My Aunt always makes me think about things. I get behind what she says and delve deep into my own research on the topics she brings up.
She recently enlightened the family about a character on the 1970's television show, "Barney Miller".
From her email:
After watching the interview above, I realized that Goro Suzuki knew that being a Japanese-American during that time was not a popular label.
I was replying to her email and decided that maybe I just needed to talk about it here...
She recently enlightened the family about a character on the 1970's television show, "Barney Miller".
From her email:
To
expand a little on our Japanese American history, this is an interview of Hal
Linden (Barney Miller) about Soo who played Nick Yemana on the show. His
real name is Goro Suzuki and is Japanese American, more in the interview ...
After watching the interview above, I realized that Goro Suzuki knew that being a Japanese-American during that time was not a popular label.
I was replying to her email and decided that maybe I just needed to talk about it here...
Goro Suzuki is another instance of how we, as Japanese-Americans, embrace
the term “Shikata ga nai” or “It cannot be helped.”
Is it a great testament to the character of us as a people to
not complain about what happened or have we just been embarrassed about it?
I know that even in the 1970’s, the Japanese were still
considered enemies of the state because “we” bombed Pearl Harbor. I told people that
I was Hawaiian to escape the embarrassment. My sister tells a great story about
me defending our culture back then!
I see that my generation and even the next is bringing to
light what happened. Not as a bad thing, America apologized; but as a way to
remember that it shouldn’t happen again. We are telling stories of how JA’s
helped to bring down racial barriers and helped America see that we are a
melting pot of cultures who are all American regardless of our cultural
heritage including Italians and Germans who were also interned but not to the
extent as the JA’s. Also I believe that we are showing that it can be talked
about without bitterness. Another testament to our character.
There are so many people here in America that don’t even
know that Americans were held against their will in camps here on US soil. Nor
do they know how our own Japanese-American people fought prejudice at home and abroad. Did you know that the US Army used Japanese-Americans to
train dogs to ‘sniff out’ the Japanese? As if all Japanese smell the same...?
Then I think of the moment where I, as a Japanese-American,
was excited to tell my South Korean International Student about my Japanese
Heritage and he said, “We don’t like the Japanese.” I was aghast and asked why
and he said that the Koreans still felt bitter for being under Japanese rule
from 1910-1945. I was also excited to tell my Chinese students the same and heard the same stories of Japan fighting the Chinese. Why Japan? Why did you make so many enemies in the world?
I also have a very recent story of a client of my company who is working with another project manager. I had a phone call with this woman who had a very Japanese name. I mentioned I am Japanese and she felt an instant cultural bond. She had a hard time realizing that she could not work with me on her project because it fell under the scope of another on my team. She wanted to work with me because I was Japanese! I felt good to be Japanese.
I don't know where this story is going but it really has no end. This is just another observation that sends me to open a dozen different Google Tabs and stories to read, examine and learn from. i hope you learned something today too.
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