Usually, ‘the US started the war with Japan’ crowd cites the US (and allies) cutoff of most of Japan’s oil supplies as the key. The US had long sided with China over Japan as the Japanese demands on China dating to before World War One. This theme is used by thoughtful free-traders even today.
I did bring up whether they thought trade concessions were a reason to start a war, but it got zero comment. They seemed to believe there’s something about America that makes people want to dominate the whole world, and programs its white citizens to kill or enslave other skin tones. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were like capitalist sharia.
I know they are the minority but it disheartens a person to see young people, our “hope for the future”, and mentally they are already as locked in as a suicide bomber being fitted for a vest.