<Begin Segment 28>

AI: What do you think now is needed to change our societies to really make that possibility, to eliminate that possibility? What needs to change?

BH: Passage of time. You aren't going to change people's minds by writing editorials or passing laws. People are going to break laws. But I think time has to pass before we realize that, and get used to the idea that this is a country made up of all kinds of people. Now, I'm concerned a little bit about overreacting on our part. Geez, we get all excited when the Pacific Citizen runs a headline, somebody called us "Japs" or the radio guy said, "Chinks." Well, that's unpleasant, but is it worth making a big fuss about? Often it's much more effective to keep your voice down low and try to reason with these guys instead of getting all excited about it and screaming murder.

AI: Well, in fact, that, that touches on a, a question of balance that I, I did want to ask you about. You had written in 1993, "Over the years, I had been concerned about being excessively militant about our problems, about Japanese Americans being perceived as oversensitive pests and crybabies. 'Protest strongly against injustice,' I urged. 'Insist vigorously for fairness, but don't make a career of looking for matters to complain about.'" And over the years, there, you have had many columns in which you did clearly protest against injustice. And again, referring back to some of your columns in 1943, saying, "Are native fascists professional race-baiters, politicians who can find no better way to get into the papers than to lash at the defenseless evacuees?"

BH: Yeah.

AI: "Superpatriotic sadists, whose motto is 'Kick 'em while they're down,' and countless others of peanut-sized brain capacity are having a field day."

BH: Boy, that's pretty strong stuff, isn't it? [Laughs]

AI: That's a very strong statement.

BH: But I think it was warranted.

AI: And, and how do you draw this line between being vigorous and, and making a strong, warranted statement, and being oversensitive, complaining?

BH: Oh, I think there's a big difference. If they pick you up, your family and all of your neighbors and throw you in a concentration camp, that's a little different from some disc jockey saying, "Go see the movie 'Pearl Harbor' and see what we did to them Japs." Little bit different.

AI: I'm wondering whether one disc jockey making that kind of statement is perhaps just one small step toward again, a more broadly negative attitude that --

BH: I don't think they have that kind of influence. At the same time, I think it's important to protest that sort of insensitivity. But much of that is done out of ignorance rather than malice. And I think it's important to, to understand the difference. So overcoming ignorance is an educational thing.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 2001 Densho. All Rights Reserved.