Were portrayed as heartless monsters??? Does holocaust ring a bell? Nuremberg trials? I can't believe you'd suggest they were 'portrayed' as heartless monsters. You are persistently unreal.The Germans were portrayed as heartless monsters that did horrible things.
Gene
Most wars are fought because one country's government is greedy and wants something from another country. In the process the people of the other country are represented in a derogatory manner. The American Indian was depicted as being savage. The Germans were portrayed as heartless monsters that did horrible things. The Japanese and the Vietcong were called many names. My point is that the majority of humans are peace-loving individuals that just want to be left alone, raise a family, make a living, etc. They don't like others telling them what to do. Yet many seem to think it OK or even their right to tell others how they should act, talk, live, etc.
What this earth needs is more tolerance and less greed. Many diverse people from many races founded the United States as a republic. Most people today don't know the difference between a republic and a democracy. The reason I bring this up is because a true republic is a form of government in which individuals have rights and the governments main purpose is to enforce and protect those rights. In a true republic each citizen has complete freedom as long as he/she does not harm others. Harm is defined as physical harm, financial harm, or reputation harm. In other words life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In a true republic there is minimal government. In contrast a democracy demands that each citizen conform to the will of the majority. In a democracy the government is constantly telling individuals what the majority say they can or can't do.
Today the U.S. government is trying to export democracy to other countries. The American people have been brainwashed into thinking that democracy means freedom. Democracy does not mean freedom. Democracy means conforming to the will of the majority. If you are in the minority then tough! In a true republic there is no debate about what can or can't be published or said. In a republic there is true freedom.
The last U.S. president to refer to the U.S. as a 'republic' was John F. Kennedy. Our great republic died the day he was shot. The next president was Johnson, who tried to force his will upon the Vietnamese people, an example of a democracy trying to force the will of a government upon a people, rather than letting people be free to live as they desire.
The very first U.S. flag depicted a coiled snake with the words "Don't tread on me". That is the essence of true freedom. A rattlesnake will not strike unless you try to walk on it. Also it gives fair warning before striking.
This world would be a much better place if all people would adopt an attitude of 'Live and let live." rather than trying to cram one peoples philosophy down another people's throat.