George Takei: “We Were Terrorized. That’s the History of America As I Know It” |Amanpour and Company

Actor George Takei became a sci-fi legend when he starred as Mr. Sulu in "Star Trek." But his road to success was not a sure thing in the America he grew up in. As a young Japanese-American boy during World War II, he was imprisoned with his family in the now infamous U.S. internment camps. He tells our Hari Sreenivasan about the history behind today's anti-Asian attacks as part of "Exploring Hate," our ongoing series of reports on antisemitism, racism, and extremism.
Originally aired on March 22, 2021.
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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.
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[@kwokfanfan3606]

That memory of being hauled off to internment camp is seared into his memory from 75 years ago. Imagine how he feels watching the Atlanta story unfold.

[@elaineburnett5230]

Imagine how we should feel knowing how Asians have been treated.

[@kwokfanfan3606]

@@elaineburnett5230 that racial bias always existed, even in liberal San Francisco. Orange Mussolini fanned the hatred with Covid and opened the gates of hell for Asians.

[@gpk1982]

Orange Mussolini?! 🤣🤣🤣

[@Dotthel]

Let them know!!! I like that he corrected the journalist. Language IS IMPORTANT!

[@kezkezooie8595]

Yes, it certainly is and I was very disappointed in the interviewer when he then went on to describe 1st, 2nd etc generation Asian Americans, implying that Mr Takai was not a multi generational American, to which George tried to say that he is a 2nd generation American but was ignored and the interviewer just kept on with his narrative over the top of him. Both George and his mother were born in the US, which makes him 2nd generation.

[@aflowers1039]

I like that correction, because he corrected me in the process. I like he apologized and Mr. Takei was grateful while teaching us to be better.

[@KASalaam2U]

I did not realize innocent Asians had been lynched in the United States, as well.

[@debbysmith5346]

My mother her parents, sister and brother in law were interned, my dad was in the Army. Their misery and despair of being abandoned they never really went away. Thank you George, we are resilient and strong thanks to people like you speaking up for ordinary people like me.

[@dougn2350]

The government also seized their property.

[@801GMC]

didn't know that. did the gov give back their properties?

[@WendyCH23]

@V N way to slip in some racism...?!

[@quististrent]

@V N Many of them lost their property and businesses because they were in the internment camps for so long. And not just to black families. Many neighbors tried to help, but it was such a long time. Shikata ga nai.

[@georgedunn320]

@@quististrent While not wishing to downplay the racism component, this also illustrates how government officials try to deny their crimes. Thanks to the Innocence Project, we see numerous examples of intransigence from judges and prosecutors who continue to insist that those proven innocent are still guilty. Of course, there's a practical aspect to denying evidence: it avoids having to pay compensation or to admit police misconduct.

[@parentingplus5125]

No, unless neighbors were able to, some how, “buy” their property and belongings and keep it until the families/individuals returned, they were not given their property. Even if the property remained in their names, the mortgage and tax build up and lack of incoming revenue, from their time imprisoned, lead to repossession. Also, and this is really important, it is not the fault of Black Americans or any other minority groups who moved in. Many many California cities passed resolutions the FORBADE the wrongly incarcerated from returning to their cities. Even if no law was officially drafted, many families and individuals were threatened and attacked upon their return and warned others about the hate crimes and danger. We cannot keep blaming another minority group for the maltreatment of the discussed. It is the fault of the white supremacy rooted in our history, our nation, our government, and the shitty laws and atrocities that are allowed to take place (and are never rectified or discussed). It is heavily rooted in the white American narrative and is often justified by this idea of American Individualism and success that causes the loss of means and property to be seen as something that only happens to those who deserve to loose it. This narrative is proposed to keep an “us” and “them.” We need to re-educate ourselves and work to dismantle this mindset that has kept our neighbors susceptible to hate crimes and death. Admittedly, I have not looked heavily into what happened to their property after it was taken, but, as is oft the case in history, the government and banks would want to sell/lease those houses quickly. It is likely that their neighborhoods were already considered “poor” or “undesirable” and moving in other minority groups was the quickest way to make money and keep Japanese Americans from moving back. Please do not take that as fact, it is an educated assumption that needs verification. Thank you and have a beautiful day! www.capradio.org/articles/2019/06/04/what-happened-to-the-property-of-sacramentos-japanese-american-community-interned-during-world-war-ii/ www.npr.org/2020/02/20/807428171/california-lawmakers-expected-to-apologize-for-u-s-internment-of-japanese-americ

[@WendyCH23]

I honestly think a lot of Americans aren't aware of our own dark history of internment camps.

