• ShieldGengar@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    I have lots of Japanese family and friends, and none of them understand the horrors of WW2. As far as they were taught, America just randomly dropped nukes on them. They’re mad because they think of Japan as a victim, not a monster that needed to be stopped. They raped and pillaged everyone who wasn’t Japanese.

    At least Germany teaches their kids about their atrocities in hopes that they never repeat it.

    • NoLifeGaming@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Japan was definitely a monster that needed to be stopped. But to say that made it okay to drop two nukes instantly killing thousands of civilians is not okay in any case.

        • NoLifeGaming@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          I think there’s a difference between killing Japanese military and Japanese civilians. With that logic the american civilians deserved dying on 9/11

          • Sorgan71@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            I never said they deserved to be killed. They needed to be killed but they didnt deserve it. It just had to happen that way or they would have decimated their population fighting a losing battle.

      • Crampon@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Well. The war took 20.000 lives daily. The bombs took about 140k if i recall right.

        If the war lasted 7 more days it would even out. The bombs ended it instantly.

        The Japanese doctrine was to fight to the very last man, woman and child.

        The Japanese are like everyone else. Only more. They had some powerful cultural settings to be able to do what they did.

        • NoLifeGaming@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          That to me seems like the same logic being used by the israelis to justify killing the Palestinians. Its never justified to go after the civilian population and non combatants.

          • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            That to me seems like the same logic being used by the israelis to justify killing the Palestinians.

            The difference though is the availability of precise targeting of the enemy versus the civilians.

            Do you potentially end the lives of a million of your own drafted citizens just for more precise targeting of the enemy? One hell of a moral dilemma for any leader to decide.

            Its never justified to go after the civilian population and non combatants.

            Absolutely agree with this, and one of the reasons I’m upset personally with Israel right now is that they are fairly infamous for being able to precisely target their enemy when they want to, and hence what they’ve done in Gaza to the civilian population that had nothing to do with the conflict is just horrific.

            Having said all that, there is a nuance in the two scenarios, they are not equal.

      • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        But to say that made it okay to drop two nukes instantly killing thousands of civilians is not okay in any case.

        My understanding was they were actually attacking manufacturing for the war, it’s just that an atom bomb is not that discriminatory, and that all the military-only targets had already been bombed out of existence by that point.

        Not saying it was right, just explaining it wasn’t as black-and-white as you express.

        • lud@lemm.ee
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          7 months ago

          No, the targeting committee was very clear that the targets were selected mainly based on spectacle and effect.

          They purposely kept a few cities in a “pristine” (or as close as possible) by disallowing other bombings so when the nukes were finished the before and after would look more dramatic.

          The fact that they could just ignore these cities before dropping the nukes shows that the targets were of little to no military value

          • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            No, the targeting committee was very clear that the targets were selected mainly based on spectacle and effect.

            That’s not my understanding at all, only just that having witnesses was a side effect, but not the primary reason.

            From what I remember from watching documentaries there were military targets in the cities, I think (don’t hold me to it) bomb making factories.

            Feel free to pass on some links if you know otherwise, as history is always a learning experience. (See edit below.)

            Edit: Looking at the Wiki page, under the section about targeting, it mentions this about Hiroshima…

            Hiroshima, an embarkation port and industrial center that was the site of a major military headquarters

            … and…

            Hiroshima was described as "an important army depot and port of embarkation in the middle of an urban industrial area. It is a good radar target and it is such a size that a large part of the city could be extensively damaged. There are adjacent hills which are likely to produce a focusing effect which would considerably increase the blast damage.

            The wiki article does mention what you’re stating as well, so in essence we’re both right, though I would still argue that the military objective was primary, and the spectacle as you call it was secondary, even if it was a close secondary.

        • NoLifeGaming@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Thats and interesting point, but it does make me think, why drop the nukes when they can just bomb the manufacturing hubs without incurring as much civilian death

          • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            why drop the nukes when they can just bomb the manufacturing hubs without incurring as much civilian death

            That’s just it, they had been, for quite a while, but the Japanese would not capitulate.

            So just bombing military targets with regular ordinance wasn’t enough. The type of bombing was a signal and a message in and of itself.

