Noam Chomsky - When We Dropped the Atomic Bomb

[coreycox]

That is such a bizarre story about this documentary was shown in a red light district and people laughing. This is one of the few times I have heard Noam Chomsky sounding this emotional.

[paradiso]

If only more people in this world could be as wise and moral as Noam Chomsky.

[philipgolding]

My Father was part of NZ armed forces (J Force) who arrived in Hiroshima six month after the Atomic Bomb was dropped. my self I had defects at birth which I could trace back to his direct exposure to radiation which at that time little was known about how mutations could be passed on inter generationally!!

[calm-tedesco]

The same public perception in the US of the Japanese and the same reason why Japan surrendered are explained in Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States.

To me it is amazing to what extent propaganda can deform facts and the moral compass of people.

[_RedWizard]

I had Professor Hasagawa at UCSB. I remember studying how the Japanese were trying to surrender to the Soviets but they declared war instead.

[Runkus_Grunkus]

What a powerful testimony... It's easy to forget the texture of how the culture takes in history like this

[Avi-Hecht]

The highest moment in human technology is the lowest point of human morality...

[barquerojuancarlos]

The first American account of the atrocity came from journalist John Hersey's article "Hiroshima" in the New Yorker August 1946. It became a book 2 months later. This depicts the importance of journalism.

[dankoppel]

I love listening to Noam Chomsky and I think his comments about the cruelty of war are valid, but I would like to play devil's advocate for a second. First of all, there was extreme cruelty from the Japanese to all the people they conquered: Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesians, etc. About 10 million Chinese were killed, including 6 million civilians. One Indonesian I talked to said "the Dutch killed us to maintain control, but the Japanese killed us just for fun". In addition, American prisoners of war were brutalized unimaginably, I'm guessing way beyond the converse situation (marching POW's in Bataan being bayonetted if they lagged behind or were decapitated by sword). I think very few of the conquered peoples of southeast Asia probably felt very badly about the 2 bombs dropped on Japan. Second point: even after the 2 bombs and the Russian invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria had taken place, the Japanese cabinet was split 50/50 on whether to surrender or continue fighting. The Emperor had to intervene as tie-breaker. Without the 2 bombs, would the Japanese cabinet have still been split 50/50? I would love to hear the opinion of a WW2 or Japanese history expert on this. The question of the use of the atomic bombs is extremely multi-faceted and the brutality has to be viewed in the context of the extreme brutality of the entire Pacific war, starting in 1937 with the invasion of China by Japan.

[Lanooski]

Saw Oppenheimer last night and the only scenes worth a damn on this front were where he hallucinates the consequences of his accomplishment, as well as the parts where his colleagues were cheering fanatically as a few exceptions were sobbing or vomiting.

[Halberstramshaberdashery]

Chomsky is absolutely correct when he talks about how most Americans at the time felt about Germany as opposed to Japan. There was disdain for the Nazi’s but the hatred for Japan was truly psychopathic and far more visceral. Some of this obviously had to do with the fact that it was Japan who attacked the US at Pearl Harbor but the propaganda campaign against Japan was insane. I’ve spoken to older folks who lived through it and was told that they were shown videos in school of the horrors that Japan had unleashed on the Chinese population in the 1930’s (Chinese babies on bayonet’s, twisted science experiments they would subject the Chinese too, etc. stories of Mass rape, etc.) but clearly the fact the US was attacked by an Asian country by people who looked different and had a very different culture/religion, etc. massively increased the racism and hatred by a largely white Christian population. I’ve even spoken with a couple of men in their 90’s who still hold a grudge even after the massive fire bombing campaign, atomic bombs being dropped and 78 years an essentially incredible relationship between Japan and the US. Crazy.

[thurin]

they produced so many purple hearts in anticipation of casualties during the invasion of japan that theyre still awarding them for the global war on terror 80 years later.
and something else to think about, the deaths by war had been growing exponentially (especially during the 20th century) annually up until 1945. afterwards they leveled out (more or less) at a fraction of what theyd attained prior to 1945.

[januszkowalski]

In Hiroshima 12 American POWs kept there perished during the atomic blast. Another collateral damage ?

[SahmAhmad]

He's describing the day America lost its soul and he found his conscience.

Horrible tragedy indeed. I can't grasp the pain that the Japanese feel till today.

[lv]

It’s really unfortunate Chomsky closed his mind to the threat that the Japanese murderous campaigns presented to American forces.I suppose the “Island campaign “ and Japanese atrocities were easy enough for him to ignore.The fact that Japanese losses were in the high 90% were no doubt something Chomsky viewed as an outlier and they would have rolled over when the mainland was invaded and no Allied troops would have been lost.

[TimmyStabler]

I've tried to find information on that August 15 bombing of Japan. Does anyone know what it was called or how I can find information about it?

[thurin]

and heres why the premise that the russians invading manchuria is what really ended the war is utterly absurd. the military clique ruling japan had no intention of ending the war until it had forced the usa to invade so as to inflict so many casualties that the usa would be forced to sign a negotiated peace favorable to japan. so for the premise it was the russians to be true you would have to maintain it was the fear of the russian invasion who had little amphibious experience and little amphibious infrastructure while simultaneously trying to force the worlds premier amphibious operations military (the usa) with the largest amphibious infrastructure literally in human history. utter nonsense.

[its.that-time]

I actually still am not sure still if the attomic bomb being dropped ending up causing less or more death because it ended the war fast. I totally understand nobody killed from the bomb deserved it of course. I just dont know how long it would have taken for the Japanese to surrender. If they could have negotiated peace soon then of course the bombs were bad i just dont know if that was the case.

[blues]

Pongan subtítulos en castellano, POR FAVOR . Gracias

[LordyByron]

Chomsky's talks are powerful when he is sure of the facts, but he only speculates in this one and thus only muddies the waters where truth might be found.