[@kma33]

A lot of Americans are not aware of or chose to ignore the the grotesque history of our country. I speak as a person who is Native American.

[@ms.carolanderson3092]

THANK YOU! I AM SOME OF MY RELATIVES WERE BRUTALIZED IN THE FENCES IN SAN FRANSISCO AFTER PEARL HARBOR!!! My DNA hasn't forgotten. 😥😥😥😥😥

[@Me-lb8nd]

I remember hearing about it in grade school in the 1950s. But it was just a topic that came and went in American history. This was in Catholic nun-taught grade school. Mentions of the incarcerations were occasionally in the newspapers. But basically, it was not anything that your average white American would get upset about. It was too unique and foreign to us. It wasn't until many years later, learning about it via other means, that I realized how fucking wrong it was. Even Canada, my home now, had taken property from Japanese people and put them in "camps". One lady living near us back in the 1970s told us about that experience. She had been a child then so it was just part of her personal history. But it sure as hell pissed me off. I will forever speak out against any racism in my country, be it Asians, the native peoples, blacks, or whoever. I will never accept that any white person is inherently better than any non-white person. We are all just humans, stuck on this planet, trying to get from birth to death with as little agony as possible. Racism is the stupidest thing humans have ever come up with.

[@emaw3420]

I remember learning about slavery in high school in the 80’ in CA, same, it was like subject come and be gone. And as teenager, don’t remember learning anything horrific about it. I hope the kids nowadays are smarter and know better and make this world a better place. I am with you, we are only here for a while between birth and death, so be kind to each other. I love to watch abandoned cemeteries on YT, really eye opening. We all will die. My goodness, these people were alive and died 200yrs ago. Check it out if you want to watch something different from politics. I watch Sidestep Adventures, he’s in Georgia. I bet you some people were slave owners back then, now dead and forgotten.

[@schoolingdiana9086]

My mom told me. I graduated high school in the 80s and our history classes stopped at Pearl Harbor.

[@suburbanhousewife40]

Thank you George. Imagine if the same thing happened to German-Americans because they “looked like Hitler”. Your family survived a terrible injustice. I am so grateful for your creativity, intelligence and empathy.

[@larrydirtybird]

I called it “Japanese internment” when I was teaching it last year to one of my high school students. I’ve always called it that because it’s always been said that way all my life. I’m glad I watched this video. From now on, I’m going call it American internment of Japanese Americans, and call them American internment camps. It takes many more syllables to say it that way, but words matter.

[@HomeAtLast501]

Thanks for explaining.

[@HomeAtLast501]

@Francine Koski Right. And the government has acknowledged this was wrong and formally apologized. And then George went on to become a famous and wealthy actor working on one of the most successful and renowned TV show in American history. It's over my friend. If you want to learn about racism study the Japanese treatment of POWs and especially of the Chinese. They did biological and chemical experiments on them and then cut them open alive and awake, without anasthetic, to study the effects, pulling their organs out while they watched. They experimented on babies and children. They were sick. Oh yeah, and the US had 400K young men DIE defending the world from Japan and Germany. And we were so sexist that we only send males to die. We had another 170K who were SERIOUSLY wounded.

[@lepq30]

@@HomeAtLast501 You are able to proclaim it's over because it did not and does not affect you directly or personally. The government may have apologized, which was pretty pathetic when it came, but countless other Americans still hold Japanese people in contempt for something that happened 80 years ago. My wife and I feel this often, throughout the US and even in Canada. But I'm glad you are able to put it all behind you and sleep well at night now that it's all over.

[@HomeAtLast501]

@@lepq30 Countless other Americans still hold Japanese people in contempt for something that happened 80 years ago. What, you mean murdering 2,300 Americans at Pearl Harbor, and drawing us into a stupid and brutal war of their making? You seem to lack a sense of proportion. The American government did not murder the Japanese in these camps. We didn't do what the Japanese did to the Chinese --- you know, the chemical and biological weapons experiments, cutting them open while alive to see the impact on organs. Giving little children the Plague to watch how it progresses. And babies. George is BELOVED by the US public. He is a famous cultural icon. He isn't despised because he's of Japanese descent. I'm partly of Irish descent, and we were treated HORRIBLY when we came over. What, should we infinitely complain about what happened to us? I've seen video of the Japanese internment camps. It makes me cringe. It was obviously wrong what our government did. They had to endure an indignity that they shouldn't have. They lost property, and had businesses destroyed. That clearly should not have happened and it was wrong. But it doesn't mean the US population is a generally racist nation. You're deluded if you think that. Japan itself was EXTREMELY racist back then. China was too, and still is. The Germans were. By contrast, we elected a black man president --- TWICE. And George is beloved and makes much cash off of his fame. It's time to let it die. Remember it? Of course. Let it serve as a reminder? Of course. Learn from it? Yes. But don't demonize the most non-racist nation probably in the world for something its government did almost a century ago.

