No Mercy

Abstract

This chapter argues that the United States was able to persist and prevail in the long and brutal Pacific campaign against the Japanese in World War II because of the in-group/out-group bias. It recounts how the group prejudice helped boost support for the war effort among citizens at home, the cohesion of soldiers, sailors, and airmen in the field, and the commitment and determination of leaders. It also describes the Pacific campaign of World War II that had a strong overtone of clashing Western and Eastern cultures, with vastly different worldviews and conceptions of themselves and each other. The chapter analyses the complex roots and widespread expressions of prejudice and racism on both sides. It refers to John Dower, who emphasized that group biases are ever present, but are directed at whoever becomes the most salient rival of the day.