>>93545563Except blackface comes from an era of oppression over blacks, they had no power and were at the mercy of a white ruling class.
Conversely, that depiction of japs comes from a time when the japanese were allied with the germans, and were incredibly strong militarily. That is where the distinction exists. If racism is a tool of oppression, then the japanese weren't truly being oppressed because they had a level of agency and power that fucking wrecked millions of lives with their actions.
If you internally say "leave that guy alone, they can't defend themselves," then it's probably a racist depiction. You can't really say that about wartime japan, though.