[@January.]

*I'm going to call it....

[@Aba_Ifeoma]

Love and respect to George Takei. Thank you for sharing your story and shining a light on what was always right in front of us and what was omitted from the history books. The story of my ancestors is not immigration, it is kidnapping, rape and torture and enslavement. Our culture and language torn apart and made illegal. We will never stop speaking out.

[@HomeAtLast501]

And look how far we've come. A majority white nation elected a black man president twice. Thank God we've transcended that to become one of the least racist nations in the world.

[@advocacynaccountablity]

Thank you Hari Sreenivasan for letting Mr. Takei speak fully to the American Concentration Camps that imprisoned Japanese American families. This IS our history and we must acknowledge it in order to avid repeating it. Thank you Mr. Takei for being a consistent, compassionate advocate of true freedom and community (= anti-racism and pro-truth).

[@smallfootprint2961]

I was a child during the 2nd WW, but even then, wondered how it was ok to take certain people out of their homes and put them in a consentration camp. We knew from news reels, what a consentration camp was in Europe, but couldn't imagine it happening here, but it was. I was shocked that people around me weren't stopping it. No matter what you may think about protesting, it wouldn't happen today... There would be people of all stripes in the street protesting. Thankfully people aren't as afraid to help our fellow citizens across color/racial lines. George Takei is a national treasure.

[@eleanorbarsic8065]

Thank you for pointing out that these were American prison encampments. You have helped me chg MY thinking about this w one simple truthful word! It is a telling shame for our country. I am glad we are finally talking about it. I too am frightened for aisoan-americans and their safety. So, my eyes are open to help protect those in my community. Also, I am adding your book to my reading list!

[@ermagiron8936]

I read George Takei's autobiography "They Call Us the Enemy". I have so much respect for him and his activism.

[@Lesterluwu]

Thank you for the education, Mr. Takei. Once again history has been glossed over, buried and dismissed. We must begin the education in schools of America's sordid past. Books must enlighten us that Native American's had their land stolen and they were forced onto reservations; Japanese American's were imprisoned on US soil; the treatment of Jews after they were liberated and put in US refugee camps; Thomas Jefferson who signed the Declaration of Independence but didn't mean independence for blacks and kept 300 slaves on his property who were then sold when he died. These are truths we must face and somehow repair. We have to do better and education is the path to peace and justice.

[@os2958]

Thank you

[@aflowers1039]

Thank you , thank you for bringing up Mr. Vincent Chin's story. I learned about it years back and try to explain to the young people in my life about not being responsible for your actions. I'm a Detroit auto worker. I know the truth why out sale fell off, we were making inferior vehicles. We did it to ourselves. But in typical American fashion, we blamed "OTHER" for our situation. I think about his family from time to time. I know this is a stain the big3, the union and America will never be clean of. I'm so sorry.

[@gpk1982]

I only heard about Vincent Chin last year but I was born in 1982 so it makes sense that had story was new to me. What was not new is the deep feeling of disgust I feel at the blatant injustice he & his family have suffered. Something in my brain is still trying to understand how that verdict was allowed to happen & why the Asian community was alone in their protests. Unbelievable...

[@fabulousmsthang]

We all could stand to be educated on the history of Asian discrimination. Thanks very much to Amanpour & Company for bringing Mr. Takei on the show!

[@StephiSensei26]

Fine reporting and discourse. Thank you all.

