@Ray
I have not been able to find any scholarly article that has gone pass the peer review stage and refutes the Nanking Massacre in my databases. From my reading of journal articles, the "Nanking Atrocity" did occur, but certain events might have been fictious. There are factions within Japan regarding the factuality of the "Nanking Incident", the Avowal, Illusion and Minimalist Factions, each capable of maintaining their presence by producing, at least, internally consistent 'evidence' to support their particular point of view. Your use of words such as "inventing" and "refuted" seems to put you in the Illusion Faction, a school of complete denial of civilian atrocities in the "Nanking Incident". Why you choose believe their arguments while ignoring or downplaying arguments of opposing factions of equal, if not more, veracity is plainly apparent.
I surmise that you are experiencing a case of cognitive dissonance where evidence contrary to your preconceptions that China has historically been the bully are rationalised away at your convenience until such a time when a piece of evidence is deemed irrefutable.
Maybe you have not been interested in finding peer reviews.
And who are the peers?
The victors and the camp followers?
History is never perfect. It only corroborates the 'findings' of like minded people and the majority opinion pass off as the truth.
Take the case of Chinese history that is touted. It is based on hearsay that was compiled by the Grand Historian Sima Qian. There being nothing beyond that, it is peddled as the real McCoy of China's history by the Chinese. Now, is hearsay and myths and fables history? It may contain some facts, but woven around is the fiction of the writer and his agenda.
Take the case of recent history that can be verified. The Treaty of Versailles. Earlier it was the Gospel. Now that time has lapsed and critical analysis is being done without being subject to condemnation, it has surfaced that it was not a fair treaty and its unfair terms have much to do with the rise of Hitler and the sorrow of the world.
Let us come closer in time. The Serbian atrocities. It serves the purpose to close the noose on Russia and push the Russian influence out. What better way is there than promising Paradise and vilifying the regime that was not pro West and convincing the people?
China has vilified the Falung Gong as a CIA plot. While the West claims that China was afraid as it was becoming a challenge to the Communist regime.
Now, who is right and who is wrong? The Chinese Govt or the West?
There are always two sides of the story and one must have an open mind to accept both till rubbished with the cognisable truth that is verified.
In so far as Nanking is concerned, the Chinese have a version, the West has one and the Japanese, now emboldened that they will not be censured have put forward their own. It too has very cogent facts, which none have refuted nor have you all Chinese posters been able to do so, even though I have repeatedly asked for you to do so.
Prove the Japanese wrong and that will be the truth!
It is as simple as that
Instead you are meandering all over and deftly avoiding the issue. .
Freedom of speech/information does not guarantee objectivity or truth. In contries without censorship, the media, instead of reporting everything along party lines, report whatever they want. That in itself is not objective, because of so many events in world, what they choose to present are necessarily subjectively selective. It is also not always truthful, because they are not compelled to give the truth and may have an agenda. The truth is reserved for those who are truely intelligent and tenacious. Freedom of information gives them an 'opportunity', and I stress, a mere opportunity, to find out the truth.
Freedom of speech/ information indeed does not guarantee objectivity or truth.
However, freedom of speech/ action does allow one to have access to information all over the world.
Man, being a thinking animal, possess a brain can analyse the same and use his brains to come to a conclusion, rightly or wrongly.
On the other hand, if he is lives in an environment with 'controlled' news, he becomes merely a spokesman for those controlling the news!
That is the cardinal difference.
So, um, no, not everyone who disagrees with you is under the influence of propaganda.
That would be a honest appraisal.
Those who are beyond the fear of arrest because of their high position are surely not under the influence of propaganda.
After all, they design the propaganda and so why should they be afraid of what they are doing?
Almost every decent historian refutes those theories. Fact is that the massacre took place and that over 200,000 people were massacred. Most well known historians will agree with that. Even foreigners, and even Germans, were eyewitnesses of those crimes. The facts you are bringing up are just the usual conspiracy theories which accompany every bigger historical event like those no life goons denying the Holocaust or 9/11 or those people claiming that 26/11 was a inside job! Even they have so called videos full with proof circling around the net with millions of views and fans.
Instead of blabbering with generalities, debunk the theories that contradict.
I am bringing no conspiracy theories, I am putting forth what the Japanese are saying and they are presenting facts.
Debunk that, rather than being airey fairy and trotting out hackneyed humbug.
This is the era of thinking and with globalisation, the archives are open for genuine intellectual discourse.
Try that!
@Ray
I haven't watched the Youtube videos, but have had a brief look at the other link you posted. Obviously the author put a lot of effort into constructing his version of the history. It is therefore futile of me with my spare time and current knowledge to try and refute that. However, there are academics who review these the more serious of these claims, so I defer my judgement to them.
Isn't it natural that those who are to correct history has to put in a lot of effort when there are the ones who will merely trot out the ancient as the Gospel?
The Japanese have put out facts to show the way the issue has been contrived. That is their opinion. Debunk that.
Who are these academics?
