Karate Kid Movie [1984] Blu-Ray – “Mr Miyagi” Reconsidered! (14.1.2024)

After WWII – and the death of President Roosevelt – a Southern Baptist (Harry Truman) took over the Administration of America and thus began a phase in US anti-intellectualism (and ignorance) that the world has still not been allowed to recover from! Even before this, however, ‘Comrade Roosevelt’ (a person with a disability) thought it prudent to place thousands of American-Japanese in ‘Internment Camps’ due to their presence being considered a potential threat to internal US security whilst war was brewing with Imperial Japan. At the same time, thousands of German and Italian-Americans proudly strutted around the US streets wearing fascist uniforms and carrying racist flags! These ‘White’ populations were not considered a ‘threat’ in the same sense that the ethnic Japanese were.

Truman authorised the importation of thousands of Japanese War Criminals in the post-1945 period – who had fought for Imperial Japan both before and during WWII. These individuals were granted ‘Immunity’ from prosecution for their crimes providing that they share the research data gained from their criminal activities. Bear in mind that Imperial Japanese Forces fought in China between 1931-1945 – far longer than the Pacific War (1941-1945) fought against America. The Japanese War Criminals invited into the US consisted of martial arts masters, Zen masters, scientists, biologists, academics and industrialists, many of whom became household names in the West whilst their criminal backgrounds were obscured, hidden and removed by the US and Japanese Authorities.

The authors of the film ‘Karate Kid’ (1984) had a paradox to overcome. On the one hand they wanted a traditional ‘Okinawan’ Karate-Do master – who at the same time had NOTHING to do with Okinawa either before or during WWII! This entire idea is racist and disrespectful to the hundreds of thousands of Okinawan men, women and children who died being trapped between the Imperial Japanese Army and the invading US Marines – and those who died fighting the Americans or were murdered by US troops after surrender. Of course, many thousands of Okinawan women and girls were raped by US troops once captured. Although Mr Miyagi had to represent everything ‘martial’ that defines Okinawan history – including its stand against the invading US Forces – he also had to be completely ‘detached’ from everything ethnically ‘Okinawan’ so as not to disturb the Eurocentric sensitivities of the average US audience!

If Mr Miyagi really was an American-born Japanese or Okinawan – then it is unlikely that he would possess a stereotypical ascent that suggests he has just arrived on the latest boat from the Land of the Rising Sun! Furthermore, it is ridiculous to pretend that whilst thousands of ethnic Japanese (and Okinawan) people were languishing within US-constructed ‘Concentration Camps’ situated in the US hinterland – certain Asian individuals were drafted into the US Army to fight in Europe against Nazi Germany. This stupid pseudo-history separates Mr Miyagi from the genuine martial past of Okinawa – and sanitises the sheer horror of US racism and its internment policy toward Asian Americans whilst certain strands of the White American population agitated for America to abandon the UK to its fate between 1939-1941 – whilst this country stood alone fighting Nazi Germany! I suspect that Mr Miyagi should have been one of those Okinawan individuals who fought against US oppression and racism – whilst avoiding the excesses of Imperial Japanese fascism!