As soon as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, emotions ran high across the US.
A growing hatred for Japanese unfortunately resulted in violence against the people of Chinese origin, who were friends of the US.
To address this issue, LIFE Magazine published a surprising article titled "How to Tell the Japs from the Chinese?".
The purpose of this article was to outline structural and facial differences between Chinese Americans and the Japanese people to protect the Chinese from wrongful attacks.
Following the Pearl Harbor attack, LIFE magazine published a guide in December 1941 to help Americans distinguish between people of Chinese and Japanese descent to avoid mistargeted acts of hostility.
For example, it article described that Northern Chinese were often tall and slender bodies with "parchment yellow" complexions, while the Japanese characterised as having “squat, long-torso-ed” figures and distinct facial structures.
While the intention was to protect the innocent Chinese from the attacks, the article simplified and generalised complex cultural and physical characteristics overlooking the rich diversity within both communities.
Reflecting on this story gives us an important lesson: moments of crisis test our empathy and intelligence, challenging us to act with fairness rather than emotionally-driven actions.
This article was written by our quizmaster Surya Narayanan.
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