North Korean Nightmare
Hollywood actors have rightfully hit out at the cancellation of the comedy film "The Interview," viewing the move as a cowardly and defeatist act that went against what most of us in the civilised world (should) treasure: freedom of expression. The actor Rob Lowe cleverly compared the film cancellation to Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement with Adolf Hitler's in 1938.
It all started when the Guardians of Peace exposed frightful emails stored on Sony computers, which provoked an investigation that led to the following official conclusion by US officials and North Korean defectors who now live safely in South Korea for the time being: Kim Jong-un runs a hacking group known as Unit 121, which is part of a spy agency called the General Bureau of Reconnaissance, and they threatened to carry out terror attacks on cinemas. Cyber, as averred by Kim Jong-un's enemies, is his "secret war" weapon. Out of shame, Sony is now backtracking and placing the blame on cinemas for the cowardly move. North Korea, unsurprisingly, denies the hack but defends the cancellation of "The Interview."
Now, if you don't know what North Korea is really like, allow me to enlighten you. North Korea is a slave state, a gulag nation where its people are the property of the militarised Kim family, and where a totalitarian "military-first" mobilisation has been ratified. Once the trade between this government and the former Soviet Union came to an end, North Korea lost an untold number of people to sheer starvation. Today, their children are stunted and malformed; many people are blind (one of the highest number of cases in the world); and North Koreans are, on average, 6 inches shorter than their Southern neighbours.
Christopher Hitchens, one of my most cherished authors and once a great journalist, visited North Korea and witnessed people drinking from sewers and picking up individual grains of food from barren fields. Hitchens himself, as a "privileged guest" who was observed during his stay, was made to eat a dog. The Hitch (his nickname) once suspected that Kim Il Sung had got hold of a copy of George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and used it as a blueprint to establish the North Korean dystopia. But the reality is even worse than the hell depicted in Orwell's novel as the capital city Pyongyang does not even permit its citizens to wander in the slums. Everyone has to be at home and in bed by curfew time. At nighttime, as seen from space, the Korean peninsula is brilliantly lit in the south, but a sinister darkness in the north where a Stalinistic atmosphere prevails.
The ingratitude of the North Korea state is highlighted by Hitchens in his 2010 essay to the Slate magazine, entitled, "North Korea: A Nation of Racist Dwarves," as an affixation to the description of anti-American propaganda that resides there: "The United States and its partners make up in aid for the huge shortfall in North Korea's food production, but there is not a hint of acknowledgement of this by the authorities, who tell their captive subjects that the bags of grain stencilled with the Stars and Stripes are tribute paid by a frightened America to the Dear Leader."
Dr. Sanduk Ruit, a Nepali surgeon, led his team to North Korea on a humanitarian mission to cure blindness. After surgery, scores of people were told to remove their blinds to see if the operation had been successful. Ruit had indeed been successful in restoring their eyesight but the patients remained blind in an abstract but nevertheless significant way. They were only grateful to their leader, who, in their eyes, had made their treatment possible - ironically unaware that his inherited and applied regimentation had been the main cause of their ills and that he himself had made the surgeons entry into the country difficult.
The prevalent racist mentality as inculcated by the "Great Leader" is that Koreans should remain racially pure and refrain from becoming mongrelised like their southern counterparts who have already mixed with Americans of all races. Racism and xenophobia is undeniably part of the ideology that is instilled there. So much so that repatriated North Korean women who return pregnant from China - the regime's main ally and protector - are forced to submit to abortions.
Watch out for this branch of the axis of evil that threatens the civilised world of democracy and freedom. North Korea won't hesitate to support jihadists and any other sworn enemy of the US and its allies. President Obama seems to have grown balls against Kim Jong-un, but he must tread carefully. I wonder what his chilling plans for retaliation are and I hope that they are effective in disarming North Korea once and for all. Perhaps a coup d'etat is in order, giving the CIA a chance to redeem itself in the eyes of a naively liberal world.
If he's that easily butthurt by a movie, I wonder what Kim Jong Un would do if he ever saw all the internet memes with cake jokes, and other jokes that makes him look like a whiny fat moron.
At least the Internet isn't afraid to make fun of him
I guess they don't have late night talk shows in North Korea. ;) Or the Daily Show which keeps showing that picture of Kim next to a vat of lube in a factory. He sure seems to love his lube! :lol: And where were they when "Team America: World Police" came out years ago. I guess they didn't have computer hacking technology back then. Then again, that was his father and maybe he had a sense of humor.
Something doesn't add up. Why now all of a sudden? Maybe Dennis Rodman knows....
But enough about "The Interview", and back to your article. North Korea is certainly an interesting social experiment that proves how easily humans can be manipulated and programmed. They mostly just stay closed off and most don't know what is happening behind their borders, but if they start to mess around with the rest of the world then it's about time humanitarians got in there and saved everyone. But the thing is, they don't want to be saved, and are so deep in their delusions many North Koreans are actually 'happy'. Even the starving and the blind think it's God's will, and by God I mean their supreme leader who was born under a rainbow in a unicorn's lair.
Sony has not only exposed its innate cowardice, but also exposed the nature of the West's regression from democratic ideals into nonchalant liberalism and political correctness. Why should we censor ourselves? Everything should be free to say, but people should be aware of the repercussions involved with saying that thing. Perhaps they should put a sign on the cinema door saying, "Watch at your own risk." Then we'll see if the people really have the guts to stand by what they believe in. (I wouldn't go see the film anyway--it didn't look very entertaining.)
You cannot back down every time some bully makes a remote, vague threat, or else what have we come to? We let monsters enforce their will upon nonconsensual subjugates--we let them not only micromanage North Korea, but the entire world. We should be openly and indiscriminately and blatantly ridiculing, satirizing, and plain old mocking such things as the North Korean totalitarian regime. It is the scum of humanity, and proof that--politically--we still have to wage war upon Big Brothers. We cede the terrorists victory if we flinch and cower before they even publicly say or do anything.
"O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave."
More like the home of the whimpering cowards.
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Guitar48300 wrote: If he's that easily butthurt by a movie, I wonder what Kim Jong Un would do if he ever saw all the internet memes with cake jokes, and other jokes that makes him look like a whiny fat moron.
At least the Internet isn't afraid to make fun of him
Kim Jong-un won't even admit his involvement but he is certainly testing the waters. He also seems to be even more conceited than his father. To his people, he is the reincarnation of the father. There is only one Supreme Leader for all time there. He literally is the Father, the Son, and the Holy spirit. He is God and his devout followers certainly express a kind of religious fervour that couldn't be any more emotionally exaggerated.
HAGART wrote: I guess they don't have late night talk shows in North Korea. ;)
Are you kidding? Only the Dear Leader is privy to the artistic spoils or entertaining dividends that are supposedly paid to North Korea by the external world in appeasement. Kim Jong-un will only feed lies in the form of literature and dictation he authored, relevant propaganda that helps to maintain his power and credibility, and his image that he demands be incessantly worshipped. He has established his own death cult.
HAGART wrote: where were they when "Team America: World Police" came out years ago. I guess they didn't have computer hacking technology back then. Then again, that was his father and maybe he had a sense of humor.
Something doesn't add up. Why now all of a sudden? Maybe Dennis Rodman knows....
LOL! Yeah, the father probably trod carefully or perhaps he wanted to give the impression that at least he had a sense of humour. Or silence was his attempt to give the rest of the world the impression that he was the bigger man. Who knows! Conspiracy theorists would say the hackers work for the US government to remind us that the United states is heaven compared to certain dictatorships elsewhere. The president may even want to look good (in the sense that he won't take any shit) after the Syrian civil war fiasco where Islamists were allowed to take advantage of the chaos. See "Religion and Politics: Iraqi Crisis":
http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=15125
As for Dennis Rodman... What a disgrace! What was he thinking? He says his friend is a great leader like his father and that he is just a normal guy. Really?! Why be Kim Jong-un's sidekick and help him to reinforce his anti-American propaganda? So what if Kim Jong-un is a fan of Chicago Bulls? This friendship is still convenient for him as he wants to show his people that an American agrees with him, fears him, and does not see him as a vile dictator at all. :roll:
HAGART wrote: North Korea is certainly an interesting social experiment that proves how easily humans can be manipulated and programmed. They mostly just stay closed off and most don't know what is happening behind their borders, but if they start to mess around with the rest of the world then it's about time humanitarians got in there and saved everyone. But the thing is, they don't want to be saved, and are so deep in their delusions many North Koreans are actually 'happy'. Even the starving and the blind think it's God's will, and by God I mean their supreme leader who was born under a rainbow in a unicorn's lair.
Yes, Kim Jong-un is using a meme that is very prevalent and has the potential to survive for millennia if "rationally" maintained: the religious one. He plays the role of Yahweh, the Machiavellian leader, the one to be worshipped, feared and loved. Sadomasochism has been established as the norm and the best that a serf can get. The Dear Leader knows better for he is great and above everyone. He is also the saviour and protector of the nation.
deschainXIX wrote: Perhaps they should put a sign on the cinema door saying, "Watch at your own risk." Then we'll see if the people really have the guts to stand by what they believe in. (I wouldn't go see the film anyway--it didn't look very entertaining.)
