Letter: A lesson in empathy

By The Daily Illini

This is an open question posed to Kiyoshi Martinez and the like-minded as a response to his Tuesday column, “Picture imperfect.” What would you do if America were invaded?

Say, in a hypothetical situation, nation X were to invade the U.S., and a journalist of that nation said, “the cost of this war should not be measured in injustices suffered by Americans,” and that, “Some people would pity the injured American children. I do not. My sorrow is saved for the nation X soldier.”

Meanwhile, between 15,000 and 16,000 noncombatant American civilians have died, including children and the elderly. How do you feel about the attitude of the citizen of nation X? What if those foreign soldiers, while on your land, killed and maimed your personal friends, family or otherwise? Furthermore, the noble journalist of nation X claims that this is in the best interest of America. What would you do and how would you feel?

I know how I would feel: I would be enraged and want those soldiers off my land. If they killed or maimed my family and friends, and I considered fighting back with the goal of removing them from my town, would it be wrong? If I say that yes, I would fight back, am I a terrorist?

Justin Cheng

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