"In fact, on Dec. 7, 1951, Pearl Harbor wasn't remembered"

Writing in the L.A. Times, Jon Wiener compares two 10-year anniversaries. Sample:

The spirit of the 10th anniversary of Pearl Harbor was best expressed by the Washington Post in its lead editorial that day, which discussed the importance of Japan as an ally in the struggle against communism in Asia. Because of that struggle, "the Japanese American alliance ought to be maintained in harmony," the editorial concluded. "It is to this future rather than to the past that thoughts should be directed on this anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day."

In other words, don't remember Pearl Harbor. Think about the communists in Korea instead.

The L.A. Times front page on Dec. 7, 1951, made no reference to the anniversary. The lead stories reported on new "atomic artillery" that could be used in the Korean War, and heavy snow on the ridge route. The second section did have a column on the Pearl Harbor anniversary, which opened, "This is the day on which innumerable Americans … will be tempted to go about boring other Americans to death with their reminiscences of where they were and exactly how they heard the news" a decade earlier. Of course this form of boredom could be avoided — by not reminiscing about Pearl Harbor.

Whole thing here. Link via the Twitter feed of Allah Pundit.

Comments

[Pro Libertate]

I've got to say that my first thought on reading the excerpt is that by 1951 we had completely destroyed the Japanese capacity to wage war, had imposed a liberal government on the country, and were (and still are, to a lesser extent) occupying it, so the implicit message is that we should've won the WoT already?

I'm not sure I understand making 9/11 into some kind of national holiday, though, of course, I do continue to mourn those who died that day.

[mattrue]

Won the WoT?? You can defeat an empire, especially when you reconfigure your economy to produce weapons. You can't defeat a tactic (and probably not a mentality either for that matter) by regime changing a couple countries in the ME.

I didn't lose any loved ones on 9/11, so every year I think more and more about the freedom lost. Not to get all Glenn Becky, but hopefully 9/12 is what we commemorate in the future, or some date we all decided to act rationally and responsibly again without a massive Big Brother pretending to keep us safe.

[Pro Libertate]

Wars on terror can be won, but they take a long time. Witness the Romans defeat of Jewish terror in the first century or two of the last millennium.

Do we really have such a strong interest in dealing with Islamic terror that we want to spend decades dealing with it? I don't think so.

[mattrue]

And those Jews were well contained in a police state, weren't they? I think this war is going to take longer than decades to win. Perhaps Islamic terror can contain itself to the Eastern hemisphere and one day it might crumble from within, but that's politically risky.

[Pro Libertate]

What's interesting is that the Romans, for that time, were pretty moderate and tolerant to begin with, even after dealing with various revolts. It's not like the Jews of the time were fighting for "Jewish freedom", as they were happy to kill and oppress each other, too.

On the other hand, it took pretty nasty oppression and slaughter for the Romans to finally break the cycle of revolts and terrorism. I'm guessing that we don't want to go there.

[ola]

"it took pretty nasty oppression and slaughter for the Romans to finally break the cycle of revolts and terrorism"

Good point, maybe we should have tried OBL, made him carry a koran through lower Manhattan, and crucified him at ground zero.

[Pro Libertate]

I actually was worried about something over the top after 9/11--like occupying Mecca or something like that. To do what the Romans did in the end would mean destroying holy places, among other things. For us, that would mean nuking Mecca and Medina. I really, really, really never want to go there.

[Mensan]

There was an Iraqi guy (his family fled after the Gulf War) in my Army unit on September 11th. The fist time I talked to him after the attack, he kept insisting that we should nuke the entire middle east, starting with Mecca. He said that since he grew up there he knows for a fact that everybody in that region is worthless, and the whole thing should be turned to glass. There was something surreal about listening to an arab rant about how all muslims should be purged from the Earth.

[This Dave]

Do we want to spend decades dealing with Islamic terror? No, we should forget about it until someone sets off nukes in Manhattan and LA simultaneously, bringing the USA to it's knees.

I know that sort of thinking is mocked around here, but it's ridiculous until the day it's not.

[Amakudari]

I've got to say that my first thought on reading the excerpt is that by 1951 we had completely destroyed the Japanese capacity to wage war, had imposed a liberal government on the country, and were (and still are, to a lesser extent) occupying it.

That, plus we had gotten ourselves involved in another war.

[Pro Libertate]

Ghafla, the distraction.

[High school history teacher]

What the fuck was Pearl Harbor?

[Pro Libertate]

You know, that Ben Affleck movie.

[John]

The one about the Civil War or something.

[JW]

I don't recall any war scenes in Gigli.

[Pro Libertate]

That other one, where Matt Damon, a mathematical genius, designed an atomic bomb and dropped it on Pearl Harbor, freeing America from Hawaiian hegemony.

[JW]

Was that the Angry Birds movie they did? I remember them having wings and stuff.

[Pro Libertate]

Wasn't that movie about Salma Hayek walking around naked or something? I think she was a space vampire?

[JW]

No, you're thinking of the one where Salma Hayek was completely naked and rubbing up and down on a giant black monolith, giving birth to modern man. I think it was called Earnest Goes Ape.

[Pro Libertate]

Wasn't that Quest for Whores?

[Max]

I realize that that's a quote, Matt.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Hey, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when first heard an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center!

Let me tell you about it...

[John]

Lets relive the whole thing. I can't think of a sunnier topic of conversation than people jumping to their deaths off of flaming sky scrapers.

