Patting the wrists, rolling the eyes.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Please adjust your sarcasm meter. Thank you.

huh? You think the Japs were kidding they were ready to die?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
huh? You think the Japs were kidding they were ready to die?

Some Japanese were ready to die. Like the kamikazi pilots. Likewise, some American soldiers chose to sacrifice themselves for their country. Many others, Japanese and American alike, were not so ready to die.

N.B. -- "Japs" gives offense.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
"Japs" gives offense.

don't preach to me. I work with Japanese people. i have traveled extensively in Japan and I am one culturally sensitive mf. but you decided to turn this into a time machine and move us back 61 years today. Note that if I'd said Jap back then no one would have yelled at me the way you all yelled at me about head wear references. Query: Are we really ready for this war?

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
Yep, that's exactly what I'm saying.

You should read a history of WWII that wasn't written in Berkeley.

I know you are going to kill when you hear this, but when I first read this post I assumed it was from Hank.

[Not Bob]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Yeah, whatever. A whole country of brainwashed religious zealots ready to sacrifice their life for their emperor. You start to wonder how we beat them.

Resources and technology. They were kicking our asses until we had more planes, ships, and men then they did in the Pacific. And that was with most of their army busy in China.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Spanky
I know you are going to kill when you hear this, but when I first read this post I assumed it was from Hank.

fuck you too. when I first came here I was as cutting and sincere as anyone. I just saw that this forum was a bunch of semi-intelligensias masturbating about shit they read here or there. If you think you are accomplishing anything, you are a bigger idiot than my PB persona- and my sole aim is to be a nuisance. Congrats!

Maybe you could do a long analysis of how you pick your ass. It would be as valuable as your pointed descriptions of very high level moves!

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Some Japanese were ready to die. Like the kamikazi pilots. Likewise, some American soldiers chose to sacrifice themselves for their country. Many others, Japanese and American alike, were not so ready to die.

N.B. -- "Japs" gives offense.

I think Hank will back me up here, but Nijonjin form a very unique culture. It is the most alien culture I have ever lived in. When I first went to the theater I noticed all these empty seats with wallets and purses on them. That is how they reserve seats in the movie theater. No one locks their bikes and they don't get stolen (except by an occasional drunk Gai-jin). They simply do not break the rules. One of their favorite phrases is "the nail that stick out must be hammered down". In other words there is no individualism. Their verb for to be different - Chigaimas - is also the word for being wrong. Same word. Same meaning. When I told people that I was going to the United States for Christmas and was returning to Japan after Christmas, people looked at me like I was insane. What I was supposed to say was that I was returning to the United States and then going to Japan. I could not return to Japan because I was not Japanese (even though I was a Japanese resident). I know of six ways to say in Japanese, "what are you going to do" or "se la vie". I have been told there are at least fory. They just accept everything they are told. My lawfirm set up a trip to Cuba for a vacation. The law firm paid for the whole thing. Just before the trip one of the partners was told that Americans were not allowed to travel to Cuba. When I told them I didn't care what my government says, I want to go to Cuba anyway - they thought I had lost my mind. Disobeying the government was unthinkable. Their are very nationalistic and when talking about Japan they refer to "we the Japanese". If you can imagine, their system must have been much more conformist prior to WWII than it was after the American occupation and forty years of US influence.

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
fuck you too. when I first came here I was as cutting and sincere as anyone. I just saw that this forum was a bunch of semi-intelligensias masturbating about shit they read here or there. If you think you are accomplishing anything, you are a bigger idiot than my PB persona- and my sole aim is to be a nuisance. Congrats!

Maybe you could do a long analysis of how you pick your ass. It would be as valuable as your pointed descriptions of very high level moves!

I thought it was a pretty funny line. I wouldn't have minded it if someone assumed that I had posted it.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
If you're going to pretend to believe in individual rights, then you've got to pretend to believe in them all the time.

I do believe in individual rights. I don't believe in compensating people without a rational connection to the harmed they suffered.

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by Not Bob
Resources and technology. They were kicking our asses until we had more planes, ships, and men then they did in the Pacific. And that was with most of their army busy in China.

From a book I have in front of me:
Major Warship Losses in the Pacific Theater 1941-1945
U.S.: 2 battleships; 5 aircraft carriers, 6 escort carriers; 10 cruisers
Japan: 10 battleships, 15 Aircraft carriers; 5 escort carriers; 36 cruisers.

While I realize that saying the U.S. lost only 2 battleships appears to wilfully ignore the losses at Pearl Harbor, by the time of the Battle of Midway, we did not have more planes, ships and men than they. Nevertheless, we kicked their ass at Midway.

Thusly do I dispute the absolute truth of your second sentence.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Spanky
I think Hank will back me up here, but Nijonjin form a very unique culture. It is the most alien culture I have ever lived in. When I first went to the theater I noticed all these empty seats with wallets and purses on them. That is how they reserve seats in the movie theater. No one locks their bikes and they don't get stolen (except by an occasional drunk Gai-jin). They simply do not break the rules. One of their favorite phrases is "the nail that stick out must be hammered down". In other words there is no individualism. Their verb for to be different - Chigaimas - is also the word for being wrong. Same word. Same meaning. When I told people that I was going to the United States for Christmas and was returning to Japan after Christmas, people looked at me like I was insane. What I was supposed to say was that I was returning to the United States and then going to Japan. I could not return to Japan because I was not Japanese (even though I was a Japanese resident). I know of six ways to say in Japanese, "what are you going to do" or "se la vie". I have been told there are at least fory. They just accept everything they are told. My lawfirm set up a trip to Cuba for a vacation. The law firm paid for the whole thing. Just before the trip one of the partners was told that Americans were not allowed to travel to Cuba. When I told them I didn't care what my government says, I want to go to Cuba anyway - they thought I had lost my mind. Disobeying the government was unthinkable. Their are very nationalistic and when talking about Japan they refer to "we the Japanese". If you can imagine, their system must have been much more conformist prior to WWII than it was after the American occupation and forty years of US influence.

