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stormsewerYesterday was the 60th anniversary of the dropping of the Bomb on Nagasaki. I was at the preschool yesterday. It was interesting to see how the teacher chose to try and explain that to a pack of four year olds. I think some of the kids didn't quite understand the concept of an "anniversary" and thought they were going to drop a bomb on Nagasaki that day. This thing is such a huge part of the soul of modern Japan, especially for those who actually live in Nagasaki or Hiroshima, so it was interesting to watch these little Japanese kids getting their first injection of it.
Most Japanese people, of course, tend to be of the opinion that it was wrong for us to nuke them. I tend to think that hindsight is 20/20; it's easy to say that now, maybe, but it wasn't so clear at the time. There was (and is) a lot of reason to believe that an actual invasion of Japan would have been worse all around. But, it's fallacious to say that B or C would or wouldn't have happened if A hadn't happened. All we can be sure of is what DID happen (and even that tends to get hazy).
Most Japanese people, of course, tend to be of the opinion that it was wrong for us to nuke them. I tend to think that hindsight is 20/20; it's easy to say that now, maybe, but it wasn't so clear at the time. There was (and is) a lot of reason to believe that an actual invasion of Japan would have been worse all around. But, it's fallacious to say that B or C would or wouldn't have happened if A hadn't happened. All we can be sure of is what DID happen (and even that tends to get hazy).