[@NellieKAdaba]

Yes

[@elaineburnett5230]

We Americans have been fed a steady diet of misinformation and distorted narratives as American History. Essentially, we Americans don't know who we are....worst yet, we cannot be proud of how we all depended on each other to create whatever good we have. We can't do that anymore. We must get to the point where we are glad to have each other, such a rich diverse collection of cultures and ideas.....we are so lucky❤️🇺🇸🥰

[@JJ-fq4nl]

It was ethnic Europeans who decided to work together, with the exclusion of non-Europeans, has been the entire history all the way to present day. We’re living with the legacy of European colonization & Jim Crow that’s still reverberating consequences of the inhumane treatment of non-Europeans (Jim Crow wasn’t all about segregating & oppression of blacks, everyone that didn’t appear white European was included). I don’t want to hear about the discrimination of ethnic European immigrants since they collectively as a group decided to keep & assimilate the Anglo-Saxon , English founders rules of racial segregation & oppression. White Americans can no longer stick their heads in sand, can’t keep denying their children the truth in history. Minorities with a long history in America know how our parents, grandparents & ancestors were really treated. White Americans are purposefully not taught that history, in order to maintain white supremacy ideology. Excluding minority, non-European contributions to American society & culture. Only European Americans have worked together, excluding everyone else who isn’t Caucasian. That’s been the history, all the way into the present.

[@katherinejones850]

Great points!! Thank you! I am glad for all of it! Just think how tedious and boring one plane menu based only on the food of one culture! One music,’one dance!

[@v.l7479]

George Takei is brilliant, knowledgeable, and articulated in this interview. Right on target Mr. Takei concerning Asian traits and characteristics; thank you also for sharing your experiences with the world.

[@mobilityendurancestrength6210]

To all of my Asian brothers and sisters I am a Black woman in America and my ancestors and I have always been victims of racism and sexual violence so we the Black community understand what you are experiencing first hand. Please don’t just say no Asian hate, stand up against all hate racism and discrimination. We are stronger together bc we are fighting against the same enemy, white supremacy.

[@moniqueloomis9772]

👏👏👏👏

[@AuntJoanieBaloney]

As a White, I cannot begin to fully understand, but I am w/ you also.

[@os2958]

That is it! If Asians spoke up against all hate, their fight would gain a lot more steam. Certainly African Americans have led the fight for civil rights for all in the US. African Americans were key in ending discrimination against Asian immigration. African Americans fought when Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit. I was there. The "Model Minority" myth is part of the problem because it claims that Asians are above other minority in the American caste system. Asians did well because educated middle class/higher class Asians were the ones allowed to immigrate to the US. Compare that to poor Mexicans or enslaved Africans. Saying you are above others will not inspire others to help. Saying we are all in this together is what will work.

[@joanjavellana9393]

I be in Hawai’i and our Asian community is enormous. We just don’t have the hate crimes here. People here do not appreciate this problem nearly enough. It saddens me as if they go to the mainland they are ill prepared for the animosity that may await them

[@gpk1982]

Oh wow...

[@nestorar]

Mr. Takei needs to deliver his message ALL OVER this country.

[@nkululekondhlovu4020]

he wrote a book

[@NellieKAdaba]

@@nkululekondhlovu4020 Nice

[@widowkeeper4739]

I'm a blonde, blue-eyed, Danish American woman. My mom was American, my dad was Danish. I was born in Hong Kong. We moved to this country when I was 5 years old. Growing up I was constantly teased about it. I was called "Hong Kong Phooey" and "Chinky." Other kids would pull their eyes to make them look like monolids and hook their top teeth down over their bottom lips to imitate buck teeth at me. They did this to my brother too, and he was born in Tokyo. I've also had to deal with people not believing me about my birth country when I need to fill out forms because "But ya don't look Chinese!" 🙄 It's been a very sobering and galling look at my own privledge and position in life due to skin tone and a stark reminder that there is no loyalty in white supremacy, capitalism, or fascism. We The People can never expect to be safe if we do not defend ALL of our people.

[@mobilityendurancestrength6210]

Say that sis 🙋🏽‍♀️

[@lazarocedeno5270]

Mr Takei. Thanks for sharing your American experience with us.

[@libbyholt3863]

Mr. Takei, you are a national treasure. I'm so sorry that happened to you and to any of our fellow Americans.

[@KatySueWho]

As the days have passed since the Atlanta murders, I’ve been more & more disturbed that *police chief’s calling all the spa employees sex workers, has been ignored & accepted!* I’m so glad I’ve started to hear this racist, sexist stereotype the cop alluded to, begin to be called out today (3/22), at least! Also, I’m very grateful to have been able to listen to this interview so I could have the opportunity to be corrected on a term that I’d been using my whole life. I had never really thought about the implications of calling them “Japanese Internment Camps” before this, but Mr. Takei is absolutely right. They were “American Internment Camps” that were holding Japanese-Americans. Calling them “Japanese Internment Camps” subtly & subconsciously sweeps the name “America” out of the picture. *WORDS REALLY MATTER.* So I’m glad that now, I know better.

[@dougn2350]

I'm so glad George corrected Hari... Japanese Americans.