  • mechoman444@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Oppenheimer was not as good as it was made out to be.

    The plot was muddy and jumped around between multiple time periods and the dialogue was confusing at shit.

    Cinematography and acting was beyond amazing though.

    • Muscar@discuss.online
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      7 months ago

      This is like someone saying a book is bad because they don’t understand some of the words.

      All the things you mentioned were specific choices made, not failures.

      • Sawzall@lemmynsfw.com
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        7 months ago

        Regardless, the plot was a chore the first time through and that’s not great storytelling. That has nothing to do with ‘not understanding words.’ I enjoyed the film, but it was certainly overhyped. Christopher Nolan is amazing, but this isn’t his best work from a storytelling standpoint.

  • Murvel@lemm.ee
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    7 months ago

    The bombings has to be seen in the context of the unimaginable horrors orchestrated by the Japanese state that had to be stopped, at almost any cost.

    • IcePee@lemmy.beru.co
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      7 months ago

      Almost… Another way to see it is they burdened future generations as an expedient measure to save the lives of the people now in the past. Another another way to look at the bomb is preventing another world war.

      An interesting historical point is Japan had largely been defeated by the time the bombs were dropped. And they had the option to bomb an uninhabited (or very lightly) part of Japan’s territory as a show of force. But, instead they specifically chose to irradiate civilians.

        • VerdantSporeSeasoning@lemmy.ca
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          7 months ago

          Because future generations have to safehold and not misuse extremely destructive knowledge. We have a world where North Korea has nuclear weapons, but do they have the ethics to use them responsibly, understanding their full potential? Do the other countries with nuclear bombs have that ethical responsibility, especially over generations? Cuz that big red button is going to be around for a while.

          • IcePee@lemmy.beru.co
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            7 months ago

            One would argue given enough time some kind of civilizations ending event is an inevitability. With nukes we’re just increasing that risk.

        • IcePee@lemmy.beru.co
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          7 months ago

          Yes, I would say the threat of dying in nuclear hell fire (if you were lucky) a bit of a burden.

    • ilmagico@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      This is of course just my opinion, but no horrors, imaginable or otherwise, that the Japanese could’ve possibly orchestrated at the time, with the means they had available, would’ve come close to the devastation caused by the bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

      • Murvel@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        Of course, thats your prerogative, but then, quite frankly, you don’t know enough about Japanese war crimes.

          • Murvel@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            Debatable. But as always with this topic; what else would force the Japanese surrender?

            • SmilingSolaris@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              Maybe the fact they were already sueing for peace? Maybe the complete distruction of their Navy and Air forces? Maybe the blockaid we had on the island? Maybe the fact they were already sueing for peace?

          • Murvel@lemm.ee
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            7 months ago

            I’m sorry, what war crimes did the civilians of Nagasaki and Hiroshima commit?

            None, but the state that governed them did, and the people are part of the state. What’s you point?

            • SmilingSolaris@lemmy.world
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              7 months ago

              My point is that targeting civilians is never okay. And if we are going to open the box to “well the state committed war crimes so civilians had to be targeted” I’d like to know your opinions on both 9/11 and October 7th, cause I bet there’s gonna be some inconsistency to your belief.

              But that whole argument concedes the point that the nukes stopped Japan. They did not. Japan was already sueing for peace. They were willing to negotiate and we know that what they were and were not willing to give up lines up with what we did end up agreeing to post war anyways. The nukes were pointless on top of being abhorrent.

              • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world
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                7 months ago

                You are incredibly naive. Total war between industrialized nations, as happened in WW2, is won or lost on industrial capacity. States literally need to cripple their enemy’s ability and will to wage war, which means destroying industrial production, food production, access to safe water, and civil infrastructure. And that is why there should never be another great power war.

                As for the USA’s use of nuclear weapons in Japan, they weren’t used to “win” the war. As you say, the Japanese were effectively beaten. Nukes were used to force an immediate surrender, saving millions of both American and Japanese lives.

              • Murvel@lemm.ee
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                7 months ago

                But that whole argument concedes the point that the nukes stopped Japan. They did not. Japan was already sueing for peace. They were willing to negotiate and we know that what they were and were not willing to give up lines up with what we did end up agreeing to post war anyways. The nukes were pointless on top of being abhorrent.

