April 13-20th Extra Credit Blog

I was expecting a format to follow that of “Schindler’s List” when we started to view “Rabbit in the Moon,” but I was surprised and glad to see that it took on a different route. I took notice of how carefully the film avoided comparing themselves to those of the Holocaust (although it seemed to be hinted at). I think it is good to keep the two separated, but equally as unfair to place more importance of horror over one or the other. The Japanese Americans were stripped of their rights and recognition as citizens of the United States and shattered the lives of their children and many generations to follow. I was disgusted to hear about the lady who had all of her teeth were pulled out before she went to camp. I was moved by the portrayal of individual stories and reflections on what the experience was like. I cannot imagine how families try to repair their status or life after their release because they were so separated and torn apart after the practices of the JACL. I like the film started to portray the lady who narrated the film not having children and giving two different explanations for not having children. From the beginning of the film it was cased why she made her choice. After hearing about her alienation, the many forms of discrimination, and about how as a child she lost respect for her parents. Obviously her childhood was so scared she could not imagine being a parent if fear of failing another child. I had not idea that those families lost of their savings and were given twenty five dollars after their “release.” What a slap in the face. Even though it would heal emotional scars, all of those families should have been able to sue the United States Government for the years they lost of their life and for having to live in such degrading living situations, even more so for the families who had loved ones pass. From the way the narrator spoke it sounded like she has spent the rest of her life trying to rediscover and figure out who she was after the devastation and suffering from the camps. It is appalling to know that things like this have happened in the United States and it was not even that long ago. For the narrator, I think finding her self identity is a process that she has to go through by tracking back the history and finding out some of the questions that still surrounded the camps. Since she was so young I can see how her quest for the knowledge takes so long and how difficult it would be to take another look at some of those details and reports as an adult. The documentary did a great job of portraying the array of impacts that these camps caused. I thought it was a great contrast when it talked about how other ancestries like the Germans were left alone as a community. It came down to easily identifying the Japanese race because of physical features. To me this is absolutely deplorable to think of the United States as coming so far against the notions of racism and have actions like this be so young in its history.