Remembering Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Tokyo: Statism Manifested as Murder Apologism (why some individuals still view mass murder as morally legitimate)
A view of Hiroshima in the aftermath of the bomb being dropped.
225,000 men, women, and children dead. Some still defend the US attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as being "necessary."
Yesterday was the 72nd anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. According to the jumbled "official story" there was no choice but to drop the bomb. If it weren't for that bomb you'd be speaking German right now! is still the favorite line of many statists in the USA, and even around the world. Some in Japan even seem to believe it was a sad "necessity."
Regardless of the fact that there were many, many direct overtures of surrender and willingness to negotiate coming from the high ranking officials in the Japanese government prior to the bombings, individuals brainwashed by statist indoctrination and nationalistic programming still wish to somehow "justify" this mass murder. I would highly encourage anyone to research this topic (see hyperlink above).
All this notwithstanding, though, whether or not the Japanese government was planning to surrender is irrelevant when coming to a verdict on the morality of these acts of aggression. They were wrong. They were unethical. They were murder. The end.
The dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was pre-meditated mass murder, regardless of the Japanese government's stance on surrender at the time.
You see, a government's supposed evil plans never justify the taking of innocent life. This is where the collectivists and nationalists who support blanket military action against any and all individuals living within a given geographical region have it dead wrong.
When innocent people are killed, and innocent lives are taken in events such as those that transpired 72 years ago in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it is not just "collateral damage." It is....innocent lives being taken. And claims that all this was for the "greater good" are nonsensical. Why? Well, how can good come from evil? If taking innocent life is always wrong, how, then, can it ever be "right"? Performatively, the religious nationalists who make these "arguments" always contradict themselves, anyway.
Most Americans arguing for this "greater good" would not be willing to die for the "greater good" should it consist of some other country bombing them if the USA allied itself with some new, evil world power.
It was worth it for peace, they say. I say Great. The US is right now indiscriminately drone bombing villages in the Middle East. When someone from their country comes to the US to murder you, please step out and willingly die. It is worth it for peace, after all.
I would like to dedicate this post to all those who lost their lives in these bombings, as well as the firebombings that occurred in other cities, such as the one in Tokyo which was the deadliest single air raid in all of history.
RIP. There is a better way.
Thousands upon thousands of lives destroyed in seconds, with the push of a button from the air.
Tokyo after the infamous firebombing known as "Operation Meetinghouse," the deadliest bombing in history, still largely ignored and often forgotten.
This is the cancer called nationalism.
These individuals are to blame?
There is no apology that can erase this. Google "Voluntaryism," and come to your senses.
Peace.
~KafkA
(All images public domain, Wikipedia.)
Graham Smith is a voluntaryist activist and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
Couldn't possibly agree more with this article as this is a belief I have always held as well. It is so sad to me that when Americans commit atrocities like this they are a "necessary part of war". Ask ANY American how they feel about 9/11 though? We can ALL agree that it was a tragedy. But what we did to Japan is not even comparable and so many just shrug it off as not being a big deal. If some other country hit us they way we hit Japan, it would be considered unforgiveable. I just wish more people could see life through the perspective of others sometimes. So sad.
I remember that my father used to say that the atomic bombs were necessary 'because the Japanese would never stop'. I also remember that I thought it was a strange and scary thing to hear that there are people who actually think it's OK to murder so many innocent people out of fear of...of what really? My father was originally from Amsterdam, lived through the WWII and has seen many of his friends being deported to death camps. I remember the tears that came when he was telling us stories about friends that were taken and never seen again. I could never understand how the lives of these friends were more precious than the lives of those who died in Japan. I probably never will. Thank you for this post. RIP to all those lives that were lost during this horrible event in history.
You raise a really interesting point I think about tribalism and the potential detriments of the "in group/out group" mentality found in all animals, including humans.
I am so sorry to hear about your dad's friends. I am really struck by your willingness to see things so clearly, though. Why were "those people" different?
Thanks for your comment.
Thank you! Things like that have been keeping me occupied from the moment I started searching for truth. In my opinion all life is precious and killing is and can never be the answer. I can't even begin to imagine how the men on both sides of any war would feel after they follow orders like that. Of course some (like the Japanese and Germans) are usually pictured as evil, but I think we all know there would have been pure evil on either side and good just as well. I can't imagine that all of the Gestapo members were evil, just like I know that not all allied soldiers were good. Most of them were following orders, desertion or failing to follow those orders were punishable by death. I think any war brings a lot of young men and women with high expectations and false ideas. I think most are disillusioned by what they end up having to do, or not. Which brings me to a question: what if all those who are 'just following orders' would turn around and say they aren't doing it anymore?
That would be a beautiful day!
I couldn't agree more!
Upvoted and also resteemed :)
Thanks, @behappy.
Statism, the most dangerous and destructive religion ever devised by man ...
Truly sad.
Humankind is a strange animal with a strange behaviour. Lets not forget that people are totally blind of the mass genocide is going on with the children of the world. A shameful number of 25000 innocent children dying daily because of starvation and not many seem to care.
And today the enemy are the Muslims, so its okay to bombard muslim weddings...
The best sign I have ever seen regarding this stated:
Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity.
It used to be the Russians. Now it's Muslims and the Koreans. Media is manipulating a lot in this, and they get their orders from higher posts.
Thank You Graham for including the photographs, as they say, a photo is worth a 1,000 words.
And I totally agree... There IS a better way.
Have a Good Week !!
The US knew the Japanese were prepared for surrender, this was all about show of force and the efficacy of modern weapons. The innocents that perished in Japan via Atomic weapons, were essentially props. That horror has kept regimes quiet for almost 80 years. Terrible way to seize power.
Collectivism requires extreme nationalism to maintain centralized power. How else to keep the poulation in line with the party message? Propoganda of constant consistent messaging is necessary to legitimize the centralized top down heirarchy we all virtually live under. And it goes beyond just messages. The state promises food through welfare and education, the state promises housing and protection, all the while the state lives to perpetuate itself, disregarding any violation of human rights. The state seeks dependency and loyalty, loyalty comes by covering up their misdeeds. Was it truly necessary, well given that the state itself said so, doesn't make it true. The state has every reason to lie. Maybe they really just wanted to test the bomb on something more than 1 million square miles of desert, isn't it more scientific to bomb an existing urban center? The real truth may be something completely sinister, cold and calculated.
Collectivism does not need contralized power
It also does not need a party.
That is also true for voluntarism, or how will you make people like it without propaganda?
That also is not true. It is a way and often done, but not necessary. You can have loyalty by being honest, too.
Collectivism is centralized power by definition, an yes it is a party or a group. If you are virtuous you won't need propoganda puff pieces to gloat about yourself, misdeeds by collectivist nationalist govt. go hand in hand, we have over 100 years of data now, there's no argumemt.
Collectivism is emphasis on the group.
Nothing for that requires centralized power or a party.
So because betamax was obvious better it won against VHS?
Because the fights against dictators are virtuous they always succeed?
And so on...
How does that work? Collectivism is a governmental philosophy, you have to have a powerful government that taxes everyone into oblivion to fund "collectivism" and it has to keep people in line by telling them good stories about how collectivism "benefits" everyone. Collectivism in the current format of the definition and how it operates today, globally is centralized organization and planning, backed up by a powerful governing body which imposes its will upon people through force and coersion. Truth.
No
No
NO
For easyness, may I quote Wikipedia here?
I admit the english article is not the best one, but nowhere you will found that collectivism needs a state.
For example a cloister is a perfect example for a collectivist society.
Explain how collectivism works without government.
State is not government and government is not state.
Anyway, the volantaryists are first to deliver, I still haven't met even one who can explain even easy things like how to build a road without government or without state, not to mention without both.