Japanese internment camps
Propaganda vs reality. By: mata stilp
Propaganda throughout America
Contrasting the truth and the lies
The average American would have seen propaganda throughout their lifetime to lead them to believe that the japs were being handled with love and care. As shown in the photograph where there are many quaint clusters of buildings, which housed the Japanese-Americans, and bright bold letters saying "internment paradise". When the poster is broken down, those two words completely contradict each other when paradise is something amazing where one would want to be, and internment is when someone is kept there for a period of time against their will. In addition, the photograph where the children are grinning from ear to ear is extremely misleading. The children are obviously not smiling because of the conditions they are living in, clearly they are grinning at anything but the reality of their lives. However, the American government has brainwashed its citizens to believe that the Japanese-Americans were so well off where they were living that they were smiling and laughing. This image connotes a strong mood of joy and happiness towards the viewer.
On the other hand, when the truth is exposed the viewer is more able to clearly see the reality of the situation. For example, one can see how unwelcomed the japs were throughout many towns. If they were not accepted into communities, what makes someone believe that they would be treated with dignity and respect in internment camps? In addition to not being treated with respect throughout all aspects of life, the photo located on the bottom right exemplifies the desire the Japanese-Americans had to escape from the living hell of daily life in internment camps. The boys are caged in a barbed wired fence, clearly keeping them in their place because if they attempted to leave they would be hurt by the wire. In addition, it is as if they are livestock, rather than humans. Barbed wire is used to keep animals in their place, not humans trying to escape their awful lives.
Overall, propaganda was used to hide the reality of how awful Japanese-Americans were treated while they were with held in internment camps. They were shown images that have positive emotions in them, when in reality that is the opposite of what was going on beyond the barbed wire fence. The truthful pictures exemplify how the Japanese were treated like animals,with great disrespect, and many unwelcoming attitudes.