Awful, horrible and insulting. Worst Escape Pod ever by far.
The main character is a jerk. She doesn’t want to train “the newbie”, so I assume the main character was never a newbie and never made mistakes. But, oh wait, she forgets a vital piece of equipment. Training newcomers can be a challenge, but it is also an honor. Stopping whining about it.
The newbie, though, is a doctor, the result of months of training and no doubt a rigorous selection process…and she’s an airhead. Unbelievable and clichéd.
But the title is insulting. I’d be ok with a title like “Mercy” about a future philanthropist sending aid to past World War II tragedies—Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Hong Kong, Nanking, Dresden—or if a Japanese team going to Nanking had been mentioned where EVERYONE is trying to make up for suffering that was caused. But “reparations” has a specific meaning. This story suggests America sends back aid either because they are forced to, or out of a sense of guilt to make up for an injustice or wrong, namely the bombing of the two cities. Such Western guilt is useless and sickens me.
Let’s be clear: The bombs were used in a time of war against military targets. No doubt it was horrific. No doubt civilians were killed. But as Steve urges listeners to learn about Hiroshima & Nagasaki, also learn about Nanking, Bataan, the attack on Hong Kong, and treatment of POWs by the Japanese. Also look at the alternative: an invasion of the Japanese isles, which would have killed many more civilians as well as allied forces (But oh wait, we are dealing with Western guilt, so the death of allied soldiers is OK because they are an extension of imperial ambitious and the military/industrial complex, right?). It turns my stomach when we in the West look at our history and feel bad when you do not look a the larger context. (Example: Yes, Europeans bought slaves in Africa, but it was other Africans who sold them -- plenty of blame to go around regarding the slave trade.)
The line “every American should do this” (or something like that, I refuse to listen again to get the quote exact) is a slap in the face. Then every Japanese should suffer through the Rape of Nanking, and every Muslim who cheered as the Twin Towers fell or believe the Jews were behind the attacks should be in the buildings as they fell, and every German should live in a concentration camp. It useless, politically-correct BS. Many of the men involved in developing and dropping the bomb, and making all of the decisions along the way, suffered horrible guilt, and understandably so, but it was the right decision to end the war.
I will never read another story by Ms. Haskell, not buy a magazine or anthology with her in it, and delete unlistened anymore Escape Pods by her. I am so insulted, I might even stop listening to Escape Pod if Steve feels this type of story is appropriate for 9/11. That’s not to say we should have had some “USA! USA!” type story, but to publish something that slaps America’s history in the face and pisses all over a difficult, but necessary and ultimately correct, military decision shows poor, poor judgement.
“Have fun”, indeed.
