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!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 