World War Two still causing issues?
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4517683.stm

Really- what is up with the issues of WW2 causing tensions between nations of the world 60 years later?
South Korea and China are pissed at Japan for denying and glossing over their military and war acts.

And now the EU and the US are going after Russia to acknowledge their occupation of nations after WW2.

Memories live long and die hard...

After what Japan did to Korea and China, they ain't gonna forgive nor forget.

Stalin wasn't gonna get caught with his pants around his ankles like he did in 1941, so he figgered that "hmmm... I just took over all this land on the way to kick that paperhanging Sookin Sin (Russian for son of a b*tch) Adolf Hitler on his own home turf, so why not have a convenient set of buffer states to keep the evil forces of capitalism from marching up Red Square?"

It's kind of like how Europe won't forget either World War. It's like this ya'll: People don't forget too easily a war that was fought in their backyard. A lot of people who were alive in WW2 are still alive. They remember it. I bet if you go to Vietnam the Vietnamese still remember that conflict as if it were yesterday.

I just find it interesting that 10 years ago there was not this much tension for the 50th anniversary of the end. But now it's sparking mass riots and demands for apologies as if it just happened recently.

In East and Southeast Asia, what the Japanese did during World War 2 is still causing issues. It doesn't help that many in Japan has refuse to come to term on what they've done during that period of time. For instance, there is the entire text book controvery which shows Japan as a beneloven occupier in East Asia. There was also a great controvery in Indonesia a couple years ago. In this instance, there was a movie that showed Japan as a great liberator of Indonesia. Nevermind that many Indonesian women were used as sex slaves by the Japanese troops. Many of these women are still alive or they've told their children and grandchildren about their experience.

In certain parts of AL and MS and other states, the Civil War is still being fought 140 years later, so don't look for peace and quiet in Europe soon.

Aren't the Sunis and the Shiites in Iraq still fighting about soon dispute from the early 1000s?

Aren't the jews and arabs still fighting about who knows what?

These disputes - all of them - are kept alive by so-called leaders for the leaders' self preservation and power grabbing.

Instead of fighting, all of these groups should start working, educating, researching, making, and selling. South Korea is a rich country, making and selling stuff to the world. North Korea is a worthless poor country, still trying to fight everybody - 50 years after the peace agreement.

Germany, Japan, and Italy - the WWII losers - are prosperous nations which have rebuilt themselves. The USSR - among the WWII winners - wasted their resources on socialism and a police state. They've sent men to space, but can't feed their people.

Rebuilt themselves?! I believe that they had more than a little help from the victors!

As for what ztawinthropgirl's remark, it's sooo true! I can remember a professor telling us about a 40th year reunion of the Gettysburg veterans. There were film crews, and both the Union veterans and the Confederate veterans were to get to the wall of the "high water mark" and shake hands. Instead, these old geezers started saying, "You're not going to win a second time, Yankee!" and "Dag nab it, you lost before and you'll lose again!"

It must have been a riot!!

I'm dying to do a civil war re-enactment.

-Rudey
--It sounds so American.

Plenty of freaks out there who do that regularly. Some reenact Civil War, others World War II. Needless to say, people shit a brick when you see WWII reenactors dressed up in full Waffen-SS garb.

I don't think there's anthing wrong with Civil War re-enactment. Anything after WWI is still too fresh to re-enact...

-Rudey

Rudey-- I'll have my dad fit you in during a reactment w/his civil war troop if you really want (Cadot-Blessing Camp, they're Union)! :p They'd probably even let you shoot some blanks, heh ;)

Can I shoot a cannon? Do people actually buy their own uniforms?

-Rudey

....and not that many out there want to re-enact WWI... something about digging all day ;)

I've participated in some re-enactments for fun or profit... for fun War of 1812, with the red coat, kilt and musket... for profit many WW2 re-enactments for documentary makers and films, playing either Brits, Canadians or the Germans - Dieppe being the worst, doing an amphibious assault in the cold water; over and over and over to get it right.

In the case of Civil War reenactors, most will have uniforms made using replicas of the same weight cloth (heavy-ass wool) and either make their own or purchase the replica insignia and accoutrements. The closer the uniform is to a replica, the more expensive it is.

As for the WWII reenactors, surplus (at least for British and US uniforms) turns up; German uniforms are harder to come by, though surplus ex-East German uniform fills in a pinch.

Serious reenactors will even follow their side's grooming standards down to the haircuts.

Can an Asian be part of the confederate army in the reenactment? I've always though they had the better looking uniform.