Reply #29 ponderhk's post
there's a contradiction implicit in there -
you're right, you can't force an apology.
and yet ...
unless you stand up and confront bad behaviour when you see it, you condone it.
What happened when Neville Chamberlain appeased the Nazis, saying "peace for our time" the day before the German invasion of Czechoslovakia? History shows.
I'm a gweilo, and nothing the Japanese ever did during the war had any impact on me or my family (they suffered under Germans and Russian aggression instead) - but I do get worried witnessing the extraordinary lengths the Japanese authorities go to, to avoid saying "yes, we did that, so solly" - just as I get concerned by what Americans are doing in the name of (their own) National Security.
The concept of "face" - especially saving it - is a terrible thing that causes immeasurable harm in relationships.
I respect Chinese leadership and Chinese people for raising their concerns, and respect them even more when they stop short of using aggression to demand reparations ... also provided they refrain from using violence against their own internal dissidents ... | |
