Them and Us
Isabel Night
Americans, if you asked Cale or Sekhmet about them, you would probably get a strange look and then be dismissed as an idiot. And yet, there is something about Americans that puzzles me, confuses me, makes me want to learn about them, but also warns me to stay away from them.
When I was growing up, all I had to deal with were Spanish and Portuguese Missionaries. In fact, my country's "Patron Saint," St. Francis Xavier, or at least I think that's what those Christian Mortals call him was a westerner from a religious order called the "Jesuits."
However, my first experience with Americans came in the mortal year 1853, approximately 304 years after I was born. Cale, Sekhmet, Anubis, and I were standing in the Throne Room watching what was going on in the Mortal Realm when a soldier entered with a very interesting report. This soldier informed us in his face-to-face report that he had seen strange black ships. Apparently, these ships could not fly, for if they did, then something about the Nether Realm had been exposed, but these ships were not made of wood. In fact, the report claimed, the ships appeared to be made out of black mortal metal. The viewing monitor was immediately switched over to the subject in question, and the soldier's report was confirmed. To say the least, these ships were shocking; they were made out of mortal metal, as the report stated, but metal does not float; if you throw a piece of metal into the water, it sinks. So how was it that a ship made of non-magical metal was floating on top of the water? Another thing that surprised me was the fact that these, "ships" were carrying men who spoke a strange language that Sekhmet later told me was called "English."
From what Sekhmet told all three of us, these people did not come from Portugal, Spain, England, or Russia, wherever that was, in fact, the officer in charge of these strange ships, Matthew C. Perry, had come from a new land. When a face-to-face meeting happened with a local official, who was just as puzzled as everyone else, he called his country "The United States of America." It was at that moment, watching this strange event on the viewing monitor in Talpa's castle, that all four of us were introduced to Americans.
I knew Sekhmet's family had been dealing with Portuguese, Spanish, and English people for a long time, and I knew that one of Cale's relatives had come from Russia, but on the subject of Americans, I really didn't have a high opinion of them. At the time, Americans were just a bunch of bizarre westerners who had come looking for trouble, but Matthew C. Perry surprised me. It wasn't just the way he carried himself, the confidence he had, or the very blunt and straightforward manner he possessed, but it was his skills as a diplomat that impressed me. I noticed, much to my surprise, that he was just as effective and persuasive as any diplomat from my country. In fact, had he been one of my people, he would have been held in high regard for his skills in diplomacy.
However, I learned that the Americans did not, and sometimes still don't, understand our Warrior Codes and Ethics. While I understand the difference between a warrior and his lord, these Americans do not even acknowledge such a system. An American would probably say, "We bow down to no man," but that attitude will cause that person to fail and/or get killed.
At least that's what I thought, until that embarrassing mortal episode called "World War Two." Many years had come and gone by since we had seen Mr. Perry visit my country, and during that time, the world had changed greatly. But just as the world and mortal technology change, so did many thoughts and ideas. In the mortal year 1940, my people's government made a pact with a ruling western nation called Germany. Germany, at the time, was ruled by a man named Adolf Hitler and his political party, the "Nazi Party," I believe it was called if my flawed mortal history is correct. Then, my people had this crazy idea to attack America, to punish them for not giving them the supplies they needed to conquer "Asia" in the mortal decade labeled the 1930's. Again I don't have any exact dates, but I know for a fact that this crazy attempt to conquer "Asia" was in the 1930's, although why my people would want to deal with Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and other "Asian" countries and cultures who are not like us is beyond me. Then to, as the mortals say, "pay them back," in the mortal year 1941, my country's government ordered an attacked on something called a "military base" in a place called "Pearl Harbor" in an American territory named "Hawaii." That threw the Americans into what the mortals call a "flaming snit," and war was declared on my people by America's president. The man who led America at that time, I believe his nickname was "FDR," prepared his country for war like any daimyo would do for his region.
The funny thing about "FDR" was that he could not walk without the aid of a mortal contraption called "crutches," another mortal contraption called "leg braces," or a really bizarre mortal contraption called a "wheelchair." When "FDR" was younger, around the age when a man is considered to be in his prime, he was stuck with a mortal disease called Polio. I remember seeing mortal plagues, but from the reactions I had seen on the faces of people on the subject of Polio, you would think they were talking about Smallpox. And yet, this American would not let something as serious as being paralyzed stop him from doing anything, including leading a county. He was determined, a highly appropriate virtue for a man to have, and I admired him for that, even if he would never be a Samurai.
