this point in history the US is going through World War I and the Great Migration. If African Americans want to find work, in the North, they need to become part of the main stream of society.

The use of these terms has a tendency for the time to show a lower education level of the people that are using these terms. I believe that the reason that he said this statement is to let African Americans know that if they move from the South to the North they need to try to fit in with white society. In white society at the time these terms were used frequently to demean African Americans. It was a way for poorer whites to show they were better than the African Americans that were moving into urban areas at the time.

What I think Locke was also trying to say is that African Americans are moving into areas that should be more tolerant because of the other immigrants. Also that African Americans should not allow the use of these degrading statements to cloud their personal dreams of a better life in the North. Another point that I believe Locke was expressing that the North would allow for social and economic freedom, which no person based on the color of their skin can take away. Or another way of looking at the statement made by Locke is that he is trying to encourage African Americans to pursue their goals and not allow someone to put them or their dream of having a better life down with the use of derogatory comments.