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Pearl
Harbor |
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The
Gray Line |
This
weekend many Americans will be celebrating our war heroes of the
past 230 years, living and deceased. Most Americans have a mother,
father, aunt, uncle, cousin, or some person in their family who fought
a recent war. World War II, The Korean, and Viet Nam Conflict, and
Desert Storm. Most
Americans born in the late 20's and middle 30’s can remember two dates: The
death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and December 7,1941. Last weekend the
movie picture industry released a possible blockbuster
film Pearl Harbor,
and it capitalized on American patriotism and pride. There is also
the dark side of this event Friday, May 24,2001. There
is a sense of fear by many Asian Americans, Japanese Nationals, and
Japanese Americans in particular. America
has a long and historic legacy of hate crimes that are or were triggered
by a national events. This movie is a national event. This weekend, we must not forget
the Civil Rights of Japanese Nationals now living in America and
Japanese Americans. They too fought for the United States
in World War II over Nazi Germany and fought very well. Pearl
Harbor will be the third movie about the attack on the United States Navel
Island Base in 25 years. The
first movie, 1941, was in black and white and had actual footage of the
attack that morning. It was all from an American point of view, from
American Ships, and with an American Political slant. The Japanese Royal
Imperial Navy might have won the battle, but the United States won the
war. The
second movie, Tora, Tora, (meaning Tiger, Tiger in Japanese)
was the code word for the attacking forces that indicated that the attack was
on. Tora Tora told the story somewhat accurately, leaving out two
critical points: negotiations were still going on in Washington DC at
the time and the United States had broken the new Japanese code. The question still remains,
why the troops in Pearl Harbor
were not warned or alerted of a possible attack?
That movie gave this conflict a view from both sides. It was in color and was one of the first movies to go over
an hour and
half, the invisible time limit in the late 70’s. Tora, Tora
used actual color footage of the attack that morning. It was also the
first major American movie to have Native Japanese speakers on film.
Is
Pearl Harbor a new history lesson for the younger Americans and younger
Japanese?
Is this becoming the new wave of educating the American public
about historical events? Most of our young Americans do not know about this historical step the United States took into World War II. Most young people do not know that the United States had a policy of global isolation. Isolation that came from the so-called Great War-- World War I. America wanted to retreat and
take care of itself. Thus creating an imbalance of world power by three
empires throwing almost every nation into World War II. Most young people do not know that the Japanese Imperial forces were carving
out an Asian empire and needed raw materials to keep its fighting
machine going. America had the rubber; America had the scrap metals the
Japanese needed and wanted to keep its army, navy, and air force
supplied. Japanese foreign policy differed from American foreign
policies. This created confrontation, one of need and one of not giving,
thus, Pearl Harbor. Is
this movie an educational tool or a theatrical tech-no thriller for a night
of fun out with the gang? The
movie Titanic was remade five times and each time with
better and newer technological effects. There were better actors and actresses with
each new print. Do we need to make another movie about this unsinkable
ship that sunk in the cold Atlantic waters? As
we can see most movies are a microcosm of what Americans are thinking
and feeling about the world.
Movies also give one a chance to make the world what they want
without interruptions or outside interpretations. When
the United States foreign policies on the Middle East became a quandary,
movies like Iron Eagle and Delta Force became very popular. These movies were about the United States Armed
Services winning many battles in the desert. The good guys over the
forces of evil every time. These movies had racial overtones that the
Middle Eastern forces were not as intelligent or as powerful to American
forces. When
the Soviet Union tried to play political hardball in the early 1980’s,
movies like Strike Force Three, Red Dawn, and
Iron Eagle I though IV
became the hit all over this land. Again there were tones of America's greatness over the Cuban, Afghanistan, and Middle Eastern
Soviet Allied Block forces. In
Red Dawn teenagers were running around the mid-western United States
taking out Soviet and Cuban Armored columns almost at will. Again the
intelligence of teenagers beating seasoned combat troops could be in
question. These youngsters were learning how to fire missiles, use
weapons, and kill like they had never done before. And the seasoned
combat troops could not find these teenagers.
A little far fetched, but Americans loved it and this
movie has a cult following. How
many times can you make one movie on the same subject? With
the new special effects artists each new version of the movie will be
different, adding more details and lifelike experiences. Does this mean
that we will be seeing another Pearl Harbor in about 10 years?
Maybe. Is
this a slick or sly way of Asian-bashing or just a classic entertainment
timepiece? You have to decide that for yourself. There
have been a few recent incidents in the Pacific Rim Region the past six
months would lead you to wonder if this is the right timing for this
movie. The
Philippine Muslim military rebel kidnapping a Bay Area man for their
political causes. I’m
glad to say the Bay Area resident is now at home safe with his Filipino
Muslim wife. The
resent sinking of a Japanese fishing vessel of the coast of Japan by an
American attack submarine, killing all Japanese nationals aboard the
ship. The American and Japanese governments are still talking about how to settle the damages done by the American submarine. And the downing of an American Spy plane by the Chinese Air Force over mainland China's territorial air space. All
of these events happened in a short period of time this year. Now this
blockbuster movie could be a time bomb
ready to explode. Are
we going to see the political, social, and economic turmoil that
happened in the mid 1990’s?
What about the occurrences that happened after the O.J. Simpson,
LAPD, and Rodney King trails? Or are we going to be peaceful and talk
about the history of Pearl Harbor? Are
the producers, directors, and the movie responsible for the
possible attacks of Asian Americans after this movie is released? Will
they be brought to American courts if Japanese nationalists,
Japanese-Americans, or Asian Americans die because of random hate
crimes? African Americans should stand up to make our voices heard if such events happen. In fact, all Americans should voice their displeasure of any incident transpires after the movie. America
is the land of free speech and free enterprise, as long as you don’t
infringe on anybody’s basic civil rights. America is a multi-cultured
land with many foods, clothes, and languages. I love to hear
the different dialects as I walk the Bay Area streets. When I go back
home to New Jersey, I don’t hear them, nor do I get to eat the many
different foods of the world. I am eager to get back to the Bay Area because of it’s beautiful multi-cultured communities. We
should be proud of all Americans in this land--Black, White, Red, Brown,
and Yellow. We are truly the melting pot of the world; now, if we could only
stop acting like a fruit salad. We have to help each other; we have to
understand each other; we have to understand each other’s differences
and admire each other’s similarities and celebrate them together. Think
about this when you go see Pearl Harbor. Think about your freedom,
the men and women on both sides who fought for and die for this Memorial
Day. I
truly hope that we never have another war. I truly hope that we do not
ever have to raise our guns in anger at another nation. |
