Japan Bombings
Matt Moore
Hiroshima A bomb attack animated
Who, What, When, Where, Why
During World War 2 bomber of the United States dropped an 2 atomic bombs that wiped out the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima, and the next bomb was dropped on August 9 of the same year. The reason they bombed them was because they weren't surrendering, and government officials believed at anytime they could attack the U.S and kill millions of people (History.com Staff, Page 1, 2009)
Perspective #1
The perspective that many people go with is that these bombs were justified. These people believe this to be true, because they attacked Pearl Harbor. Many newspapers at the time stated that we had got "revenge". Newspapers also released titles such as "Victory" and "Peace at Last". Of course, if you were reading this it will all but make sense that it was the right decision to bomb these guys. The media shaped an unjust nightmare into a day of parades for Americans.
Perspective #2
In recent years there has been another perspective that has been brought to notice. This view is that the bombs were not just. These people believe that war against Japan is a must, however using atomic bombs was not right. One news paper states that the bombs were "equal to 20,000 tons of TNT (News East West, Page 1, 2015).
Media Bias Explained
After dissecting information I completely think that some form of attack/war was justified; however, using an atomic bomb was not. We had the military necessary to wipe out Japan. Instead we decided to use a bomb that hasn't been used since. To this day we are telling people to not even use them. Does that make us credible if we are the only country to use it, but then the first country to tell you not to use it? Either way, the bombings were not right. Future generations have to face the aftermath of this devastation as well. The media made it sound like it was such a great thing, because it basically ended the war in just a week. If you actually look at the information though, then you may even be shocked of how bad these bombings were. At the time, 85% of Americans believed that these bombs were just. As of 2005, only 56% of people believe this (Stokes Page 1, 2015). This is because how media had depicted the actions of war back then versus now.
Criticism #1 (Cultural)
One could argue the fact that the Japan army was not going to give up if you looked at them under a cultural criticism lens. It is in their culture to never give up. They are known for this quality. No matter how good our military, it may have taken years to finally get them to surrender. The culture plays a major role in these events.
Criticism #2 (Marxist)
Another lens that you could identify this story with is the Marxist Criticism. The Japanese government does not want to be the small dog in the fight. They want to prove that they have more power in all aspects. These is probably a reason that they weren't going to give up after the first bomb. Greediness and pride are major aspects when fighting for your country.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwdmgOfnQ9s
Video Link