Something was said on a recent episode of Law & Order caught me off guard. It came when defense attorney Mr. Robinette told the jury that once upon a time 3 000 Italians, 11 000 Germans and 110 000 Japanese Americans were interned during the Second Great War.
That was the first time I have ever heard any medium (including print media) make mention of the Italians and Germans. Usually, it stops at the Japanese. I often wondered why so many journalists and historians neglected to mention this. Time and again from Ignatieff to Berton to many other scholars, commentators and politicians their eloquence is tempered by this omission. Is it because the numbers don't warrant the mention? Surely this can't be the reason. Do we deep within the subconscious feel if we add two other cultures it will make us look worse? It has always perplexed me and I have talked about it on this blog.
It took a television show to break the ice. It was all so interesting.
Of course, I am sure it would be too much to add that Ukrainians too were part of this unfortunate omission.
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