The Banned WWII Bugs Bunny Cartoons.

[Thor996]

I Realize this isn't a cartoon but when you read it, I think it will put things in perspective- page 3 of a 4 page letter home from a sailor on board USS LCI G 405 Black Cat Flotilla

 

[Thor996]

as the man said you can't judge people out of their times...........

[Sabrejet]

Wow! These days he/they would face a full court martial in the glare of the world's media and thereafter a long spell in the stockade!!

[Thor996]

Unfortunately, you are probably right- but as you said, Sabrejet- the airbrushing of history is just wrong. In the preceding page he explains that these men who were doing this had been in two very bloody invasions- I believe he was at Peleliu when this was written. People forget just how brutal and horrible the war in the Pacific had gotten by this point. I have similarly written letters from Europe full of vitriol towards the Nazis, but nothing like this one.

[Sabrejet]

Unfortunately, you are probably right- but as you said, Sabrejet- the airbrushing of history is just wrong. In the preceding page he explains that these men who were doing this had been in two very bloody invasions- I believe he was at Peleliu when this was written. People forget just how brutal and horrible the war in the Pacific had gotten by this point.

 

You might have seen coverage in the media very recently about a British Marine who has been tried and jailed for finishing off a wounded Taliban fighter in Afghanistan. Our boys are fighting with one hand tied behind their backs today. Before returning a shot they have to decide if the rules of engagement have been met. Meanwhile our enemies plant IEDs, send in suicide bombers and dress in our uniforms and gun down our boys!! I'd better stop now or I'll get this thread pulled!!

[Thor996]

^^^ imagine what Sherman would face today.

[cutiger83]

The difference is that now any news that happens world-wide is reported immediately. This reporting started with the Vietnam War. Once war was brought into people’s dens, it changed the public view and the face of war.

 

Through-out history, there has been burning of towns, looting, torture, civilians getting killed, etc but it was never brought to the attention of the general public. I imagine if the general public knew how truly horrible Sherman was in the Civil War then yes he would have been treated differently.

 

As was stated earlier in this thread, these cartoons were designed to instill patriotism. Can you imagine how the public would have viewed WWII if it was reported that Japanese POWs were shot? Or that gold teeth were taken from dead Japanese? We know the Pacific War was a horrific war but to say things like this did not happen is wrong.

 

It was also stated earlier that these cartoons were not banned but companies just stopped showing them. To say they are banned rather than no longer shown simply makes them more “exciting”.

 

Just look at how this thread has gone on for two pages. It works to say "banned" rather than "stopped showing".

 

...Kat

[Thor996]

I am not saying what happened is 'right' - just illustrating that IT HAPPENED.

 

US POW's were beheaded, tortured and used for medical expirments by the Japanese. I am PRETTY SURE that soldiers fighting in the Pacific were aware of our soldiers having this type of thing happen to POW's taken by the Japanese and retaliated in kind.

[cutiger83]

All I am trying to say is that due to instant news reporting the face of war has changed. It has gone from censored headlines in papers to instant combat footage seen on tv.

 

I am not judging one side or the other. Retaliation has happened in every war on every side since the beginning of time.

 

The original intent of this thread has changed. This thread was started to discuss the banning of cartoons. The cartoons were not banned but rather stopped being shown on TV. When you change the words in a sentence, it completely changes the meaning of the sentence which stirs up many emotions. This is evident in this thread.

[Sabrejet]

I suppose this would be the 21st Century equivalent? Mocking the enemy any and every which-way. Also seasonal too. Right on!

 

 

 

[Thor996]

okey dokey

[bobatl]

You had to be there at the time. It's called Propaganda. All countries did it and still do. Just different themes for different times. There was a war to be won and it needed the general public to Hate The Enemy. It needed to get young 17 year old high school students to be willing to put their lives on the line to Kill The Enemy. It is now History.....and to call these behaviors "politically incorrect" based on today's standards is kind of stupid......IMHO. BTW I was 3 1/2 on 7 December 1941. Semper Fi.......Bobgee

I don't remember the movie but while watching a WWII vintage movie on TV, my father said " I enlisted after seeing a movie like this." He was 17 and dropped out of high school to enlist in 1944.

[RelicHunter99]

Wow! These days he/they would face a full court martial in the glare of the world's media and thereafter a long spell in the stockade!!

Yeah, wanting to kill a prisoner so you can steal his teeth is normal behavior.

[billl]

Try to find Amos & Andy these days!

 

Thanks for bringing this up. My fear is that we rush to being politically and lose the truth. Amos and Andy reflected their time. Offensive as they may be today, they were part of who we were. But as we reject some elements of our history, I fear we are rewriting our past. I have heard that Germany has so angrily rebelled from the truth of the Nazi movement, that it is seldom discussed, and not really taught accurately, in schools. I believe that it is against the law in France to sell most items, even historical ones, that display a swastika. If these are wrong beliefs, somebody please tell me.

 

I looked at a high school history book published in the late 60s. WWII took about fifty pages.

I looked at a modern history book. WWII took nine pages, from Japan's presence in Manchuria to the Nuremberg trials. Can we teach it in such a short space?

 

Remembering accurately does not mean endorsement. And it has been said that those who don't remember, are doomed to repeat.

[Thor996]

Yeah, wanting to kill a prisoner so you can steal his teeth is normal behavior.

 

Not normal behavior at all but I think it happened because of the ferocity of the war in the Pacific-and I am NOT justifying what that soldier wanted to do at all.

[Hookemhorns88]

 

I looked at a high school history book published in the late 60s. WWII took about fifty pages.

I looked at a modern history book. WWII took nine pages, from Japan's presence in Manchuria to the Nuremberg trials. Can we teach it in such a short space?

 

Remembering accurately does not mean endorsement. And it has been said that those who don't remember, are doomed to repeat.

There has been 40+ more years of history to teach in the same amount of school year time. 9 pages is actually about 2 days of instruction. Fortunately I have been occasionally asked to go to the school and share some of my collection with the classes.

[KVSkelton]

 

Thanks for bringing this up. My fear is that we rush to being politically and lose the truth. Amos and Andy reflected their time. Offensive as they may be today, they were part of who we were. But as we reject some elements of our history, I fear we are rewriting our past. I have heard that Germany has so angrily rebelled from the truth of the Nazi movement, that it is seldom discussed, and not really taught accurately, in schools. I believe that it is against the law in France to sell most items, even historical ones, that display a swastika. If these are wrong beliefs, somebody please tell me.

 

I looked at a high school history book published in the late 60s. WWII took about fifty pages.

I looked at a modern history book. WWII took nine pages, from Japan's presence in Manchuria to the Nuremberg trials. Can we teach it in such a short space?

 

Remembering accurately does not mean endorsement. And it has been said that those who don't remember, are doomed to repeat.

 

I know this is late in reply, but having read this just now I thought I'd add something to billl's statement about Germany. Last school year, my daughter's high school hosted an exchange student from Germany. She was in my daughter's history class. When the instructor began discussing the emergence of the Nazi party and eventually the Holocaust, this young lady was shocked. She began to cry at one point and asked for permission to stand in front of the class and apologized for what Germany had done during WW2. Hearing this story from my daughter I felt so sorry for the exchange student. My daughter said the girl walked around looking stunned for the rest of her time there.

 

I had no idea what to tell my daughter when she asked "How could she have not known?" I am amazed that this episode in history can be so ignored in Germany...

 

To get back on topic, I'm nearly in that 50 and over crowd and recall seeing those WW2 Merry Meolodies cartoon when I was a kid!