Month: April 2019

Dedicated to Victims of Internment Camps

Posted on by Dorian

I wish this wasn’t something that the US continues to sweep under the rug. Mike Shinoda’s family was actually one of the 110,000-120,000 people who were forced to relocate and incarceration in interment camps in 1942. Very unjust treatment including the fact that many died while in the interment camps. Those who returned were considered guilty and came home to find their homes and businesses destroyed. I thought Roosevelt was probably (wasn’t alive obviously) a good President for the most part. However, he really dropped the ball in signing this order. Even our way of smoothing it over and sugarcoating it as “internment camps” and “relocation centers”. Granted, they weren’t deliberately sentencing people to death. However, they weren’t properly cared for (starvation, sickness), and many were shot if trying to escape. They’re lives were destroyed over paranoia. I realize it’s not as horrifying as Germany’s concentration camps, but that doesn’t mean it was innocent. To me, it was extremely wrong.
While I still have interest in studying the topic further, when I have time, with focus on what was done to attempting to remedy destroying these people’s lives. One could argue that Manzanar was declared and saved as a historical site. One could also argue that a memorial in Washington DC. there was a memorial created …however..consider the title as “Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II”. It’s washed over and sanitized to sound as if they had a choice or even made the US proud for anything less than decades after the camps. Again, they were tormented and their homes, businesses, and sense of safety were completely destroyed. Yet, it’s labeled as Patriotism and “symbolizing the body and spirit of Japanese Americans during the war”. As much as I love the National Park Service, it also begins its description to include ” reflects on the legacy of Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II”. Legacy? Are we proud?! I’ll give the writing of the description credit that it followed up with admitting they were treated with suspicion, forced to stay (let’s just use the true word “incarcerated”) for several years. 

Courtesy of the Equal Justice Initiative https://eji.org/


Takeaways: Paranoia and fear is dangerous. Why isn’t there a memorial day in recognizing both their strength to forgive as well as celebrating our ability to admit a horrible mistake. Being held accountable makes a country stronger. Let’s also not forget that many Muslims faced completely unjust violence and assumed to be guilty and anti-American. Again, no true apology or attempt to stop the backlash. My city seems to be more forgiving and anti-racist than the state as a whole, where parts are extremely bad. 


If being patriotic means looking the other way when my country doesn’t do the right thing, obviously, rather than wanting to hold certain events as unacceptable…then you could call me what you want. I think patriotism means being devoted to your country being the best and strongest that it can be. If that means admitting that horrible mistakes were made and horrible things in current times need to change, then it’s allowing a country to evolve into something bigger and better than it was. 


Those are my thoughts as a proudly anti-racist, anti-sexist, ….anti-prejudice person. 

Interment of Japanese Americans
History: Racial Injustice, Forced Internment of Japanese Americans (Equal Justice Initiative)
National Park Service: Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II
Fort Minor: “Kenji” lyrics

Who wins in a fight of value? Tough Skin or Sensitivity?

Posted on by Dorian

Tough Skin vs. Sensitivity

It’s an internal battle that I’ve always had. On one hand, I know we all need to have tough skin to deal with the world, the people in it, and very tragic circumstances that surprise us. However, I’ve never really been able to buy into that 100%. It’s not because I’m weak, honestly, it’s the opposite.

At least a couple of psychologists have been surprised, and quite happy, at how self-aware I am and how deep I can look into myself…trying to find the answers for myself at least. Toughening my skin may work in a couple key situations when I have no impact on the outcome or if others are being malicious. Overall, it doesn’t really benefit anyone else and, in my perspective, doesn’t benefit myself most of the time. I know, we live in a pretty self-serving, egocentric society these days where most are looking at the question: “What do I get out of it?”… That’s a shitty mindset to have regardless of what social media and various “experts” give their opinions on.

The problem that I continuously run into is that I’m always battling myself on the so called “naughty” words of psychology: should/should’ve, could/could’ve, can’t, etc. I’m always second guessing myself because there’s enough people who think that tough skin is far better and they’re often not afraid to present their criticism. Don’t get me wrong, constructive criticism is good and being lied to about what someone thinks of you is the wrong direction. However, for myself, it makes navigating through social life about as easy as trying to steer a yacht through the choppy mid-ocean waters. That’s where the horrible habit of second guessing myself comes in.

I seem unsure of myself, unsure of what I want or wish to be, and many other things. Most of the time, things are very different from this. On many topics, I’m very sure of who I am and what my strengths/weaknesses are. When it comes to socially,…I’m still at a complete loss. Interestingly enough, this is what most people view and judge others on. I know I love web/software development, playing instruments and writing music, amateur photography, reading philosophy and psychology, diving deep into complex concepts of Alan Watts and so on. In contrast, when it comes to my social self, I have no idea. Being one who enjoys reading about psychology, there are likely things in my childhood that contributed to this social noise in my head that blocks positive outings and connections. However, those who know me well know that I don’t see those possible reasons as the driving force today. It’s possible that I put too much pressure on myself to change something that’s very hard to change. Perhaps it’s philosophy and concepts of training myself to keep my mindset 90% in the present at all time.

I think what’s most difficult for those with good intentions to understand is that I don’t intend to be a pain in the ass, annoying, a stick in the mud, or anything else of that nature. I don’t think most understand that when someone is nice to me, it confuses me. Obviously, I don’t want someone to be mean, but I suppose I’ve gotten so used to many (over many years mind you, nobody in particular) being either cruel/malicious or 100% neutral that when someone does take me in, express a lot of interest in knowing me…it confuses me as much as my reactions to it commonly are.

What is better…tough skin or sensitivity? If I knew the answer to this question, I wouldn’t be writing this. Philosophers have also been trying to answer questions like this for thousands of years. I can only theorize that it’s very unlikely I’ll truly find an answer other than what makes me comfortable and helps me progress to aspire to be happier in life.