An evolution observed?

[Quantum Quack]

Hi peoples,
I just wanted to share an observation that may be relevant to this forum if it is agreed as valid.

When the second world war commenced persons of the oppositions nationality ( german, italian and Japanese) were sent to confinement camps.

This was approx. 65 odd years ago.

We now have a situation that if happening in the mood of the 40's would see a repeat of this reaction to threats.

Whilst there is a percieved direct threat in the world today persons who would normally be considered members of that threat are not being sent to confinement camps. In fact the world has tried strongly to avoid such behaviour even in the face of some times fightening possibilities.

Is this evidence of a world maturing and being more meaured and reasonable in it's response to threats. Is this a sign of growth in the ability to reason and seek a more ethical position.

Or am I imagining it?

 

[SpyMoose]

Well, the trend of wrongful imprissonment continues. Remeber that the red cross survey of Abu Gahraid (sp) prison found that some 80% (was it 80 or 90 ... wish my facts werent so fuzzy, but I'm in a rush) of the people inprisoned were there wrongfully, and that sort of inspection is not even allowed in Guantanimo bay. Granted all of these people are likely from very unstable areas, but 80%.. Really? I mean, wow.

 

[spidergoat]

It used to be that our enemies were more homogenous, all people from Japan were ethnically Japanese. Now, Arabs and muslims are also members of countries helping the US, ie. Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait. So the situation is not so clear as it was in WWII. I don't recall many german-Americans being detained during WWII.

 

[Quantum Quack]

I know that this will probably work against my point but as you may recall during WWII millions of persons were interned in concentration camps, determined either by race or religion by the German Government/Military.

Now you may say that this is the act of an illegeal regeim hell bent on world domination and you may not see any parallels to todays struggle, but I do.

In the 40's confinement camp mentalities were rife and not just with the Nazis.

The world seemed to like the idea of isolating and thus quarantining the problem en-mass.

I just thought that in comparison today we take a totally different approach.

Today the western world has or had every excuse to react as it did in the 40's but it hasn't and this I find a pleasing improvement.

It is possible that the HIV pandemic and the worlds adjustment due to this problem demonstrated a growth in our maturity when challenged by a significant threat to world health and safety.

If I recall when the AIDS crisis became known the world agonised over what to do, calls for confinement, quarantine, segregation, etc were very strong but in the end essentially ignored. The world acted at the time with a greater maturity than it would have done in the 40's to a similar threat.

( BTW it is unfortunate that the world has in part relaxed it's concerns about the HIV issue, now being almost an under-reaction)

Whilst I wish to avoid pointing out any particular group of persons for comment I have obviously inferred such and it is not the intent to do so but to take a look at how the world has matured in it's reaction to threats against it's security and health.

 

[SpyMoose]

I don't know how to give this question context, but I'm sure you will understand when I ask, are you familiar with the concentration camps (sorry, detainment camps) currently being run in Australia (by a US security company) while they try to find an answer to their immigrant question? Writing quickly because I have to go, here is a source for information, although it seems that it is sympathetic to the Australian decision to detain these people whom they call illegal asylum seekers (Not actually illegal according to treaties Australia has signed with the UN.) This sort of xenophobia is almost certainly racially motivated, until the seventies Australia even had an Europe first immigration policy, designed to make it all but impossible to immigrate unless you were white.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/ihavearightto/four_b/casestudy_art14.shtml

 

[Quantum Quack]

This sort of xenophobia is almost certainly racially motivated, until the seventies Australia even had an Europe first immigration policy, designed to make it all but impossible to immigrate unless you were white.

Actually spymoose, this is suggestive towards proving my point.

In the last 100 years or so there seems to have been a major development away from xenophobia.....sure there is a long way to go but I think one can not avoid to see the improvements.

After all as an example of changing attitudes it wasn't until farely recently that women were given the right to vote and enter contracts on their own behalf etc etc......

I understand your point that we still have internment camps, although the governement would prefer to call them "Holding facilities" so that they have the time to process the illegal migrants request fro asylum.

I in no way agree or disagree ethically to these "camps" with this post.

I don't propose to suggest that things are ideal....Ok.
I am only wanting to discuss whether we feel there has been an improvement over time from a more global overview perspective.

I feel that if one steps back and views the world form a distance, one can see there has been significant improvement, and of course see that more improvement is still to come.

 

[Quantum Quack]

This sort of xenophobia is almost certainly racially motivated, until the seventies Australia even had an Europe first immigration policy, designed to make it all but impossible to immigrate unless you were white.

I think I can say that this is a false assessment. The reasons for the internments are more about a government trying to control immigration than about race issues.

There is no evidence to suggest a racial motive, not that that means much I might add.

The government is trying to minimise it's liabilities under agreements it has signed regards the plight of refugees, I think a more economic and Government pig-headedness based decision than one that is racial.

Personally I feel the government could handle the issue much better.