ParadiseLost 333 Posted December 19, 2011 Is anyone else amazed at how badly koreans are taking the death of their leader - its such a closed society there! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chelsea89 4 Posted December 19, 2011 I'm not at all surprised. He was worshipped by them literally, they hold congregations where they " thank the leader" for being merciful and gracious to their country. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ParadiseLost 333 Posted December 19, 2011 I actually don't know much about North Korea but 10 days of mourning for their leader shows they really must have loved him! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 19, 2011 It helps to have the entire state mobilized around his personality cult. Media, education, and law enforcement are all thoroughly engaged in creating and maintaining this cult. Even if they didn't love him, there still would have been a ten day mourning period. The state decrees it, and the state holds control over each and ever life within its borders. My wife is Korean, so I have read some about North Korea. I hope the new government can break away from this past and start along the path of reunification with South Korea. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teckni 1 Posted December 20, 2011 Considering this new leader has no experience, I have a feeling North Korea is taking a turn for an even greater worse. The Kim Jong family all needs to be charged for crimes against humanity as mass murderers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 20, 2011 Considering this new leader has no experience, I have a feeling North Korea is taking a turn for an even greater worse. The Kim Jong family all needs to be charged for crimes against humanity as mass murderers. If things get worse than they are now, I doubt the military leaders will allow him to rule for long. He'll either be a figure-head or a sacrificial lamb, depending on whether he cooperates and his perceived value as a propaganda tool. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ala'adin 184 Posted December 20, 2011 When I first read the story i thought that the people would have been happy, but they looked genuinely upset. I initially thought it was all for show as the world has known him to be a tyrant for many years. In fact some papers ran with the headline "tears for a tyrant"... I guess it goes to show again how we on the "west" only ever see one side of the story... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 20, 2011 When I first read the story i thought that the people would have been happy, but they looked genuinely upset. I initially thought it was all for show as the world has known him to be a tyrant for many years. In fact some papers ran with the headline "tears for a tyrant"... I guess it goes to show again how we on the "west" only ever see one side of the story... And why would the North Koreans release a video of people happy that their cultic leader died? Everything is controlled there. You can't even leave the country without risking your own life or the lives of your family. Nevertheless, I do not doubt that they did succeed in gathering enough people who were capable of shedding tears to make the video. All that takes is a program of thorough indoctrination. Surely you can believe that is possible, why, you already believe it is possible with every false religion out there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zain al 1 Posted December 20, 2011 Still any leader brave enough to stand against the judeo-american hagemony deserved to be admired. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ala'adin 184 Posted December 20, 2011 And why would the North Koreans release a video of people happy that their cultic leader died? Everything is controlled there. You can't even leave the country without risking your own life or the lives of your family. Nevertheless, I do not doubt that they did succeed in gathering enough people who were capable of shedding tears to make the video. All that takes is a program of thorough indoctrination. Surely you can believe that is possible, why, you already believe it is possible with every false religion out there. I do not disagree with you, but my post was only intended to show the disparity between the two medias Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ParadiseLost 333 Posted December 20, 2011 We may only see one side but I think they only see one side too... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
superstar 0 Posted December 20, 2011 I actually don't know much about North Korea but 10 days of mourning for their leader shows they really must have loved him! It's not love. It is fear induced by a lifetime of brainwashing. NOT LOVE....FEAR. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scotia 1 Posted December 20, 2011 I think this sums up the media in North Korea............ Kim Jong-il may have only played golf once, but he was still apparently able to record the best round in the history of the game. That is of course if you believe the questionable claims by media outlets in Pyongyang in 1994. He was said to have shot 38 under par (an unbelievable 25 shots better than the world record) on a regulation course, including an astonishing 11 holes in one. Talk about beginner's luck! Sadly, the Guinness Book of Records have yet to recognise the Dear Leader's achievements on the fairway. from MSN, 13 unlikely 'facts' about Kim Jong-il Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
superstar 0 Posted December 20, 2011 It helps to have the entire state mobilized around his personality cult. Media, education, and law enforcement are all thoroughly engaged in creating and maintaining this cult. Even if they didn't love him, there still would have been a ten day mourning period. The state decrees it, and the state holds control over each and ever life within its borders. My wife is Korean, so I have read some about North Korea. I hope the new government can break away from this past and start along the path of reunification with South Korea. It's a nice thought, but it really can't happen without a very high cost, economically and socially. The North and South Koreans are as different as Saudia Arabis and Enland. The Germans did it but the Soviet indoctrination was mild compared to the mind f...k placed on the North Koreans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 20, 2011 It's a nice thought, but it really can't happen without a very high cost, economically and socially. The North and South Koreans are as different as Saudia Arabis and Enland. The Germans did it but the Soviet indoctrination was mild compared to the mind f...k placed on the North Koreans. You are right. It will require a great cost. But even an opening up of the society by degrees is moving in the right direction and could result in the gradual convergence of the two societies to the point where reunification might be a more feasible project. I don't really know the future though, so I have no idea how things will play out. It could be much more rapid than that or it could never take place. I'd still like to hope. I would be encouraged just to see the economic and social conditions of North Koreans improve with a departure from the near complete isolationism imposed on the country. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
