Of Comics, War, and the Human Spirit
By: Eri Izawa
May 2002

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This essay on war and peace started with one line from a newspaper
piece on comics, of all things.  In the May 26th Boston Globe article
"Got plot?  Complex thoughts?  Imagination?" Geoff Edgers wrote of
manga (Japanese comics) that it is "where boringly drawn and
supersexed Japanese heroes fight evil."

Yes, some Japanese comics are like that.  But I got to thinking about
a particular manga story in which an unhappy child goes back in time
and meets his now-deceased grandmother, evoking images of beloved old
grannies with their grandkids.  And then came to mind many other manga
themes of profound courage, integrity, compassion, and self-sacrifice.
In the face of all this, a careless dismissal of Japanese comics as
"boring" and full of "oversexed heroes" is little short of a
condemnation of an entire cultural medium!

But before you dismiss this essay as just a tale of simple cartoon
grievances, consider how small misunderstandings like this can grow
and spread.  Easy comments about "those strange people" can, over
time, become the ominous "those terrible people who don't deserve to
live."  Stereotypes of blacks, Asians, Latinos, and other groups,
along with the misguided laws and hate crimes that sometimes result,
should be enough to prove this point.  And if "Death to America"
sounds nasty coming from overseas, sometimes I think it is simply the
more potent, bitter, grown-up version of the "Let's nuke Japan" that I
heard from children near economically-embittered Detroit.

Still, some might ask, what's the big deal?

In the week just before September 11, 2001, I got involved in a few
unexpected and enlightening discussions about Pearl Harbor.  In that
week before the terrorist attack to which Peal Harbor would later be
compared many times, I heard tales of how the United States and Japan
both contributed to the outbreak of war through ignorance,
misunderstanding, cruelty, and racism, in addition to old-fashioned
greed, selfishness, and pride.  Who can deny these factors also
contribute to the modern conflicts we know so well, to our great
sadness?

Religion has long been telling us that misunderstanding, disrespect,
and selfishness lead to strife between people.  As it goes between
people, it goes between cultures and nations.  And what is the 
opposite, the preventative?  Understanding, respect, and compassion.

Yes, there is hope.  On a small scale, groups like Seeds of Peace are
striving to increase understanding and empathy in global conflicts.
On a large scale, look again at Japan.  Once a bitter enemy just a
generation or two ago, today it is a potent economic, military, and
political ally.  This is in large part due to America's generous help
in rebuilding Japan after the war.  Or look at Germany.  200,000
Germans mourned with us at the Bradenburg Gate in sympathy for the
events of Sept. 11th.  Why?  In part because the victors of the second
World War reached out and helped Germany, instead of crushing it into
desperate poverty as had happened the first time around.

While it may be too late to prevent the escalation of current
conflicts, it is not too late to stop other tragedies from afflicting
future generations.

We must stop making rash judgments about people and ideas we don't
know much about.  We must refuse to rest easy in negative stereotypes.
This applies to those in positions of influence, from politicians to
newspaper professionals, but more than that, it requires each one of
us to look beyond the shallow surface and seek the hidden human spirit
beneath.  Then, perhaps, we shall marvel at our own reflections.

But more than that, we must remember that criminals and terrorists are
all too often the product of suffering, ignorance, and despair.  The
quiet heroes who stop strife and terrorism before they occur are
those who ease the suffering, overcome ignorance, and imbue hope.  The
very best leaders, teachers, parents, clergy, doctors, artists,
rescuers, and yes, even Japanese comic writers, are those who dare to
look past the surface to admire, strengthen, and illuminate the inner
spirits of others.

Each of us has similar opportunities.  Be sure to seize yours.


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Text copyright 2002 Eri Izawa