The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II.

[Bbbananas]

I'm reading a biography at the moment and it has just decribed the Rape of Nanking. I must admit I knew all about the atrocities of the Nazis & the gas chambers etc, but I was fairly ignorant of the above event in 1937.
20 - 80,000 females raped then killed, including the elderly & infants. Families forced to commit incest. Monks forced to rape. Killing contests between officers as to who could kill the most in one day. Over 10,000 people burned or buried alive. A total of around 200,000 in all murdered in the most terrible and cruel of ways.
It brought me to tears, terrible.
Who else, say under 40 on here, has actually heard of the Rape of Nanking or knew much about it? They teach all about the 'other' holocaust in history lessons, as they should, but do they teach schoolkids all about this one these days?

[Bbbananas]

Good point jth. This has been a very cruel world over the centuries hasn't it.

[LoftyLottie]

And the very people who suffered such attrocities are the ones that are doing the same to others!! I can't understand it.

[DTCwordfan]

they certainly do not forget it and older generations are pretty hostile to the land of Nippon - understandably.

Then there are those like a mate of mine whose closest company friend was German but had lost relatives to them in WW2. "We buy their Mercedes and washing machines, and there the love affair stops" He reckoned it would take at least another generation to 'filter out' the animosity.

Same in China - "We buy their Hondas and Sony TVs and there the love affair stops."

[tastymorsel]

"The boy in the striped pyjamas"really upset me.It didn't half bring home the futility of it all.Could see the ending coming and almost had to watch from behind my hand.Very sad film

[Bbbananas]

Because trigger, as horrific and upsetting as it is, we need to know what goes on in the world so we can protect ourselves and our loved ones, be aware, be vigilant...

I have a great interest in psychology, but sometimes find it impossible to understand how anything calling itself human can commit such terrible acts.

[DTCwordfan]

And so when 5000 bodies are discovered in Basra by the Brits just after we went in, or 12000 between two graves by the Americans, or the massacre of the Gulf fishermen in their thousands as they were thought to be harbouring wanted dissidents, the UK population (and others) objects to our military participation in removing Sadam.....Ironic isn't it as doesn't all of this smack of genocide just as other appalling examples, and the very reason we went into the Balkans.

However, Blair and Brown were totally naive not to have this 'card' to play in building support for their action and in relying only on WMD - (though I do think SH had some but not in the quantities thought but then shipped to Syria or into Iran).

[luco1110]

thank u don no