[@paulfranco3239]

MR. TAKEI IS A A CHAMPION 💛💛💛

[@lindadewitt9239]

I have been so angry with my sister who spread "China virus" rants on her Facebook page, especially since her daughter is Vietnamese/French American.

[@michellem4287]

That's child abuse!

[@HomeAtLast501]

And now we're hearing people talk about a "Brazil strain". Who knows what's going to happen to Brazilian-Americans.

[@schoolingdiana9086]

@@HomeAtLast501 There’s a Los Angeles variant, too, as well as the UK one.

[@HomeAtLast501]

@@schoolingdiana9086 Hater. You hate the Los Angeles race and the UK race.

[@AuntJoanieBaloney]

Wow, that is shocking she would do that, especially w/ a child of Asian descent. Imagine how her daughter must have taken such behavior. Disgusting.

[@sallycasas4170]

Mr. Takai, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your dedication as a culturally competent educated survivor, educator, author, artist, actor, speaker and participating activist. Compassion, transparency, integrity and accountability for all!

[@kaypea00]

We must learn so we don't repeat.

[@neilsarath9812]

Unlikely.

[@bradley8867]

Great interview,Mr.Takei is very intelligent

[@nickthepeasant]

20+ people clearly hate hearing the truth..or they don't care / see a problem. God I love George, just a f***ing legend.

[@jaicap5202]

great interview! thank you George still remember u from StartTrek

[@gradualuprisintheory]

Excellent interview. Thank you George.

[@edjones8815]

So well said. Thank you sharing the unvarnished reality, rather than the aspirational, retouched and glossed over fiction that America calls history.

[@emaw3420]

The history of Asian Racism is really never talk about, very sad. I am glad that we are shining a light on it at this moment. Each one of us has a story to tell, I hope we will have an understanding and compassion for one another and be better. I don’t want a hateful world for my children and grandchildren. I am very positive that it will happen, I believe most human are good.

[@aemlife7516]

Lin your inner value was shared clearly not one Christian could of said it any purer from their heart. It is true if we didn’t fear one another’s cultural differences what a blessed heaven this would be!

[@sharonrioux4017]

Thank you for sharing Mr. Takei. This story is astounding and everyone should be made aware of the ongoing hippocracy throughout history. We must all improve and create a better world for survival of our future generations. It is courageous people such as yourself sharing personal stories that will help set the record straight. No one should have to endure such horrific treatment.

[@michellem4287]

It's not looks, but actions that people should be judged by. (GOP:/) Words matter! The American Japanese fought for US because they are US! We CAN'T LET THIS CONTINUE OR HAPPEN AGAIN! THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE. LOVE TO OUR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF ALL RACES/GENDER/ IN AMERICA! COME TOGETHER IN PEACE!

[@magsbayou]

I just watched an episode of Warriors and I have not yet compared it to real history but it was alarming and was unaware that Asian Americans also endured a similar level of hate from citizens and the police. Worse, no one is ever held accountable. For centuries, those with a platform have used the rhetoric to incite white people to believe the root cause of their problems was anyone that didn't look like them. The actual problem was that those with a platform or have power created policies, laws and situations that was the root cause of their problem. The question is when will white people stop falling for this rhetoric and start joining those fighting for a better society for all?

[@moniqueloomis9772]

There was a time when that was possible (whites uniting with other ethnic groups) but the powers that be destabilize that unity. (Fred Hampton Rainbow Coalition). Racism is one hell of a drug that most white people don't want to let go of and the powers that be keep selling it.

[@darondatoole7439]

Trauma

[@barbarawarren9443]

My mother told me stories of this terror in vivid detail.

[@steinzolo4114]

Intelligent, educated and eloquent man. Inspirational person.

[@mattkemerait]

George is an absolute legend.

[@jb5880]

Thank you, Mr. Takei, for educating us and sharing your personal story with us. My heart breaks for your story. Thank you for your bravery, buckets of talent and wisdom.

