Much More Than Ankle Deep

The BBC reports from China that “spontaneous” protests against Japanese textbooks have “spread.” Think carefully about how often protests in Chinese cities have lasted longer than 10 minutes without the government’s approval recently, and then read this:

On Saturday, Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador to demand a formal apology, after windows at its embassy in Beijing were broken during a demonstration, despite the presence of Chinese police. The ambassador, Wang Yi, said Beijing did not condone the protests.

I’ve already expressed my general agreement with the grievance that Japan is much too ambivalent about its World War II-era atrocities, but breaking windows in embassies is not a tactic calculated to inspire mature intellectual discussion in Japan–particularly given the timing of this violent spasm, right as Japan pushes to join the U.N. Security Council. Clearly, China views the latter move as a geopolitical threat. Anyone with a minimally functional sense of skepticism can see this for what it is–a cynical ploy by the Chinese regime to vent the anger of its people away from itself, in furtherance of its own expansionist ends.

Of course, I’m all for historical reexamination–whether it applies to Nanking, Dresden, the Katyn Massacre, Hiroshima, or this:

Yes–let’s speak honestly about history, shall we? Just exactly how does China describe this massacre? To what extent does China permit an honest examination of those events?

Ding Zilin, the 67-year-old founder of the Tienanmen Mothers Organization who lost her 17-year-old son in the crackdown, was released Friday evening in her hometown of Wuxi, where she had been arrested while visiting family graves, Ming Pao online reported. Ding now lives in Beijing.

Now look how the thugocrats who ordered that massacre describe events that occurred 70 years ago. This time, consider their comments in the context of events they ordered just 15 years ago:

Critics are angered that one of the books refers to the killing of more than 250,000 civilians by Japanese troops in the Chinese city of Nanjing in 1937 as an “incident”, rather than the “massacre” it is known as elsewhere. . . .

Many Chinese feel Japan has not yet addressed its wartime history, and as such is not fit to take up such a position of responsibility, says the BBC’s Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Beijing.

The last time someone attempted to have an honest discussion about Tienanmen Square, I believe it ended something like this:

Note how amusing it all seems to be to the fellows in the background. It’s amazing anyone can drive in Beijing with all that shit heaped up as high as the door handles. Nothing cheapens a legitimate grievance like having an illegitimate government exploit it.

UPDATE: This is simply revolting. It’s just about impossible for me to imagine what could possibly justify putting two teenage girls in front of a firing squad, but then again, having a monopoly on power means you don’t really to explain such things for the history textbooks. Take my advice and don’t look at those last two pictures. I have a strong stomach, but those are just too gut-wrenching, especially for you parents out there.

If anyone can find some reliable background information on these girls, I’d appreciate it.