Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips

We are in a time now in which it is socially correct to "sweep under the rug" any material which may be uncomfortable. "Bugs Bunny Nips The Nips" certainly fits this bill. The stereotypes of Imperial Japanese soldiers are vicious, with depictions of Japanese as coke-bottle-glasses-wearing "Mr. Motos." It goes without saying that in this day and age this treatment is by no means pleasant, proper, called for, or tolerable from anyone calling themselves a thinking person. That having been said, We shouldn't discard this document as casually as we would anti-foreigner canards from the far right today. "Bugs Bunny..." was produced during the Second World War, at a time in which the United States was battling against Japan. It should be shown in classes to foster discussion on the origins and dissemination of racial stereotypes during a time of war.

You have to remember that, at the time this was made, the United States was engaged in a war with Japan. Thus, the stereotypes found here need to be placed in context. Properly explained and appropriately handled exposure is of greater value than pushing this back in the closet and hoping it will go away. It's a well-done short and well worth watching. Worth the trouble to locate. Recommended.

Yes, this cartoon can be offensive to Japanese people now and then. However, please take into consideration that this cartoon was propaganda. Propaganda is not supposed to be politically correct. It is supposed to make the viewer have a certain view on a certain issue. This was made when the United States was at war with Japan. And I believe every country involved in World War II had its propaganda cartoons. Countries produce propaganda cartoons and animated things when there is a strong backing throughout the country of that view. World War II had strong backing everywhere. There has been no war since that has been so strongly backed by the public so we have not seen such racist propaganda. Do understand that this short was developed to make people dislike the Japanese. I think it was good propaganda for its time. We don't believe it now because we're not at war with Japan and we have gotten over those stereotypes. However, at the time, people believed that. I think it might be offensive if you take it as a short made with no purpose. But if you understand that its propaganda and understand what that means, its not offensive at all.

Our favorite looney tune is cruising somewhere on the pacific ocean, finally hitting some beautiful peaceful island... until a Japanese soldier comes up and they have a fight, first on the ground, then up in the air. Bugs gives him some heavy bomb (at least that's what I think it was) so the crazy Japanese guy falls down. Bugs: 'Happy landing'!

Then he takes on a sumo wrestler and in the end serves grenade-filled icecreams to, as he puts it, 'Japs, hundreds of them!'.

As you probably understand, this is propaganda and nothing else. Some would call it racist or whatever but you probably have to consider the time it was made in. There are better propaganda movies though as this is just a bit of a silly one...

4/10.

"Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips" is one of the many cartoons that you would have to watch not as straight-forward entertainment, but rather so as to see the sorts of stereotypes that pervaded during WWII. In this case, the world's most famous rabbit washes up on a Pacific island and has to battle a whole slew of stereotyped Japanese people (and at one point even goes so far as to use the derogatory term for a Japanese person). He goes to some rather ugly extremes.

Yes, it's totally racist, but definitely worth seeing as a reference. I wonder whether or not the Axis governments commissioned propaganda movies portraying Americans as ignoramuses; I know that the Japanese government showed its troops Abbott & Costello movies and claimed that all Americans were like that.