[@gunny1391]

It is an honor to hear the story of Mr. Takeis journey, in a country that was founded upon white supremacy. At the same time, I am extremely disappointed with the interview. As a minority myself, everyone who is not white in the United States has a history of inhumane treatment. We've had our land stolen from us, we've been enslaved, we've been hung, we've been denied the simplest of liberties, our wealth has been stolen, and yet we lack the intelligence on how to proceed forward. My point is, America's history is not some mystery we are unable to decipher. The solution is elementary at this point. All races without hate in their hearts need to join forces for the greater cause, regardless of our differences. Excuse me for this, but when a white officer takes a black life, we march and protest. When Asian, Muslims, Jewish, Latino, gay, and indigenous people are taken from us, that's their individual issue. If BLM is going to march for fair and equal treatment, it's needs to be for all people who are/have been marginalized in this country. Frederick Douglass in his time was fully aware that being an abolitionist meant fighting for everyone to be treated equal. He was one of a few men that joined the women's right movement, he fought for the Chinese who were brought to the US on slaveships in 1848, and he fought along side of white abolitionist. This is simple, however, we've been conditioned to only focus on our tribalistic heritage. The only way to eradicate hate in this country is for love and good character to join forces, as such a force would be too formidable to fail!

[@roots4140]

Being terrorized and imprisoned because you "look like" an enemy. It's the American way.

[@susanbengston3496]

A Horrifying and Unacceptable “Way”, practiced by FAR TOO MANY but NOT OUR MAJORITY!!!! We WILL ALL CORRECT THE WRONGS!!

[@jamescc2010]

Thank you George we all regardless of races have to fix this country and get rid of racism In all forms.

[@tinacusimano6784]

Thank you.

[@NoraGermain]

courageous reporting

[@jasminaalm]

Love to you, Uncle George, from the proud mom of a gay transgendered man.

[@danielwargo7150]

George, From a longstanding fan of your work....Let me tell you that my father served in the Pacific during WWII, and he told me the story of how Japanese Americans worked as translators to help Japanese soldiers and sailors surrender....to prevent loss of life to our people...on our side...His younger brother served in Europe, and told me several times of what Japanese Americans did in Italy to beat Germany...taking enormous casualties in the process of saving US forces from annihilation....I was told that they earned the respect and admiration of everyone from President Roosevelt to my Dad and Uncle. Both of them were changed, and were proud to admit how mistaken they were at first...We need to keep telling our own people just how much Japanese Americans gave in service to our Nation. Perhaps in this way, we can appreciate how even when wronged, they came forth to sacrifice for our collective success in winning a war many thought we might not win. Thank you...

[@anchored555]

The 442nd Infantry Regiment during WW2 is the most highly decorated combat unit in US military history. It was made up almost entirely of second -generation Japanese Americans, many of whom had families in internment camps in America while they fought abroad.

[@karennicholls8618]

This needs to be taught in US schools thanks for sharing. Must have been so horrific and frightening for George his family and other American Japanese citizens.

[@user-ok6tf4tl5k]

Very well said Mr. Take!

[@jamescampbell5755]

We're the muckrakers George l am,you are,we are....❤️

[@bonehead3545]

Thank you, Mr. Takie.

[@georgedunn320]

LA preserved the lynching tree? Is there some kind of historical marker there?

[@cynthiamclellan6745]

I met George in the late 1980's - He was & still is the salt of the earth 🌎 - One of the nicest guys!

[@orffrocks5667]

sickening. this country has done sickening things...

[@BushaBandulu]

The issue with the USA is the loose term “community” used by every people who perceive themselves to belong to a group. If America is a singular culture then the term “community” needs to go. This can only be done when schools teach all American history, not just the history of white peoples culture. All cultures in the USA are intertwined, and not separate. They need to also teach that all cultures that make up american history IS a SINGULAR American history again, shared by all. This is the power of America. History shapes attitudes and attitudes shape behavior.

[@KatySueWho]

Yes!! Every year, Black History Month gets under my skin (no pun intended🤦🏻‍♀️) NOT because we HAVE a Black History Month, but because we HAVE TO HAVE a Black History Month!! Because we NEED TO HAVE a Black History Month!! WHY WAS I ONLY TAUGHT THE BARE BONES OF THE AMERICAN HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICANS IN SCHOOL??? WHY IS BLACK AMERICAN HISTORY SOMEHOW CONSIDERED A SEPARATE HISTORY FROM REGULAR AMERICAN HISTORY??? Of course, it’s a very good thing to hold on to one’s culture and heritage. I’m not talking about all Americans blending together so we’re all the same, like a melting pot. I believe strongly that differences give our country strength and enrich all of our lives every day. So I prefer the metaphor that calls us- not a melting pot, but a green garden salad: each group of people, or each vegetable, maintaining who and what they are, as a people. But tossing them all together and they become something wonderful and new- new flavors are created that wouldn’t have been possible alone. Anyway, bringing this back to my original point, each of the “vegetables” is different, but all of the vegetables in this salad are from the same American garden. It’s all just American history. (I’m totally cool with keeping Black History Month, it’s just that I ALSO want to see the history of all Americans, regardless of race, all combined and taught to school kids starting immediately. The history of black Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, etc should be taught thoroughly for the entire school year)

[@BushaBandulu]

@@KatySueWho : well said. 💯

[@martaholmes4287]

The same can be said about Native American Heritage Month. We NEED to have it. I first heard of Residential Schools ten years ago and I'm 61. Katy Sue Who, I love your salad analogy!

