Critique Welcomed A Sad Period in Time

[Brian Moore]

A chest of drawers, a humidor, a clock, a parasol and a pair of Raggedy Ann dolls. Remnants of incarceration.

During WWII the American government incarcerated thousands of Japanese Americans in numerous concentration camps throughout the western half of the United States. They were deemed to be a threat to national security. Entire families were uprooted from their homes and businesses and sent to camps such as this one, Manzanar, just east of the Sierra Mountains in California. (I worked with a gentleman who as a small boy had been sent to a camp along with his family. I can't remember which camp but I don't think it was Manzanar because I didn't see his family name on the roll of detainees. He told me his father was forced to give up his grocery business for 10% of what it was worth. I'm sure many of my other co-workers--I worked for Honda in Southern California and I had the pleasure of working with many Japanese Americans--could have shared similar stories from their family history.)

 

[Ralph Turner]

Great photo of a grim subject. To my eye a sense well balanced precision unlike, sadly, the events of yesteryear. Decent, peaceable folk suffer and nothing good ever comes of it, never does….

 

[Brian Moore]

Great photo of a grim subject. To my eye a sense well balanced precision unlike, sadly, the events of yesteryear. Decent, peaceable folk suffer and nothing good ever comes of it, never does….

Thanks Ralph. Much appreciated. One of the ironies was that German Americans and Italian Americans were not subject to incarceration. And neither were the Japanese Americans in Hawaii. It was only mainland people.

 

[Ralph Turner]

Paranoia in high places I guess..

 

[Brian Moore]

Paranoia in high places I guess..

And unfortunately supported by many ordinary citizens.

 

[Dave Farnes]

That is a sad picture. The thought that comes to my mind is why were the dolls left behind? Were they there so long the girls outgrew them?

It was much the some in the UK during both world wars. A lot of Germans and Italians were sent to the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish sea, a place virtually escape-proof.

 

[Brian Moore]

That is a sad picture. The thought that comes to my mind is why were the dolls left behind? Were they there so long the girls outgrew them?

It was much the some in the UK during both world wars. A lot of Germans and Italians were sent to the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish sea, a place virtually escape-proof.

Thanks Dave. I never knew that about the Isle of Man. I'm surprised by this. Regarding the artifacts in my picture, I'm not sure those dolls, or any other items in the photo, were actually left behind. They may have been placed there later as belongings representative of concentration camp life. Nevertheless, your overarching empathy for the people who lived here for several years is appreciated.

 

[Pete Askew]

What a gorgeous and evocative image, Brian. Have you read "The Buddha in the Attic" by Julie Otsuka. It is based on this subject.

 

[Brian Moore]

What a gorgeous and evocative image, Brian. Have you read "The Buddha in the Attic" by Julie Otsuka. It is based on this subject.

Thanks Pete. No I've not read that. I'll look for it.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Fine, thoughtful shot, Brian. I keep looking out of the window, past the trees into the distance, as the prisoners or detainees (they’d call them clients today) must also have done. One could almost imagine there is not an electric fence in the near distance...

 

[Brian Moore]

Fine, thoughtful shot, Brian. I keep looking out of the window, past the trees into the distance, as the prisoners or detainees (they’d call them clients today) must also have done. One could almost imagine there is not an electric fence in the near distance...

I don't know if the fence was electric but I do know there were guard towers along the perimeter of the camp. One still stands at Manzanar today. It's a harsh environment there, east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It's basically desert; very cold in winter and very hot is summer. Thanks for your comment, Rob.

 

[Murray Leshner]

Thanks Ralph. Much appreciated. One of the ironies was that German Americans and Italian Americans were not subject to incarceration. And neither were the Japanese Americans in Hawaii. It was only mainland people.

There were German POW camps in the 'Allegan Woods' of west Michigan (of course different than the incarceration of immigrant US citizens). There are many stories of modest security...some of them had jobs at local farms, and would climb over the fence of the low-security camps & go to dances, etc. if they were back by morning it wasn't a problem. Many found girlfriends & stayed after the War. They fit in with the European heritage of the surrounding community & didn't really have a place to escape to if they even wanted to.

That's supposedly (read it somewhere...) part of the discrepancies of who was and wasn't incarcerated in the detention camps this thread speaks to. People who were much more like the surrounding community had more privilege and tolerance than people who were 'them' and 'not us'.

Primates can be very disappointing...

 

[Murray Leshner]

Fine, thoughtful shot, Brian. I keep looking out of the window, past the trees into the distance, as the prisoners or detainees (they’d call them clients today) must also have done. One could almost imagine there is not an electric fence in the near distance...

'guests'?

Grocery stores that call customers 'guests' should not...if they make them pay for food (which is fair)...but it's an insult to the concept of guests.