And I completely agree that the long-run implications will be some kind of national shame for what is going on, and always will be when we do not take honest criticism for the horrors we commit today.

Also, there’s the whole other side of the story in that the criticism leveled at China is not felt to be honest criticism, but ignorance/bias against China.

Yet there is nationwide shame for these acts. You can’t go through an American elementary school class without hearing how badly abused the Native Americans were, how they all lived in peace on their native soil, and how settlers ripped it from their hands.

I fail to see how the immoral acts and the ethical blunders of past generations and administrations vindicate any action on the part of China. The most that can be said is that we ought to be remorseful for the actions of our fathers, learn from their mistakes, and attempt to remedy the damage that has been done to the best of our ability.

This is in stark contrast to the whispered “Incident of 1989″ which was ignored for over a decade and then played down in the history books when finally admitted.

Instead of playing games such as these, why don’t we take honest criticism for what it is, rather than trying to excuse ourselves by citing the wrongs of others.