[@BushaBandulu]

@@martaholmes4287 This fractionated teaching of American history and culture is a serious issue.

[@JJ-fq4nl]

@@martaholmes4287 you must be white. I learned about what happened to Native Americans in those boarding schools to “civilize” them in a predominantly black high school with no Native Americans. Even the Chinese & Japanese American camps (had an excellent teacher that emphasized that they were Americans). Mexican Americans after the war with Mexico (they had Jim Crow too if they was too brown). The problem is maintaining white supremacy ideology within education.

[@peacelovejoy8786]

I'm embarrassed of my country! Such ignorance - it's appalling.. 😣

[@japonesa5186]

Just wild. 💔

[@AuntJoanieBaloney]

"American Internment Camps". I will make a sincere effort to use this term from now on. He's so right.

[@ameliablack4613]

This judge empathizing with the unemployed auto worker sounds like the police empathizing with the sex addict having a bad day.

[@January.]

Host: "One of the few people who are...".One of the few people who IS...

[@eskimo05w]

I loved George Takei as Sulu on Star Trek. He always sounded like a Southern Californian to me.

[@Whistlewalk]

What I have learned in 70+ years is that agression is always an expression of mortal fear. It is an obvious expression of war. There is no excuse for the behaviour of my white relatives and forebearers against fellow North Americans (it happened in Canada too), but I do sometimes wonder why the fear. What had white settlers and imigrants so traumetized that they had to resort to this horrific behaviour to feel safe(r). All the horrific and brutal European wars over centuries in Medieval times. I don't know. But we haven't faced it and released the trauma yet and until we do, this horrable behaviour is unllikely to be put to rest.

[@MrGNX456]

Mr Takei is a class act, i have tremendous respect for him.

[@YosemiteFour]

Mr. Takei is an inspiration.

[@tnewanz]

Star Trek was the first TV show I ever watched in color. Season 1, Episode 1 premiere. It was mind expanding. Live long and prosper, George.

[@zapatavive8957]

Yes, yes, yes! Americans!

[@williamtell5365]

I like almost everything about George Takai. My own wife is Viet so I'm sensitive to Asian issues in the states. I worry about it. The Japanese American community acquitted itself with the deepest honor during and since WW2,we who are cosmopolitan need them if this country is going to make it as a true, worthwhile liberal democracy. It's a hard slog.

[@TheodoreManthovani]

It really sounds like "Model Minority" means "suck it up and hold it in while being bullied"

[@janetta98]

Important for George to make that distinction. Those camps were run by the USA and housed Japanese-Americans.

[@stoneyll]

I love that man~!

[@nata3467]

I love that he corrects the reporter on the correct term. I remember making the same point when i taught US History and students could not believe it. I pointed out the dichotomy of how known American Nazis were treated , how German and Italians were treated. Even kids understood it was all about racism. Americans did this to Americans.

[@maximilianc9897]

Why thumbs down truth? Shame....

[@hansrutzigen754]

In George Takei's auotobiography " To the Stars ", he described the Rohwehr Internment Camp as a " paradaisical wonderland". This statement by Mr. Takei is on page 20 near the top. He also describes in his autobiography on page 33 how his father borrowed a car so that they could drive out of Rohrwehr Camp in order to take a picnic in the Arkansas countryside. On page 27 , George Takei complains about some of the food at Rohwehr though , claiming it was not appropriate to the Japanes palate. Please check this out for yourself in his autobiography published by Simon and Shuster Inc., 1994 .

[@Me-lb8nd]

If you're trying to tweak the internment of the camps into something like a 1940s Disneyland, you have failed to convince me. George Takei was a child then and childhood reminiscences are often quite different from the memories of their parents. My parents went through the poverty-stricken Depression in the 1930s, but my childhood was unremarkably OK. So don't try to make out that Asian people did not suffer during their repression in the camps. They were considered the enemy, their properties taken from them, their freedoms curtailed. The kids may have adapted better, as kids often do, but do not try to discount the agony that their parents went through, being considered enemies of their adopted or born-into country and having their homes and possessions taken away as if they were criminals. And fuck you.

