The graphic story, They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei et al. uses imagery to narrate a historical event following the Pearl Harbor bombing by the Japanese. Specifically, Takei provides a memoir on how his family and other people of his descent were forcefully transported to the internment camps. They were loaded on a train and only allowed to carry a few of their belongings. Their new dwellings, such as Santa Anita horse stable, were fenced with barbed wires, and there were police officers who enforced the inhumane law (Takei et al. 31). Reading through the story, it is apparent that there was total disregard for the Constitution. Surprisingly, the rest of the Americans did not protest or show any solidarity with fellow citizens. The aim of this essay is to discuss and rationalize how the indictable offense was carried out and forgotten in the United States. Although it was apparent that the Japanese internment camps grossly violated the rules of the land, false consensus and failure to obey the natural law made it acceptable to the people.
Takei’s family and others were denied freedom of movement because they were perceived by the majority as enemies. In the title of the book, the pronouns “they” and “us” connotes division. The former can refer to the president and his government, the police, and the rest of the citizens, while the latter includes Takei’s family and other Japanese. False consensus often occurs due to biased cognitive processes which make a situation overgeneralized to the entire population. Specifically, all people of Japanese origin were punished because of the actions of a few warriors who bombed the American ship during the second world war. Responsible citizens were regarded as foes simply because, during the war, the army from Japan bombed the territory of the United States. Yet, the author describes three groups: “Issei (the 1st generation) who had come to America from Japan, Nisei (the 2nd generation) who were born in this country… [and] Sansei (the 3rd generation), the children of Nisei parents” (Takei et al. 75). This proves that some people, especially of the third generation, who were taken to the concentration camp were legally American citizens and did not have any substantial connection to Japan. The only home they knew was the United States of America, yet they were punished because of assumptions that their allegiance was to the emperor of Japan. The majority refused to think about the fact that the people they were against considered the United States their home.
Furthermore, the restriction on activities was being enforced in the most inhumane way. The book describes how at the beginning of the war the police officers came and gave Takei and his family the badges which must have been always worn. On the day of their transportation, their father was given only ten minutes to organize his family (Takei et al. 6). Takei describes how they were forced to live in horse stables before being relocated to the Rohwer camp. Later, they were transported to Camp Tule Lake, which was described to have “not one layer of barbed-wire fence, but three…guarded by battle-ready troops…machine-gun towers” (Takei et al. 126). Many barbed wires imply maximum security for those assumed to be disloyal, the worst enemies. Ironically, the Japanese families had not posed any substantial threat to the government, and they did not have any weapons. Their being bound was unjustified, yet the police still implemented it, and the majority remained silent as they made baseless assumptions.
The right of expression and fair trial was infringed as the entire legal-judicial system of the United States did not act in any way. In any democratic country, even in the worst crimes, people are presumed innocent until an official verdict is made. The Japanese were never given a chance to explain that they were innocent. The president gave an order which was carried against the Constitution as though he was above the law. When brave people decided to protest the harsh living conditions, they were scattered by armed men who called them “Ketoh,” a term which Takei struggled to understand. The individuals in the Rohwer and the Tule camp decided to continue protesting and saying, “we will not be silenced” (Takei et al. 143). Since justice was not accorded by the court of law, they decided to speak against the atrocities and were injured, but other Americans refused to join in the peaceful strikes.
Besides, legal ownership of property was not possible for the incarcerated people. All the years of labor for a better life were destroyed within a day. Takei explains that the experience was devastating for his parents, since “They had worked so hard to buy a two-bedroom house and raise a family in Los Angeles” (Takei et al. 32). In their new places, it was impossible for people to buy commodities and improve their lives. The houses they lived in were too small to allow for accessories. Moreover, the restrictions on movement meant that it was impossible to find decent work and earn a worthwhile salary. For instance, Takei’s father was elected to be the manager of the block. The children missed their father and always asked, “mama, when will daddy be home?” (Takei et al. 133). The response was “when his work is through,” which meant that the new demands forced him to be away from his loved ones (Takei et al. 133). It was inhumane and disrespectful to give people more duties without the promise of changing their lives for the better.
Additionally, emotional and psychological trauma was inflicted on children, women, and even men. During the transportation on the train, Takei “saw people crying and couldn’t understand why…daddy said we were going on a vacation” (Takei et al. 39). The depression of people being forced to leave their homes without committing offenses caused much pain. Takei’s father tried to be strong for his family; to protect his kids, he lied that they were having an outing. The devastation continued even in the camps; one night, Takei heard his mother crying and was concerned. However, his dad quickly urged him to go back to sleep, stating that “mama and I were talking about grown-up things” (Takei et al. 110). Adults were obviously tied to living in the camps without any rights. There was no time to process the losses, and the non-Japanese did not care to give them solace.
Conclusively, large-scale violations of human and civil rights were possible due to fear, allegiance to a faulty government, false consensus and disregard to the law of the land. The majority decided to ignore the fact that the Japanese were dehumanized in the United States. The disregard for the laws led to the forceful relocation of one American ethnic group to live in small camps. The freedom of movement was also taken away as the people had to wear tags at all times, and police were always guarding them. Furthermore, the properties were not only lost, but it was impossible to acquire more wealth even for hardworking Japanese adults. They decided to protest, but this only increased their misery since they received no support from other people. The lesson that this narration offers is that the Constitution can easily be applied when group thinking is used in times of national conflict.
Work Cited
Takei, George, et al. They Called Us Enemy. IDW Publishing, 2019.