Herrington 1

Kelsey Herrington

Professor Ditch

English 115 MW

30 October 2019

Naive Child to Worldly Activist

Americans of Japanese descent from 1942 to 1945 were relocated from their homes to

military zones due to Executive Order 9066 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. They experienced

harsh conditions, violence, and loss. America turned on Japanese Americans. After the order was

signed, post Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the President declared adult Japanese Americans

inside the US “‘alien enemy’ and [required them to] follow strict regulations” (Takei 16). The

placement of these regulations caused hatred and violence, towards those whose loyalty was

being tested and, “the single most popular political position was ‘Lock up the Japs’” (Takei 20).

The hatred from the outside and those suffering inside the internment camps adds to the

negativity Japanese Americans have to conquer and overcome. George Takei, the author of the

graphic novel, They Called Us Enemy, gives a first hand documentation of the Japanese

internment camps. His family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans suffer as they

attempt to adjust to their new lives in the internment camps. Suffering of this magnitude affects

one and causes change within them. Without this pain having occurred in Takei’s life, he would

not be where he is today. George Takei is formed through the suffering he endures in the 1940s

as a child, and this suffering causes him to become determined, resilient, and an activist for

Japanese Americans.
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The features which help Takei be the influential man he is today were acquired through

his hardships as a child. Today, he is an activist for rights close to his heart: both Japanese

Americans and the LBTQ+ community. He has first-hand experience of the oppression of both

groups and uses his past to strive towards a greater future. As an activist, Takei plans to “further

[delve] into Japanese Americans’ treatment in the 20th century, spreading awareness of the

experiences these Americans had to go through during the World War II internment camps”

(“Democracy, ‘Star Trek’). Familiarity and awareness is important in healing and growth

because encounters with suffering will not hurt as much as they did the first time. Becoming

aware of the treatment of these people and informing others allows society to understand the

cause and effect relationship of hatred and fear that occurs in cultures all throughout the world.

Matthieu Ricard explains “once we have acquired inner well-being, it is easier to maintain our

fortitude or to recover quickly, even when we are confronted by difficult circumstances”, this

inner well-being is achieved through the knowledge and awareness of one’s suffering (41). The

suffering as a child which Takei went through is defined by Ricard as being “concealed beneath

the appearance if pleasure, freedom from care, fun”, or hidden suffering. His parents explain to

the family they are going on vacation rather than exposing the truth that they are being ripped

away from their homes. Although the suffering is visible to the parents, the kids are naive and

young; they do not know the difference between a vacation and moving. This hidden suffering

became visible to Takei and the other children quickly once they realize the vacation was their

new life and this awareness helped him become familiar with it, rather than afraid. Had Takei not

experienced this suffering as a young child like he did, he would not have been formed the same

way, and would most likely lack the passion needed to become a social activist.
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Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Takei develops this ability

due to his suffering and now helps him “create joy under tough circumstances” (Castandea).

Once he learned this as a reaction to events in his childhood, he was able to use it in other parts

of his life. He spreads the message that participation in a democracy is necessary for change,

because he understands that in order to promote growth, it is important to not dwell on the

negativity and the bad that occurred, but rather how to move on. After the internment of Japanese

Americans and the suffering they lived through, Takei is given a letter of apology in 1991 from

government officials, adorned with a $20,000 check. Takei “went on to donate this money to the

founding of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles” (Takei 193). He takes

negative suffering that has happened in his past and changes it into positivity in the world, giving

back to those who resonate with the oppression which occurred for so long. The author of the

article “What Suffering Does”, David Brooks, explains the correct response to suffering is

“seeing life as a moral drama, placing the hard experiences in a moral context and trying to

redeem something bad by turning it into something sacred” (286). Takei mirrors this by taking

his bad experience in the internment and turning it into a museum about Japanese Americans,

spreading awareness and informing the public. The resilience Takei learned through his

experience during his time in internment allows him to be the strong man he is today.

Takei’s suffering yields determination because he understands the nature of his pain.