superstar 0 Posted December 20, 2011 You are right. It will require a great cost. But even an opening up of the society by degrees is moving in the right direction and could result in the gradual convergence of the two societies to the point where reunification might be a more feasible project. I don't really know the future though, so I have no idea how things will play out. It could be much more rapid than that or it could never take place. I'd still like to hope. I would be encouraged just to see the economic and social conditions of North Koreans improve with a departure from the near complete isolationism imposed on the country. The problem lies with the youth of South Korea. Most of them don't feel a connection with the North. They are really two separate people. It would probably be better for the N. Koreans to come out of the trance and join the world on their own, first. The South would have to open up too many mental hospitals(I'm not kidding about this point), and their ecomnomy would suffer so much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 20, 2011 The problem lies with the youth of South Korea. Most of them don't feel a connection with the North. They are really two separate people. It would probably be better for the N. Koreans to come out of the trance and join the world on their own, first. The South would have to open up too many mental hospitals(I'm not kidding about this point), and their ecomnomy would suffer so much. I wonder how much of that is due to the prospect not seeming real to them though. I would like to see what happens to public opinion if North Korea did begin to make moves that made the possibility of reunification more feasible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ParadiseLost 333 Posted December 20, 2011 It's not love. It is fear induced by a lifetime of brainwashing. NOT LOVE....FEAR. Relax. Just because they may have been brainwashed which probably is the case, does not mean they didn't love him - I am sure they are thought from a young age to worship him Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 20, 2011 Still any leader brave enough to stand against the judeo-american hagemony deserved to be admired. That is a narrow mindset. It is not the case that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. He wasn't brave, he just loved power and the idea of him wielding it with absolute control, at least within the confines of his country. His megalomania cost the people under his control many years of malnutrition and increasing poverty if not their very lives. I wouldn't think a Muslim could admire such a leader, given the tenets of Islam. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Younes 202 Posted December 20, 2011 That is a narrow mindset. It is not the case that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. He wasn't brave, he just loved power and the idea of him wielding it with absolute control, at least within the confines of his country. His megalomania cost the people under his control many years of malnutrition and increasing poverty if not their very lives. I wouldn't think a Muslim could admire such a leader, given the tenets of Islam. I agree. Standing up against the US or a country that is anti-Islamic is not something admirable in itself. The North Korean leader/dictator definately was destructive. There is nothing admirable about him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 20, 2011 I agree. Standing up against the US or a country that is anti-Islamic is not something admirable in itself. The North Korean leader/dictator definately was destructive. There is nothing admirable about him. I should add that the same sort of misguided thinking (the enemy of my enemy...) is precisely what has been going wrong with much of American foreign policy. We have supported regimes simply because they say they are opposed to our current opponent without any long term considerations of how the dynamics of the situation can change within just a short period of time, transforming all of the resources we offered into weapons against us. This is what happens when the leadership fails to make a principled stand in policy development and execution and instead attempt to take shortcuts offered to us by dubious allies. They lie to themselves thinking that it is pragmatic instead of what it really is, foolishness masquerading as wisdom. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zain al 1 Posted December 21, 2011 You need to be brave to stand against the judeo-american supremacy - unlike some goody goody muslim leaders. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ParadiseLost 333 Posted December 21, 2011 And 2 wrongs don't make a right Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wanderer 21 Posted December 21, 2011 I should add that the same sort of misguided thinking (the enemy of my enemy...) is precisely what has been going wrong with much of American foreign policy. We have supported regimes simply because they say they are opposed to our current opponent without any long term considerations of how the dynamics of the situation can change within just a short period of time, transforming all of the resources we offered into weapons against us. This is what happens when the leadership fails to make a principled stand in policy development and execution and instead attempt to take shortcuts offered to us by dubious allies. They lie to themselves thinking that it is pragmatic instead of what it really is, foolishness masquerading as wisdom. This just makes the warnings against entering into "entangling alliances" from America's founding fathers ring truer today than ever before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
the sad clown 3 Posted December 21, 2011 This just makes the warnings against entering into "entangling alliances" from America's founding fathers ring truer today than ever before. I am not as adverse to alliances, but there certainly needs to be a more principled approach to foreign policy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites