On reflection, in this case, I don't buy the whitewashing argument at all, and frankly it strikes me as ignorant of the history of the character.
Yes, Godzilla originally bore some serious metaphoric weight as a manifestation of postwar Japanese atomic fears. That was the first movie. Of dozens.
Later, he became a more ambiguous figure in subsequent movies, like in Destroy All Monsters when he teamed up with Rodan and Mothra to fight Ghidorah, and then he became a flat-out hero when he fought enemies like Mechagodzilla or Hedorah. (Indeed, Godzilla vs. Hedorah is a Godzilla movie about the dangers of environmental neglect and pollution, so there's precedent for that too.)
The character of Godzilla has served a VARIETY of purposes over his history, and frankly, it's a little pathetic of American activists to ignore all the work put in by Toho in favor of freezing the character at a single point that happens to push their white-guilt buttons. You do not get social justice points for ignoring what Japanese artists have actually done, just because it doesn't fit a narrative you find convenient.
TL;DR: Don't lecture people on what Godzilla is "really" about if you don't actually know very much about Godzilla.
no subject
Yes, Godzilla originally bore some serious metaphoric weight as a manifestation of postwar Japanese atomic fears. That was the first movie. Of dozens.
Later, he became a more ambiguous figure in subsequent movies, like in Destroy All Monsters when he teamed up with Rodan and Mothra to fight Ghidorah, and then he became a flat-out hero when he fought enemies like Mechagodzilla or Hedorah. (Indeed, Godzilla vs. Hedorah is a Godzilla movie about the dangers of environmental neglect and pollution, so there's precedent for that too.)
The character of Godzilla has served a VARIETY of purposes over his history, and frankly, it's a little pathetic of American activists to ignore all the work put in by Toho in favor of freezing the character at a single point that happens to push their white-guilt buttons. You do not get social justice points for ignoring what Japanese artists have actually done, just because it doesn't fit a narrative you find convenient.
TL;DR: Don't lecture people on what Godzilla is "really" about if you don't actually know very much about Godzilla.