“This film is not an act of courage. It is not a stand against totalitarianism, concentration camps, mass starvation, or state-sponsored terror. It is, based on what we know of the movie so far, simply a comedy, made by a group of talented actors, writers, and directors, and intended, like most comedies, to make money and earn laughs. The movie would perhaps have been better off with a fictitious dictator and regime; instead, it appears to serve up the latest in a long line of cheap and sometimes racism-tinged jokes, stretching from Team America: World Police to ongoing sketches on Saturday Night Live.”… Yes, North Korea has long been ruled by an eccentric dynasty of portly dictators with bad haircuts. Yes, the propaganda the regime regularly trumpets to shore up its cult of personality is largely ridiculous. And yes, we on the outside know better, and can take comfort in pointing fingers and chuckling at the regime’s foibles.
But it takes no valor and costs precious little to joke about these things safely oceans away from North Korea’s reach.”
Yes, exactly. I find myself pleasantly amused by North Korea instead of properly recognizing the human rights violations and complex historical factors behind the way the country is structured. This is (a) all of the stereotypes about Asian men being non-threatening despite bumbling scheming, and (b) erasing the real pain of millions of people. I think that when North Korea inevitably crumbles, and rejoins South Korea, and all of the stories of the realities of North Korea start being everywhere – I think there is going to be a moment of stunned silence, like when you are laughing at someone who has just tripped and then you realize that they are actually really hurt.
It’s the anecdote in here about Charlie Chaplain learning about the concentration camps, and regretting his comedic take on Hitler.
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