Takei believes, “[this suffering] has shaped [him]”, and as a way to conquer it,” As a teenager

[he] learned about the internment and the injustice,'' he told at the Los Angeles Times Book Club

at the Montalban Theatre (Castaneda). Author of the article, “What Suffering Does”, Mathieu

Ricard says “invisible suffering stems from the blindness of our own minds” (36). Takei

becomes aware that the cause of his internment was Americans who ignorantly feared Japanese
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Americans like him. Being an adult who grew up with surrounding ignorance in his world, Takei

wishes to spread awareness and aims to dissolve the lack of knowledge about Japanese

Americans. Matthieu Ricard suggests, “when we misidentify the nature of those causes [of

unhappiness] we come to doubt the possibility of healing” (38). Takei does the opposite of this

and in turn heals properly. Identifying the cause of his suffering being ignorance makes him

determined to end it. Rather than allowing the events of his past traumatize him and inhibit him

from moving on, he identifies the causes of the internment and the injustices occurring to and

around him. This knowledge allowed Takei to learn to preserve. Takei is an actor, known for his

appearance as Commander Sulu in ‘Star Trek’. Although he uses the determination he gained in

his activism career, he applies this formation to other areas of his life. He displays his learned

determination in They Called Us Enemy when he recounts his auditions. Before landing the role,

he speaks with his agent, Fred Ishimoto about the possibility of the TV series. Takei rehearses

and practices after discovering this role, saying “I’ve got to have that role. I desperately want that

role!”, and what he learns during the 1940s allows him to work hard towards this goal of his. He

rehearses everyday and pours his heart into it, securing it as a way to honor his Asian heritage

(Takei 188). Without having gone through the conflicts that happened as a result of Executive

Order 9066, Takei would not have been formed into the determined man he is today. This

determination helps strengthen other parts of his personality that were additionally derived

because of the incidents he encountered as a child.

One may disagree that Takei’s suffering formed him and that determination and

resiliency can be derived from observation of their surroundings rather than the experience.

Some believe these characteristics that shape social activists can be learned from everyday

occurrences like mimicking the behavior of their parents, minor rejection, and minute failures.
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However, not being taken into account is the fact that these characteristics would be developed

over time and need polishing. Takei was forced to gain the knowledge needed to evolve the traits

that have made him into the man he is today. He is such a passionate activist because he

resonantes with the issues he presents to the public through his philanthropic deeds. Connection

with those he is helping strengthens his cause and lacking this connection makes those who did

not endure the suffering less credible. The argument could be made that many activists and

people possess these attributes without having gone through tough times and true suffering. But,

these people have not needed to activate them, so they do not relate to the pressure surrounding

suffering and pain. The determination and resiliency Takei formed through his suffering makes

him a strong activist which people want to listen to. Without having gone through the experience

of Executive Order 9066, he would not have had the opportunity to build these qualities.

After World War II and Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1940s became a difficult time

for Japanese Americans as they struggled with their belonging in the United States. Japanese

Americans in the United States fought their own personal battles. They suffered losses of homes,

jobs, families, and the deterioration of their own lives in front of them. In They Called Us

Enemy, George Takei provides readers with a first hand documentation of the Japanese

internment camps in the form of a graphic novel. Illustrator Harmony Becker captures the pain

and horror Japanese Americans weathered due to the prejudice of the American people. These

preconceptions are instilled in society today and many, like Takei, attempt to shatter the

stereotypes. Through his novel, readers witness his suffering and the formation of determination

and resilience that shaped him into the man he is today.

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Works Cited

Brooks, David. “What Suffering Does”. Pursuing Happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, by

Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczweski, Bedford/St. Martin’s, a Macmillian Education

Imprint, 2016. Pp, 284-287.

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Castaneda, Vera. "FROM ENEMY TO HERO."ProQuest, Oct 10, 2019,

http://libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2303356648?acc

ountid=7285.

"Democracy, ‘Star Trek’ and Activism — an Interview with George Takei." University Wire,

Oct 26, 2016. ProQuest,

http://libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2113677655?acc

ountid=7285.

ProQuest,

Ricard, Matthieu. Pursuing Happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, by Matthew Parfitt and

Dawn Skorczweski, Bedfor/St. Martin’s, a Macmillian Education Imprint, 2016. Pp 34-

41.

Takei, George. They Called Us Enemy. Top Shelf Productions. 2019. Print.