America and the Orient, 1916

Gulik wrote a lot of material about the Japanese and Japan and America.

He's basically saying what we do is lot the pot calling the kettle black. American history had seen its share of prejudice, discrimination, and colonialism. He adds that the prejudice in regards to the Chinese and Japanese could eventually result in conflict.

He analyzes the 'Asiatic problem' by starting with the effect of economics. He cites the effect of low-paid Japanese workers on Americans, and on goods cheaply produced in Asia selling her and its effects on U.S. labor.

He then talks about how the Orient had been adopting Western technology and were becoming a military force to be reckoned with.

He then talks about the racial factor. (Note: he's talking in this section and the one above about the views of those who are anti-Japanese.) He notes the 'Asians cannot be assimilated' argument, and the marriage of people from the Orient and the West is wrong and will produce only mongrel children. Eventually millions of Asians will make their way into the West.

Then he talks about morality, thus showing that the 'Asiatic problem' is very complex, involving economic, social and moral factors.

He talks about a few more things but then hits on something that is vitally important, and that is the effect the Press has been having on everything. One thing to keep in mind that, at the time this book was written, Americans were not anywhere near as cynical about the Press as they are now. They tended to believe what was in the newspapers and on the radio, so it made it a relatively easy job to stir up anti-Oriental prejudice in the mass media.

He has a good list of the various scare rumors that had been going around. What he is saying is that each rumor should be carefully investigated and then shown to actually be a rumor and not the truth (although there are some people who will choose to believe rumors no matter how carefully and fully they are shown to be false, just like in today's world.)

He also points out that all of this raises problems in our relationship with Japan in particular.

He says that things should be done so that both sides, Oriental and Western, will benefit by their relationships.

He then lists what are the objectives of those who keep talking about the 'Yellow Peril.'



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