Impreial Japan was about as ruthless and vile as any Empire has ever been without committing actual genocide. Nazi Germany was worse. Stalin's regime is arguably worse still than the Germans. Every imperial power routinely stomped the shit out of anyone who was either there first or tried to come in later. African tribes kept slaves and sold their vanquished foes to white slave traders. Drowning baby girls: China. Female Mutilation: Fundamentalist Islamic States. Ethnic cleansing: Slavic states after the fall of communism. France has a long history of regicide, not to mention the French Iron boot that trampled all over Southeast Asia. We've also committed our share of atrocities, from genocide to an economic system built on slavery to prison camps during WW2.
In my opinion it is fucked for anyone to claim the moral high ground for their nation. It is equally fucked to hand over the moral high ground to your enemies out of guilt. In fact, anyone using the moral high ground is arguing a moot point. Nations of men have all the flaws of man as well as the strong points. They will always try to conceal their own atrocities while capitaizing the acts of others.
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[ Been a while, desu ne? ]
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