[@hansrutzigen754]

@@Me-lb8nd Just read his book, and see for yourself.

[@hansrutzigen754]

@Vanessa Santos Why not just read his book and see for your self what he wrote.?

[@Trish590]

Another heartbreaking reality of this country.

[@Me-lb8nd]

Mr. Zulu. I loved you then, in the Star Trek days, and still do. It is unbearably sad that other Americans still cannot accept you and your people, as Americans.

[@johnturner2175]

I find it interesting why when we have these conversations about Japanese interment camps know one ever mentions why. Most people automatically bring up Pearl Harbor. However the other half of the reason which no one talks about is what the Japanese had been doing to the Chinese civilians for 5 years leading up to Pearl Harbor. We talk about the 6 million Jews killed by the Germans but never talk about the 12 million civilians the Japanese killed in China. This is a huge part of the reason why we did what we did and when we did what we did. I don’t know why we are being asked to apologize, when the Japanese never in kind to the Chinese.

[@paulpazymino3511]

Thank you, George! #AAPISolidarity

[@hawkflys55]

Why hasn’t a major movie been done about the two incidents Mr. Takei speaks about?

[@moniqueloomis9772]

Hint: Because it would reveal the truth about Amerikkka...if you keep the masses ignorant...

[@JonathanXLindqviust]

Even as someone who've been attacked due to racism, even agreeing with Morgan Freeman's precept on "black history month", I have to say that the 02:00-03:30 caught me off-guard. That even with all my experience and knowledge I didn't holistically see the US camps as a crime against american citizens but rather a crime against asians. When in truth, it was a crime against both.

[@youarehere1251]

From a distance, we all look alike.

[@katieyoung3669]

The best way to cut down on police brutality, in minority community's, is to let the Community police it self. In black community's all first respondent's should be black and so forth in every minority community. All it will take is to refund the police dept's and reallocate funds to this solution..

[@January.]

*communities, itself, respondents, realocate

[@Sprinbrooks]

I love George Takei.

[@miltonthegreat6520]

Thank you George, you are a role model to many for simply speaking up. I am in solidarity.

[@JohnJames-kw5de]

Very interesting and important conversation. thank you

[@cowboyedan3536]

Can understand u, Mr. Takei. I used to be there too, then I got out of the ever so called land of opportunity to Asia where i belong. One word frm me... Caucasians still, and will always, regard themselves as superior. Just recently that the so called US President spoke his toxic words that ignited the racism even deeper.

[@MamieLouiseAnderson]

I am with you, my Asian brothers and sisters. Your pain is familiar. We are allies in a struggle to realize democracy’s promise for all.

[@MamieLouiseAnderson]

That is a profoundly ignorant (racist) remark. My solidarity is sincere and based on the civil rights movement Black People pioneered. Read history and wash away your ignorant bias with knowledge. We are a great asset to the world, for all our challenges, with compassion and faith in our fellow citizens. Ignorant people of all races engage in chaos and hate. Were you to walk in my shoes you’d know better.

[@jayannakelley9051]

@@MamieLouiseAnderson - That ‘commenter’ has been spreading his racist nonsense through this entire comment section. I’m sick of seeing such ignorant racist comments!

[@MamieLouiseAnderson]

@@jayannakelley9051 Thank you 🙏🏽

[@jayannakelley9051]

@@MamieLouiseAnderson - 🌟❣️

[@juliantreidiii]

He is my hero.

[@lauracohen4914]

Love to George Takei.

[@batvette]

Niihau incident. Google it.

[@gwendolynnowlan2427]

i love mr sulu.

[@varrantgreen4259]

Ya sex addiction isnt a less racist excuse. Also note his church taught him to blame other people for his moral failings. (Which can easily play into racism)

[@theallseeingeye9388]

Its one of mankinds most primitive of responses. Blame the one most unlike us.

[@elaineburnett5230]

I had not understood the underlying racism of the movies and the opera, Madame Butterfly. We need to learn so much, and we need to learn - now!

[@atis9061]

It’s these stories that make me sick about this country. I’m so sad and embarrassed to be an American today and to hear of the horrible shootings ANOTHER one today! We do we have so much violence? There are MANY answers to that question, let’s start creating solutions!

[@imabbqurazz5251]

Don’t forget we looks like the Native Americans too. Know what I mean?

[@Kiyoone]

and them imagine this: based on those ideas, USA is very much like that with CHINA nowadays. Imagine why... just imagine