                You better have a good source if you’re going to make such a bold statement.

                • SmilingSolaris@lemmy.world
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                  7 months ago

                  Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts, and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey’s opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945. Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war. and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated. - The United States Strategic Bombing survey (European war) (Pacific War) https://ia801903.us.archive.org/33/items/unitedstatesstra00cent/unitedstatesstra00cent.pdf

    • HobbitFoot @thelemmy.club
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      7 months ago

      It is also interesting that the movie focuses on the scientists developing the bomb over everything else. There is a removal of the protagonists from seeing the destruction of their work, but that was done on purpose by the military. Even within that, you see a discussion of morality of the bomb by its developers and that the scientists, in almost all cases, have a more nuanced understanding of the destructive power they are developing and the ethics of using such a device.

      • IcePee@lemmy.beru.co
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        7 months ago

        I think that’s always the way. Compartmentalisation. Though I don’t blame the film for not showing the horrors taking place in those cities. At the time Oppenheimer wouldn’t have access to those images, and so I guess neither do we. On the other hand - unless I miss remember - we do get to see him watching a film reel. So, maybe they could have shoehorned the scenes of destruction. But, personally, I think it’s enough to see the effect it has on Oppenheimer. Any more could be classed as prurient voyeurism.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.net
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      7 months ago

      Is there a Japanese film like Oppenheimer but from their perspective? I’ve seen plenty of stuff that feels influenced by Hiroshima and Nagasaki, including the horrors from a perspective unique to people who have first hand experience; but it’s all fictional.

      Like, is there maybe a movie about the dude who survived both bombs?

      • Ludrol@szmer.info
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        7 months ago

        I don’t have a full grasp of it but Barefoot Gen (1983) is on my watch list and deals with the topic of atomic bombs

        E: Ah… you wanted a documentary. This isn’t it.

    • T156@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Also that the alternative was burning cities with the people still in them, and they’d seen that, which was have been more horrifying and slow than a nuclear conflagration.

  • SmilingSolaris@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Just for the people who want to defend a nearly 100 year old tragedy for some reason. Here is a document from the US armed forces calling you a fucking idiot.

    Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts, and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey’s opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945. Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war. and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated. - The United States Strategic Bombing survey (European war) (Pacific War) https://ia801903.us.archive.org/33/items/unitedstatesstra00cent/unitedstatesstra00cent.pdf

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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    7 months ago

    I do not wish to justify the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, if any good came out of it, I think showing the world the death, devastation and illness an atomic attack on a city can cause likely made world leaders pause before pushing the button. The Cuban Missile Crisis comes to mind. Would either party have backed down if no one had actually seen what even a relatively small bomb could do to a city?

  • boywar3@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    “If you violate the Geneva Convention, your people don’t get the protections of it” seems like a pretty reasonable way to justify the bombings tbh

    In any case, there are some important considerations to be made here too:

    After the horrors of Okinawa, US leadership expected a million casualties to take Japan itself, to the point where the Navy wanted to simply blockade Japan into submission. Given the Japanese civilians were already eating acorns and tree bark, and the military’s entire outward appearance was to never surrender, it isn’t unreasonable to assume Japan wouldn’t have given up.

    Of course, the Japanese were refusing to surrender to the US in order to surrender through the USSR in hopes of getting a better deal (protect the emperor, no war crime trials, etc.). Of course, the Soviets invaded Manchuria and dashed all hopes of that, which, according to many people, was the real reason for Japan’s surrender.

    It is a bit murky, but in response to the bombings and the invasion, there was a meeting on August 9th of the highest ranks of the Japanese government where it was determined that surrender was the only option and plans were drawn up to do so. However, on the 14th, there was an attempted coup by some army officers to continue the war, which failed after several high ranking officials refused to comply, among other things.

    All of this taken together is not to say “the bombings were necessary,” but rather to show the situation as it developed, and how many different things could have gone wrong and dragged the war on for longer (side note: Japan still held a lot of territory and there were plans to liquidate POWs and the like in the event of surrender)

    Was it right to vaporize thousands? In a vacuum, no, certainly not. But in the complex context of a war in which millions had already died and millions more still very well could have, its tough to say.