Kim Jong-Il makes sacrifices for North Korea

[jimmy olsen]

I wonder if the North Korean people actually believe shit like this or silently laugh at it (since they wouldn't dare voice public criticism).

I think they believe it.  I remember a story about some foreign eye doctor that went to North Korea and restored their sight.

http://rokdrop.com/2007/03/12/lisa-ling-special-on-north-korea-on-you-tube/

It was amazing to watch the eye doctor restore eye sight to people who had been blind for years and they immediately walk up to pictures of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il to thank them for giving back their eye sight without a word of thanks to the Nepalese doctor. The most chilling scene was when one old woman pledged to work harder in the salt mines for the glory of Kim Jong-il for returning her eye sight.

Seriously, the Salt Mines? Could they be any less cliche?

[Slargos]

I wonder if the North Korean people actually believe shit like this or silently laugh at it (since they wouldn't dare voice public criticism).

Given what the Swedish people believes after 80 years of communist rule even with the availability of a wide open internet, it would certainly not surprise me.

[DGuller]

It sort of makes you think, though.  If North Koreans are so happy despite being one meal away from starving to death, then maybe they're onto something?  Maybe living more like North Koreans would make us happier about our lot.  I guess we'll find in a couple of years, if Obama has his way.

[garbon]

Maybe living more like North Koreans would make us happier about our lot.  I guess we'll find in a couple of years, if Obama has his way.

We can all escape to Texas for peace and freedom once it secedes.

[Grey Fox]

It sort of makes you think, though.  If North Koreans are so happy despite being one meal away from starving to death, then maybe they're onto something?  Maybe living more like North Koreans would make us happier about our lot.  I guess we'll find in a couple of years, if Obama has his way.

Why do you diss our lord & savior? I guess Jesus got the same treatment.

[DGuller]

Maybe living more like North Koreans would make us happier about our lot.  I guess we'll find in a couple of years, if Obama has his way.

We can all escape to Texas for peace and freedom once it secedes.

I'm not sure about that, it's going to be under Mexican influence.

[KRonn]

It sort of makes you think, though.  If North Koreans are so happy despite being one meal away from starving to death, then maybe they're onto something?  Maybe living more like North Koreans would make us happier about our lot.  I guess we'll find in a couple of years, if Obama has his way.

Lol...   

But then, Pres Obama is creating a lot of new Czars!   

[The Brain]

Maybe living more like North Koreans would make us happier about our lot.  I guess we'll find in a couple of years, if Obama has his way.

We can all escape to Texas for peace and freedom once it secedes.

I'm not sure about that, it's going to be under Mexican influence.

Absolutly.

[garbon]

I'm not sure about that, it's going to be under Mexican influence.

Mexico can hardly hold its own country together.  I suppose Mexican cartels could try to move in more aggressively but I think Texans will recall the Alamo.

[Lucidor]

It sort of makes you think, though.  If North Koreans are so happy despite being one meal away from starving to death, then maybe they're onto something?  Maybe living more like North Koreans would make us happier about our lot.  I guess we'll find in a couple of years, if Obama has his way.

Lol...   

But then, Pres Obama is creating a lot of new Czars!   

I'm all for it:

Czars good
advisors bad!

:USA:

[Neil]

Sounds a bit like typical medieval societies.
It was always the king's corrupt advisors to blame- the sun shone out of the monarch's arse no matter how bad he was.

That's actually close to the Russian term for this, which is "Good czar, bad advisers".

Indeed.  Socially and politically infantile societies tend to adopt the idea that the leader is fine, but his kind rule if prevented from reaching the people by the forces of corruption that surround him.  More advanced, but still immature societies hold that everyone in a position of authority is a selfish asshole, and they are always sticking it to the people at every turn.  Mature societies realize that the truth is that the people themselves are total assholes who deserve nothing but scorn and mistreatment, and that they get the government that they deserve.

[Oexmelin]

To get a glimpse of the views of one of the rare foreigner allowed in North Korea: http://www.amazon.com/Pyongyang-Journey-North-Guy-Delisle/dp/1896597890

[Queequeg]

To get a glimpse of the views of one of the rare foreigner allowed in North Korea: http://www.amazon.com/Pyongyang-Journey-North-Guy-Delisle/dp/1896597890

A great book.  Have you read his other books about East Asia?  IIRC he did Shanghai. 

[Oexmelin]

A great book.  Have you read his other books about East Asia?  IIRC he did Shanghai.

Yep. He did Shenzhen (not Shanghai), Burma, and a small collaboration about India (I don't know if this one has been translated, though: L'Association en Inde).

Btw, this is the animated feature he is supervising while in China: http://papyrus.spirou.com/  (you can recognize the drawings in his works)

[Sheilbh]

I believe that the brainwashing was believed to be very effective but its effectiveness has either been very diminished or is gone entirely.  Apparently the 90s famine was the turning point because it forced many North Koreans to communicate with the outside world (trying to buy food from towns over the Chinese border) and so on.  There's now a small black market and people are aware of how different their situation is from South Korea and from China at least.