Then, in the mortal year 1945, during that shameful episode called "World War Two," we were summoned to the Throne Room. Apparently, our spies found out that the Americans had a new weapon called an "atomic bomb." We saw an airplane, something the mortals would classify as a "B-29," drop one of these new bombs on the city of Hiroshima. I was completely numb at the destruction this mortal "bomb" had caused; I had seen things in the aftermath of the explosion that repulsed me, even though I was a cold, heartless Warlord at the time. A few days later, another one of those disgusting bombs was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Back then, and I'll admit, I still had my doubts and prejudices about Americans, but when I saw that explosion, I knew that Americans may bow down to no man, but when push comes to shove, they can be brutally effective.
To make a long story short, we lost the war. And as if defeat wasn't enough, the Americans added more insult to injury by forcing the Emperor, the Divine grandchild of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, to admit that he wasn't her descendant at all. Then, control of my country was handed over to an American General named Douglas MacArthur. I would have killed that man if I had the chance, but my people had been defeated, and at that time, they had to submit to a will stronger than their own. This man took advantage of my people with his American arrogance and tried his hardest to tear every aspect of my people's society into two pieces, by trying to make my country a "democracy." However, I reached my limit when that general made sure that my country cannot, and I quote, "have a standing army." My people are also forbidden to make war, leaving us dependant on America for protection against all those who threaten us.
In the mortal year 1951, the Americans finally let my people rule themselves. However, there is still that abhorrent American military base located on the island of Okinawa.
So what do I think of Americans? I guess you could say that I have a strange love-hate relationship with them. While I hate them for the shame and humiliation they inflicted upon my people in "World War Two," they can be just as swift and effective as any Samurai. These Americans let nothing get in their way; they won't stop until they've reached their goal. Americans are very determined, which is still a highly appropriate virtue in my opinion, and believe in going all the way. Another thing that confuses me about Americans is the fact that they honor and respect the same virtues that all Samurai should honor and respect. In "World War Two," I saw many American soldiers and officers express their loyalty, courage, sacrifice, obedience, piety to elders, or in this case, respect for "superior officers," and compassion; so they can't be completely ignorant of what is important. But then again, with the history we share and beliefs we clash over, wouldn't you have a similar love-hate relationship?
THE END
Isabel Night
Americans, if you asked Cale or Sekhmet about them, you would probably get a strange look and then be dismissed as an idiot. And yet, there is something about Americans that puzzles me, confuses me, makes me want to learn about them, but also warns me to stay away from them.
When I was growing up, all I had to deal with were Spanish and Portuguese Missionaries. In fact, my country's "Patron Saint," St. Francis Xavier, or at least I think that's what those Christian Mortals call him was a westerner from a religious order called the "Jesuits."
However, my first experience with Americans came in the mortal year 1853, approximately 304 years after I was born. Cale, Sekhmet, Anubis, and I were standing in the Throne Room watching what was going on in the Mortal Realm when a soldier entered with a very interesting report. This soldier informed us in his face-to-face report that he had seen strange black ships. Apparently, these ships could not fly, for if they did, then something about the Nether Realm had been exposed, but these ships were not made of wood. In fact, the report claimed, the ships appeared to be made out of black mortal metal. The viewing monitor was immediately switched over to the subject in question, and the soldier's report was confirmed. To say the least, these ships were shocking; they were made out of mortal metal, as the report stated, but metal does not float; if you throw a piece of metal into the water, it sinks. So how was it that a ship made of non-magical metal was floating on top of the water? Another thing that surprised me was the fact that these, "ships" were carrying men who spoke a strange language that Sekhmet later told me was called "English."
From what Sekhmet told all three of us, these people did not come from Portugal, Spain, England, or Russia, wherever that was, in fact, the officer in charge of these strange ships, Matthew C. Perry, had come from a new land. When a face-to-face meeting happened with a local official, who was just as puzzled as everyone else, he called his country "The United States of America." It was at that moment, watching this strange event on the viewing monitor in Talpa's castle, that all four of us were introduced to Americans.
I knew Sekhmet's family had been dealing with Portuguese, Spanish, and English people for a long time, and I knew that one of Cale's relatives had come from Russia, but on the subject of Americans, I really didn't have a high opinion of them. At the time, Americans were just a bunch of bizarre westerners who had come looking for trouble, but Matthew C. Perry surprised me. It wasn't just the way he carried himself, the confidence he had, or the very blunt and straightforward manner he possessed, but it was his skills as a diplomat that impressed me. I noticed, much to my surprise, that he was just as effective and persuasive as any diplomat from my country. In fact, had he been one of my people, he would have been held in high regard for his skills in diplomacy.
However, I learned that the Americans did not, and sometimes still don't, understand our Warrior Codes and Ethics. While I understand the difference between a warrior and his lord, these Americans do not even acknowledge such a system. An American would probably say, "We bow down to no man," but that attitude will cause that person to fail and/or get killed.
At least that's what I thought, until that embarrassing mortal episode called "World War Two." Many years had come and gone by since we had seen Mr. Perry visit my country, and during that time, the world had changed greatly. But just as the world and mortal technology change, so did many thoughts and ideas. In the mortal year 1940, my people's government made a pact with a ruling western nation called Germany. Germany, at the time, was ruled by a man named Adolf Hitler and his political party, the "Nazi Party," I believe it was called if my flawed mortal history is correct. Then, my people had this crazy idea to attack America, to punish them for not giving them the supplies they needed to conquer "Asia" in the mortal decade labeled the 1930's. Again I don't have any exact dates, but I know for a fact that this crazy attempt to conquer "Asia" was in the 1930's, although why my people would want to deal with Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and other "Asian" countries and cultures who are not like us is beyond me. Then to, as the mortals say, "pay them back," in the mortal year 1941, my country's government ordered an attacked on something called a "military base" in a place called "Pearl Harbor" in an American territory named "Hawaii." That threw the Americans into what the mortals call a "flaming snit," and war was declared on my people by America's president. The man who led America at that time, I believe his nickname was "FDR," prepared his country for war like any daimyo would do for his region.
The funny thing about "FDR" was that he could not walk without the aid of a mortal contraption called "crutches," another mortal contraption called "leg braces," or a really bizarre mortal contraption called a "wheelchair." When "FDR" was younger, around the age when a man is considered to be in his prime, he was stuck with a mortal disease called Polio. I remember seeing mortal plagues, but from the reactions I had seen on the faces of people on the subject of Polio, you would think they were talking about Smallpox. And yet, this American would not let something as serious as being paralyzed stop him from doing anything, including leading a county. He was determined, a highly appropriate virtue for a man to have, and I admired him for that, even if he would never be a Samurai.
Then, in the mortal year 1945, during that shameful episode called "World War Two," we were summoned to the Throne Room. Apparently, our spies found out that the Americans had a new weapon called an "atomic bomb." We saw an airplane, something the mortals would classify as a "B-29," drop one of these new bombs on the city of Hiroshima. I was completely numb at the destruction this mortal "bomb" had caused; I had seen things in the aftermath of the explosion that repulsed me, even though I was a cold, heartless Warlord at the time. A few days later, another one of those disgusting bombs was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Back then, and I'll admit, I still had my doubts and prejudices about Americans, but when I saw that explosion, I knew that Americans may bow down to no man, but when push comes to shove, they can be brutally effective.
To make a long story short, we lost the war. And as if defeat wasn't enough, the Americans added more insult to injury by forcing the Emperor, the Divine grandchild of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, to admit that he wasn't her descendant at all. Then, control of my country was handed over to an American General named Douglas MacArthur. I would have killed that man if I had the chance, but my people had been defeated, and at that time, they had to submit to a will stronger than their own. This man took advantage of my people with his American arrogance and tried his hardest to tear every aspect of my people's society into two pieces, by trying to make my country a "democracy." However, I reached my limit when that general made sure that my country cannot, and I quote, "have a standing army." My people are also forbidden to make war, leaving us dependant on America for protection against all those who threaten us.
In the mortal year 1951, the Americans finally let my people rule themselves. However, there is still that abhorrent American military base located on the island of Okinawa.
So what do I think of Americans? I guess you could say that I have a strange love-hate relationship with them. While I hate them for the shame and humiliation they inflicted upon my people in "World War Two," they can be just as swift and effective as any Samurai. These Americans let nothing get in their way; they won't stop until they've reached their goal. Americans are very determined, which is still a highly appropriate virtue in my opinion, and believe in going all the way. Another thing that confuses me about Americans is the fact that they honor and respect the same virtues that all Samurai should honor and respect. In "World War Two," I saw many American soldiers and officers express their loyalty, courage, sacrifice, obedience, piety to elders, or in this case, respect for "superior officers," and compassion; so they can't be completely ignorant of what is important. But then again, with the history we share and beliefs we clash over, wouldn't you have a similar love-hate relationship?
THE END