Quote:blackaeronaut wrote:By our standards, yes, absolutely. I never meant to imply that we didn't.
I'm pretty sure that the US Government had clear-cut reasons for the fuel embargo other than a warm and fuzzy sort of 'Stop being mean to China!' sentiment. I'm honestly not sure, but the outcome of the Boxer Rebellion might have had something to do with it.
By their perspective, however, we were interfering in their colonial empire-building, after bitchslapping several countries into staying out of what they saw as our colonial empire-building.
I am in no way saying they were correct.
But that is the view that has colored their historical perspective on the war from 1941 to the present.
Everyone wants to think of themselves as the good guys. Look at the way American history glosses over our treatment of the Native American tribes, for instance. It's been 200 years and we're only starting to accept that things weren't all pilgrim-thanksgivings.
Take Ancient Rome and Greece. Everyone talks about Athens as inventing Democracy. *snort* Adult. Male. Citizens. Only. That's about 10% of the population. Democracy my foot! Athens was a plutocracy that endorsed slavery and had about as much social mobility as a lead banana, and the less said about women's rights the better. The only thing 'democratic' about it was that the plutocrats cut deals among themselves on what to do instead of picking one to be King.
Rome? Sure, they civilized most of southwestern Europe. By murdering, enslaving, and generally brutalizing anyone who wouldn't get with the program. Sure, they were the greatest civilization of their era... a lot of people still admire them today. I for one wouldn't want to live there. Or 1930's Japan. Or 1930's America, for that matter, although I'd be more comfortable there than either of the others.
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.