George Takei on the Japanese internment camps during WWII - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG

[@MonumentToSin]

The American public school system needs to take this part of our history more seriously and teach our students the extent of how wrong our government was. If we do not learn from our past, we are doomed to repeat it.

[@atsilakamama4940]

Exactly. We were NEVER taught about this in school.

[@aisinbiya]

As classmate of mine at the University of Nebraska wrote his senior thesis (30 pages) for our historian's craft class in 1995 on Mr. Takei's experiences. He and I were the only Asian, Asian-American historians graduating from the department of history that year. So I heard much of what Mr. Takei presented. Both Asian and Asian-American history is BARELY acknowledged in US history studies; it took until college before I even heard of Temujin Chinghis Khan and the 13th century Mongol conquests, despite most of the medieval world's population coming under Mongol rule!

[@thegreatbungholio21]

Also, after the end of WW2 when the Japanese were released from the internment camps they were on their own. No help in getting reestablished, the property seized was never returned to them. It was decades before any kind of reparations and acknowledgement of this travesty was even brought up. The same treatment was given to Italian Americans as well. One of our countries saddest hours next to the slavery of blacks brought over from Africa hundreds of years ago.

[@The64tonic]

hopefully, anyone old enough to remember this is preaching tolerance and understanding for our fellow Americans who also happen to be Muslim

[@ATChampagne]

George Takei is amazing and I have so much respect for him.

[@maryb9741]

So, my question is :what happened AFTER the war. Did these people get their businesses and homes back? Did they have to start completely over again? If that is the case, imagine yourself in the same situation....

[@thatrkid15]

I remember learning about it...

[@metzger90]

I had no idea that the Del Mar Racetrack was a holding center for the Japanese-Americans on their way to the internment camps. I lived a mile away for 21 years, never once heard that.

[@DigitalLazarus]

I want to publicly apologize to our beloved George Takei. Especially to the four year old boy who witnessed first hand the tyranny.This horrifying era was the darkest choice of FDR. It was also kept MUM in Chicago Public School History Books on WWII. I learned about this time of history in the UK. So shameful. Disgusting. So glad you are here to tell your story and remain the grooviest Social Media GOD in the Universe. Live Long and Prosper #LLAP

[@digdigdigidy]

that actually came a little later. Japanese were not initially allowed to enlist, but eventually the government allowed them to. And consequently they became the most decorated division in US military history.

[@EphemeralProductions]

He is such an interesting, well-spoken gentleman! He seems really intelligent and really cool! :)

[@MrAmon127]

Too think that FDR let this happened breaks my heart and we think he`s such an "inspiration" today unbeleivable

[@ex1lepr0]

For all our talk of freedom and individuality, we are still vulnerable to bigotry and hatred. =(

[@paramount8000]

I was born in Australia, but my parents were born in Vietnam. Should I be held accountable for what Vietnamese soldiers did before I was born? Why should Takei be held accountable for what Japanese soldiers did when he was four? Your tone suggests Takei should answer for Japanese war crimes despite him being an American.

[@btomimatsucunard]

What this is about is Americans of Japanese descent who were wrongfully imprisoned during the second world war, many of whom had no connection to japan at the time other than cultural ties. To me this really just shows a continuation of the racism of the time.

[@georgefoss1824]

Half of the people interned were US citizens, some had fought in WW 1. Those who were sick for lack of Medicine who lived in buildings so cheaply constructed that the government worried wouldn't last the duration of the war in boiling temperatures in Summer and freezing cold would gladly changed places with you. Ironically, a Japanese of the 552nd liberated some of the Dachua sub-camps. The US Army disputes this.

[@Sara3346]

Just see how we treat Hispanic and Arabian citizens.....I don't think we really stand behind the all persons created equal thing do we?

[@craig79792000]

Why did the interviewer avoid the question about Japanese Americans who enlisted and served? He said they were told they could not enlist....this simply is not true. Many fought and died for their country (USA).

[@Gamersnewscom]

I would have refused to answer any questions.

[@gaae2000]

OMG, so we had concentration camps here in the USA?.

[@twilightzoneseinfeld]

I do.

[@ryoko65]

@GusF I completely agree with you....I will add this... if you look at American history.... there is a history of discriminating and controlling and/or oppressing non white people... with the exception that there was prejudice against Irish immigrants and people of Irish decent as well.... makes you wonder who "We The People" really are. greives my soul the injustices done to people in the US. I could go on and on... but I think we get the point.

[@Phascolarctosful]

I know I had a worksheet for one class but that is it! Luckily, in elementary school I read a book about the internment camps so it's not like I learned about it in 8th grade which possibly is how my classmates learned about it.