2 stories to support my once again friend Spanky

Story 1- when I was at the US patentoffice we have an examiner exchange program with the JPTO. since I was going there a few months after the Japanese guy returned I went out of my way to be befreind him. The position of the US guy going there was the subject of a massive cut throat fight. A few dozen of us appied/lied/ formed grudges and lost to a less qualified but more senior sped.

How did the young Japanese guy get the ticket. One day his supervisor came to him and told him the office had decided he would go to the US for 3 months. he would leave his wife and children so he could concentrate on the job.

2 we are in Japan and this Examiner is taking us to see his office. we are travelling across Tokyo by subway. The guy explains we will travel 6 stops so we must buy 6 stop tickets. We're used to the magnetic card readers in DC so that makes sense.

When we get off we give the ticket to a ticket taking guy who is grabbing dozens of tickets a minute. My American mind asks "he wouldn't know if we had bought say a 3 stop ticket, would he- we could have done that right?" his Japanese mind can't process the question.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
While I realize that saying the U.S. lost only 2 battleships appears to wilfully ignore the losses at Pearl Harbor, by the time of the Battle of Midway, we did not have more planes, ships and men than they. Nevertheless, we kicked their ass at Midway.

Most of the battleships sunk at Pearl Harbor were refloated and repaired -- hence the "2 battleships" figure.

Midway is one of those few historical turning points where a few small events could really have made a big difference. I'm not knocking our navy at all to say that we got very lucky there. If they had spotted us first . . . .

[notcasesensitive]

Originally posted by Spanky
I think Hank will back me up here, but Nijonjin form a very unique culture. It is the most alien culture I have ever lived in. When I first went to the theater I noticed all these empty seats with wallets and purses on them. That is how they reserve seats in the movie theater. No one locks their bikes and they don't get stolen (except by an occasional drunk Gai-jin). They simply do not break the rules. One of their favorite phrases is "the nail that stick out must be hammered down". In other words there is no individualism. Their verb for to be different - Chigaimas - is also the word for being wrong. Same word. Same meaning. When I told people that I was going to the United States for Christmas and was returning to Japan after Christmas, people looked at me like I was insane. What I was supposed to say was that I was returning to the United States and then going to Japan. I could not return to Japan because I was not Japanese (even though I was a Japanese resident). I know of six ways to say in Japanese, "what are you going to do" or "se la vie". I have been told there are at least fory. They just accept everything they are told. My lawfirm set up a trip to Cuba for a vacation. The law firm paid for the whole thing. Just before the trip one of the partners was told that Americans were not allowed to travel to Cuba. When I told them I didn't care what my government says, I want to go to Cuba anyway - they thought I had lost my mind. Disobeying the government was unthinkable. Their are very nationalistic and when talking about Japan they refer to "we the Japanese". If you can imagine, their system must have been much more conformist prior to WWII than it was after the American occupation and forty years of US influence.

Note to self: Don't take Spanky's word for it when he later tries to assert that he is a France expert.

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
From a book I have in front of me:
Major Warship Losses in the Pacific Theater 1941-1945
U.S.: 2 battleships; 5 aircraft carriers, 6 escort carriers; 10 cruisers
Japan: 10 battleships, 15 Aircraft carriers; 5 escort carriers; 36 cruisers.

While I realize that saying the U.S. lost only 2 battleships appears to wilfully ignore the losses at Pearl Harbor, by the time of the Battle of Midway, we did not have more planes, ships and men than they. Nevertheless, we kicked their ass at Midway.

Thusly do I dispute the absolute truth of your second sentence.

I am sorry but the Donkey was right. They were kicking our ass. We lost the phillipines. Our Allies lost IndoChina, Burman, Thailands, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. We were reading their codes so we were able to stop them at coral sea when they were going to invade northern Australia. And because of reading their codes we got them at Midway. The thing was when they lost a carrier they couldn't replace it and we just kept producing them. If we had lost at Midway we would have still won because our production would outproduce theirs. We really won WWII based on Logistics. We could produce more so we simply overwhelmed them. I think they built like two carriers during the conflict with the US and we built like twenty. The Japanese knew that they could not sustain a long war with us because of our industrial capability. They were hoping that a devasting blow at Pearl Harbour would force us into a peace agreement. The underestimated the US public's rage at the Attack.

Originally posted by Spanky
I am sorry but the Donkey was right. They were kicking our ass. We lost the phillipines. Our Allies lost IndoChina, Burman, Thailands, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. We were reading their codes so we were able to stop them at coral sea when they were going to invade northern Australia. And because of reading their codes we got them at Midway. The thing was when they lost a carrier they couldn't replace it and we just kept producing them. If we had lost at Midway we would have still won because our production would outproduce theirs. We really won WWII based on Logistics. We could produce more so we simply overwhelmed them. I think they built like two carriers during the conflict with the US and we built like twenty. The Japanese knew that they could not sustain a long war with us because of our industrial capability. They were hoping that a devasting blow at Pearl Harbour would force us into a peace agreement. The underestimated the US public's rage at the Attack.

You have a very interesting capitalization pattern.

(don't mind me, I am going for the trifecta- its late).