#secondlake

I seriously believe you had better die for our...

oh, and why is that? i need to die because i want the government of japan to apologize for the wrongs it has committed? the wrongs that it continues to deny has ever happened? it is straight-up lying to its people and to the rest of the world. "no, we didn't kidnap women to repeatedly rape them and ruin their lives", "no, we didn't torture all these people who just wanted independence", "no, we didn't do anything wrong, we were just helping out when we colonized these countries"

I really don't have much to say to you, since we're obviously coming from two very divergent frames of reference (though I wouldn't consider yours equally valid, I'm sorry). 

I've seen a number of your posts on the #comfort women tag and the blatant anti-Korean attitude (especially that poem about how the world would be a better place if Korea did not exist) and insistent denial of a well-documented, factual historical war crime not only angers me, it also makes me feel compassion for you. 

After all, it isn't easy to admit that your country isn't this shining beacon of righteousness and glorious history that you are taught to believe it is. There are many Americans, too, who choose to whitewash and deny the extent of our history of slavery and de facto/de jure segregation. There are many Americans, still, who defend the use of nuclear weapons on Nagasaki and Hiroshima as "humane" and "necessary" decisions. I am also certain that there are darker aspects of United States history which I will have trouble engaging with from the point of view of another nation. 

However, unlike you, I have been taught by my teachers and college professors to be open-minded. My parents and my friends are people who believe in how important it is to discover the truth and understand it - that when we choose to be blind to uncomfortable realities, we are doing both ourselves and others a grave disservice. I have been taught that I am not my nation's past and that the shame of the United States does not need to define me or even define my nation's future. I know that, if I love my country, I need to learn about its darkest moments so that I can work towards a brighter future. 

So, I understand. I absolutely understand where you are coming from, even if I don't empathize, and I apologize if any of my previous responses were more angry than is strictly necessary. But I hope you also realize that these topics - Japanese war crimes - are also very personal issues for many people. And I am very very very sorry. I am so sorry that you will never understand what it means to responsibly engage with your nation's past. I am sorry that you will never understand what it means to empathize with the pain of others and realize that, no, patriotism and love for one's nation doesn't mean dismissing and denying its flawed past. I am sorry that you will never understand the determination to learn from your nation's past and become the generation that will refuse to stoop to any action in the name of national security and national interest.

I am sorry that you will not be one of the countless people who are struggling to change the world for the better.