[@Apropoetic]

Agreed

[@your0a0asshole]

PAT MORITA WAS THERE TOO, BUT GEORGE IS TELLING IT ALL, THOSE QUESTIONS SOUND JUST LIKE THE ONES, THE CENSUS BUREAU IS CURRENTLY ASKING, 3 YEARS AFTER THE CENSUS?

[@stell4you]

Mr. Takei had nothing to to with that. You can ask every nation, especially the us the same thing. But most important you should ask yourself why you want to ask him such a question.

[@UrbanTiger74]

Pre Patriot Act.

[@SarahB1863]

I'll bet it's not something they really want to advertise...

[@CorporateG0th]

(Continued) Don't condemn the people over it, but consider it an example of what happens when good men say nothing, and always stand vigilant and defend these rights regardless of who the victim or the perpetrator is.

[@yaridanjo1]

Causing the property of the Japanese to be put in a position so that it could be seized by American citizens not so constrained is absolutely outrageous. As a white American citizen, this damaged MY integrity, even though I was 1 year younger than Takei. I found out about this outrage from a Japanese girl who sat near me in English class in highschool. I could not believe that my America could do this. In my eyes, it was worse than what Hitler did. They gave the Japanese so interred 20k$ for this outrage. But it was my face as a white that was lost as well. I still have not forgiven the US government for this.

[@SatchmoSings]

The sound should be redone; it's too bass heavy.

[@jessemiller7946]

A horrible story told very well.

[@Exarian]

The NDAA actually does nothing of the sort. None of the provisions authorizes any new powers, and the powers you claim was there have been there for over a decade already. If anything, the NDAA actually weakened the powers already at place.

[@nederlands2]

kinda heartless thing to say dont you think ?

[@Wolfstanus]

Then why did government leaders say " maybe" "probably not" "I don't know" etc when asked if it did? Fiensteins revision of ndaa would have allowed such by interpretation.

[@samposyreeni]

Two words: plurium interrogationum.

[@dirtyarrie]

I only knew a small bit of this, I am glad he told the rest. Amerikkka was supposed to be the 'good guys' in WW2! Ha! pathetic

[@larryfine843]

pearl harbor was like the socal asian version of 911.

[@MontajBlaze]

There is no excuse for that. There is never an excuse for that. That's the point...under the guise of 'fear and necessity' the most horrific things have been committed upon mankind. Is it any surprise the saying 'Those who would give up freedom for a little bit of security deserve neither' is so important now, of all times?

[@goji2099]

@kevinz1985 FDR is remembered for the good. Of which he did a lot. This, however, makes everything else he did moot.

[@skipplet]

Sorry my viewpoint disagreed. Heaven forbid you post two sides of the same argument.

[@javakogan]

This is simply horrible, and I am ashamed as an American that we did such things.

[@AidanMclaren]

If you compare him to the other American presidents, he's nowhere near the worst.

[@mrearlygold]

Ron Paul is the only candidate that has an unwavering record of defending our Constitution and addressing the problems that our country is facing. He had the foresight to predict and warn about the consequences throughout the years and the knowledge to put us back on the right track to restore our Constitutional Republic to be yet again a great nation.The rest do not have a record to stand that mirrors what they now say - Ron Paul does.

[@mantonio121773]

Makes you wonder if the Axis had Air Superiority over the united states for a year and half (like we did on Germans) and bombed the infrastructure so bad the average citizens couldn't get food or medical supplies for moths and months (like we did to Germans) . Please tell me, what would have happened to all of our Japanese prisoners. Would we have made sure we fed them while our children starved? You sit and think about that. Now think about WW2 and the story you were told. Think about and ask yourself the tough questions and find the answers.

[@bobbofly]

Damn well said.

[@DigitalLazarus]

Dude was AMERICAN and only 4 years old! Eyes roll to ceiling. #LLAP

[@smiley4995]

alright we know

[@Xpico12boX]

"just making us look even worse"... america DID look about worst as the nazis.

[@hurbaga]

and dropping 2 bombs in heavily populated cities is completely ok.

[@Viatriste]

That was a tragic time. Consider too, that one third of American prisoners of war in Japanese prison camps died in the care of Japanese, either by starvation, exposure to the elements, disease, or outright murder. I think I'd rather have been a Japanese civilian or POW interned by America, than an American civilian or POW interned by the Japanese during WW2.

[@banana27ify]

im just curious. if there were any Americans in japan at the time of the war, what would have happened to them? im guessing extreme torture and death? My point here is that i know what we did was wrong but at the time what else could you do when your at a major war with a country where many of them live in ours. shit compared to the jews they were lucky. just making us look even worse