If someone punches me in the face, that’s cruel. If we’ve both stepped into a boxing ring, it’s not really cruel. If a country is subjected to three years of malnutrition under a foreign occupation, that’s cruel, if they do that after the country was forced into unconditional surrender after starting the deadliest conflict in human history (and then give them billions of dollars in 1950s money to help them rebuild), I don’t really call that cruel, I call that light and merciful.
Like what other historical precedents are you using as a standard for what could be expected? It was less cruel than the Japanese occupation, for example.
If someone punches me in the face, that’s cruel. If we’ve both stepped into a boxing ring, it’s not really cruel. If a country is subjected to three years of malnutrition under a foreign occupation, that’s cruel, if they do that after the country was forced into unconditional surrender after starting the deadliest conflict in human history (and then give them billions of dollars in 1950s money to help them rebuild), I don’t really call that cruel, I call that light and merciful.
Like what other historical precedents are you using as a standard for what could be expected? It was less cruel than the Japanese occupation, for example.