Gerrys vs. Japs

During my study of WWII under Dr. John Chamber, I was astonished by two facts:

First: Army personnel testify to the fact they did not trained with guns. Many used broomsticks during training and only received a firearm when they headed for combat.

Second: the Germans were depicted as misguided while the Japanese were 'dirty rat bastards'. Bayonet dummies were not styled as white Europeans; targets looked like 'slants'.

The first point is a historical comparison to the current 'Body Armor' argument. Bear in mind, American Shermans were vastly inferior to German armor. Sometimes it isn't about the equipment, it's about the will to win.

The second point speaks to American prejudice. All Japanese were considered evil (because they look different) while Germans had been deceived by an evil individual. It is incredibly important to remember all are not characterized by the actions of the few.

I was reminded of this by an episode of South Park (Best Friends Forever S9E04). In this American cartoon, an angel of heaven explicitly states, "Japanese people don't have souls." I didn't read about protests (or violence) in Japan over this injustice...