[Fist of Etiquette]

So does this mean that by now we should have already worked with the commies to subdue the terrorists, and on Sunday focus on working with the terrorists to take out the next threat? Possibly Martians?

[Mensan]

Why not? We already gave weapons to the terrorists to fight off the commies.

[Mike M.]

Of course. Because everyone knows full well that the Washington Post and the L.A. Times have always spoken for and represented the majority of the American people.

Yes, the previous statement was a very sarcastic comment. Seventy years later, not only are there still people alive in this country who remember and acknowledge 12/7/41, but National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is still a fairly big deal in Hawaii, if not necessarily in the entire country.

[John]

My Dad and I were talking about this last night. The media is just pathetic and creepy. I understand you have some small note of the anniversary. But they are going to go full on show the bodies exploit every ounce of tragedy we can on this. I am going to unplug my TV on Sunday. These people are sick. Yeah, it was a national tragedy. About as horrible of a day as anyone alive in the US has ever experienced. Why in the hell would I or anyone else want to relive it?

[JW]

There is F1 racing and other fine sports on, on Sunday, John. No need to get caught up in the nationally televised regression therapy.

[John]

True

[sloopyinca]

Yeah, but the race is Monza, and Monza=boring.

However, the Eagles play the micks and the mighty Springboks take on Wales.

[JW]

Only by comparison to Spa. Vettel leading from pole and winning practically every race is boring. Oval track races are boring. I'll take a decent track or street race any day.

[Highway]

I doubt Monza with two DRS zones will be boring. Now, you could do whatever you like to Valencia, and that will always be a parade. That's a crappy track.

[Mensan]

"There [are} ... fine sports on, on Sunday ..."

Not here; damn Bucs are blacked out again.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Why in the hell would I or anyone else want to relive it?

To get you in the mood to buy the 9/11 Commemorative Coin, of course!

[John]

What can you say?

[Abner]

Their value can only go up!

[P Brooks]

I'm going to wipe my ass with the Constitution to commemorate NINE! ONETTY! ONE!.

And then I'll set a big pile of money one fire.

[Just Dropping By]

I'll be honoring 9/11 this year by watching the brilliant opening sequence of the movie Postal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt_tv7t79WY

[O2]

the question is whether aQ remembers the 9/11 anniversary & NOT if we do.

[bagoh20]

Pearl Harbor was an attack on a military installation on a distant island ,and was followed by WWII, the greatest human tragedy in history. That made it into one in a long series of much worse battles, and therefore less likely to be remembered than an attack on civilians in the center of our largest city.

I think Japan remembers Hiroshima more than Midway too.

I know you were dying to make your lame point about being bored by it, but frankly, that's a boring point, made by millions of self-absorbed contrarians every day. Thanks for that.

[sloopyinca]

Pearl Harbor 9/11 was an attack on a military installation on a distant island the self-titled center of civilization ,and was followed by WWII the WoT, the greatest human tragedy infringement on American liberty in history. That made it into one in a long series of much worse battles decisions, and therefore less much much much more likely to be remembered rammed down our fucking throats than an attack on civilians soldiers in the center of our largest city naval installation.

FIFY, dumbass.

[Tulpa]

In the unlikely event that you're not just copying and pasting talking points, perhaps you should read up on the attitude of the country on 12/8/1941. It was every bit as fierce as the attitude on 9/12/2001.

Fierce enough that we could actually pass a declaration of war, however quaint that idea may seem.

[chairman mao]

yep wwii was the greatest human tragedy not anything else i can think of.

[Amakudari]

Representatives from MSNBC, CNBC, HLN, and Fox News immediately ruled out doing an entire week of pre-anniversary coverage, calling it a waste of time, resources, and potentially exploitative to family members who lost a loved one on 9/11.

[NoVAHockey]

The Onion's 9/11 coverage has been fantastic. I think my favorite was "hijackers surprised to find self in hell"

[bagoh20]

So some libertarians here are pissed that private companies are "exploiting" 9/11 by giving millions what they want and choose to watch.

[sloopyinca]

No, we are lamenting their bloodlust for coverage. We celebrate their ability to do it, however.

[Sandi]

I took a shit at ground zero once.

[Brooke Shields]

I farted on the set of Blue Lagoon.

[Doug]

Most likely because the events of December 7, 1941 weren't broadcast live to every American in the nation. Unlike Pearl Harbor, seeing 9/11 unfold real-time burned the memory much more vividly into the American conscious.

[Tulpa]

The day after Pearl Harbor, both houses of Congress declared war on Japan with only one vote against.

You guys minimizing the furor over Pearl Harbor is as despicable as it is expected.

[Doug]

I apologize if I misstated my point. I wasn't attempting to compare public opinion on 9/12/01 with that of 12/8/41. I don't doubt for a second that Americans were equally pissed on both days.

I was merely proposing that memories born out of seeing an event last longer than those born out of reading about one. If so, then it may cast some light on why the ten year anniversaries were observed differently.

[Meister574]

What about the Kennedy Assassination? What did the LA times and WaPo say about that on Oct. 22 1973? I'm comparing them because of the "where were you?" discussions you always hear about related to it and the media's fascination with it.

[Bohica]

Well, presumably nothing. Unless it was something like "Month-long Buildup to Kennedy Anniversary Begins Today"

[Senator John Blutarsky]

Our nation should *never* forget the day the Germans attacked us so brutally.

[ball mill]

I know you were dying to make your lame point about being bored by it, but frankly, that's a boring point, made by millions of self-absorbed contrarians every day. Thanks for that.