Pearl Harbor
Sixty four years ago today on December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately my husband forgets that date while I have it burned in my mind. It is the day when the Japanese attacked Americans as well as Hawaiians showing no respect to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. I never ever forget this day, December 7th, which is the day many people died and/or were injured:
"The December 7, 1941, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and other military bases on Oahu lasted two hours, leaving 21 U.S. ships heavily damaged and 323 aircraft damaged or destroyed.
It killed 2,390 people and wounded 1,178."
As in the JAPANESE killed 2,390 people and wounded 1,178. Nowadays some people of mixed Japanese descent do not want to be associated with it and that is partly why they use the Hawaiian word "hapa" to define who they are. They don't like nor want to be associated with the "Japanese" word "haafu" because gasp! people will think they are like those who attacked Pearl Harbor. Anyway when I see mixed Asians of Japanese descent I can understand why they want to distance themselves from Japan and/or from being Japanese:
Japanese Chart of Pearl Harbor: Recovered from a Japanese Navy aircraft downed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. The chart identifies ship mooring locations and is entitled (at upper left): "Report on positions of enemy fleet at anchorage A". Code at left represents ship types (Letter figures are written in katakana: "A" - battleship; "I" - aircraft carrier; "E" - cruiser; "U" - special service ship; "O" - light cruiser. Mooring locations are coded with paired katakana figures or with katakana plus an arabic numeral, but do not specifically identify the ship types moored there.
A Japanese Navy "Zero" fighter (tail code A1-108) takes off from the aircraft carrier Akagi, on its way to attack Pearl Harbor during the morning of 7 December 1941.
Cartoon found in a crashed Japanese Navy aircraft following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Japanese inscription at left reads: "Hear! The voice of the moment of death. Wake up, you fools."
That is why they don't use the Japanese word "haafu" and instead use the Hawaiian word "hapa" but to me it's not for the right reasons. Instead they want to make themselves associate with Hawaii instead of with Japan but in the process they disrespect Hawaiians just as the Japanese government disrespected Americans and Hawaiians on December 7, 1941. Just as the Japanese government raided Pearl Harbor... some of their descendants continue to raid the Hawaiian culture. "Memoirs of a Geisha" is coming out and so far many Japanese are upset that Chinese actors and actresses are acting as though they are Japanese but if and when Hawaiians are offended like how many are with the misappropriation and misuse of the Hawaiian word "hapa" then it is not taken seriously. No double standards, please. Hawaiians are people too and Hawaiians have rights too. Just saying.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/wwii-pac/pearlhbr/pearlhbr.htm
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/07/pearlharbor.anniversary.ap/index.html
Which reminds me... I should update the website www.RealHapas.com later tonight. Tone it down a little. Then again I would rather have a mean tone than be known to be associated with murder as in wrongfill killingS. Just saying.
And please... no hate mail telling me that I am anti-Asian and/or that I am racist against Asians and/or that I am spreading racism against Asians because 1) I am part Chinese and 2) I do not and will not forget history and history is repeating itself. Only this time some Japanese people are assaulting and attacking the Hawaiian culture like how some Japanese assaulted and attacked Pearl Harbor. However like how the U.S. fought back at Hiroshima and Nagasaki... so will and so are Hawaiians ON THEIR OWN TERMS like how the U.S. fought back on their own terms. It has something to do with self-preservation. Just saying.
Edit: I'm editing the website. However one drawback is that I have to post my name which I do not wish to do :( but for the iwi... I will. Also I have toned it down a little lol I did so only because though someone mentioned some things to me in a nasty, hostile tone lol... it provoked me to wonder, "Hmmm... maybe he is right?" so I toned it down. Yes... I am a Taurus as in extremely stubborn plus I have some roots in Ka U, Hawaii... but since it was two Hawaiian men who mentioned it to me and a Hawaiian woman who asked me something... I listened hehe