That would have been more dignified. Like tobacco! Smoke at your peril but it is your right. I don't believe in censorship of any kind. Human nature should be exposed and understood. Only then can be have civilised discourses about what is right and wrong. People should also be willing to die for freedom. I'd rather die than live in planet North Korea.
"O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave." More like the home of the whimpering cowards.
Tell me about it! :roll:
This is Mrs. Summerlander. We loved Team America. Maybe Kim Jong-il was ronery at the time and wanted to make friends! lol
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Guys, have you heard the latest from Barack Obama? The threat was not an act of war despite the assertion that North Korea is connected to the hacking unit. He is calling it an act of cyber-vandalism! Hmmm... Reminds me of the bogus and convenient "war on terrorism" which was really a war on jihadists and radical Islam after 9/11.
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North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un surely suffers from megalomania, and he cares infinitely more about reckless, ruthless displays of his power than he does about the welfare of his people.
His terrorist threats against America and computer attack against Sony are reprehensible. However, I think Sony officials should have predicted that the comedy movie "The Interview", which involves a plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un, would certainly trigger huge threats and damage attempts from this unhinged despot.
Regarding the decision by Sony and movie theater chains to cancel showings of this controversial movie, I do not really think this is an act of cowardice. The memory of the mass shooting at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012 is still fresh in many people's minds. I don't know if there are any North Korean secret agents who could cause movie theater mayhem in the U.S. However, I have no doubt whatsoever that our country has a disturbing number of "home-grown" dangerous nuts who heard the news about the terrorist threat from North Korea, and who immediately began to have fantasies about themselves going out and shooting up a movie theater full of people, in order to inflict paranoid "revenge against the world" and become famous in the process.
Perhaps Sony will release "The Interview" movie on DVD or other digital format. Under the present crazy circumstances, this would seem, to me, to be a safer choice.
You make a good point, Jasmine2.
There are many copycat killers out there, and perhaps pulling the movie was not cowardice, but the responsible thing to do.
It's a shame though. I agree with DeschainXIX that I wouldn't watch it anyway in the theater because it's not high on my list of things to watch, and didn't care much for Pineapple Express, but I don't like censorship and terrorism and wish others could watch it in peace if they so choose.
Then again, after all this publicity I want to watch it now! How do you defeat terrorism? You stop being afraid. If that movie became a #1 blockbuster of all time that would send a strong message wouldn't it?
"Terrorism" is such a broad term though and seems to be only synonymous with Jihadists. But America fails to realize they have their own home-grown terrorist group with plans to build a weapon of mass destruction in the form of a Death Ray. They are a terrorist group that goes by the name, Klu Klux Klan.
If America was truly at war on terror they should start there. ;)
It's funny how North Korea has committed so many atrocities, but as soon as they mess with Hollywood the world is up in arms! :lol:
Don't get me wrong; I see where the small minority of people who think Sony Picture's actions were justified are coming from. But they are on the wrong track of thinking. They are thinking not as humanists but as self-centered Americans.
The publication of "The Satanic Verses" was a milestone in global freedom of speech, but everyone seems to forget its lesson, and our discourse every time something like this happens is characterized by verbigeration and uselessness. In the wake of 9/11, Americans asked their government what they could do to resist the insidious victory of terror--and the government told them simply not to be afraid. To go out and buy things and go to the movies and have a nice dinner and keep the economy on its feet. Write a book if you like. But people have forgotten this as well, it seems. We're now willing to let terror win. That's what fundamentally terror is, you realize.
We cannot let people like the Kims get their way and be allowed to exert their dominion via threats upon the only ones who can take them down. We're so petrified of something bad happening to us elite, innocent civilians that we are ready to give in on a moment's notice--that's how decadent we've become. Meanwhile, North Koreans suffer and starve and die at the hands of the autocrats to whose power they (and now ourselves, apparently) give wholehearted consent. As a world superpower, we must have more responsibility and recognition of that responsibility than this. I'm an American. But I'm also a human. (Recently in Peshawar, Pakistan, the Taliban stormed a school and killed some 140 children. The immensity of such an atrocity would indeed be raised to insurmountable heights had the massacre taken place in America or Britain.) This method of appeasement has been tried and proven ineffective. Of the many examples I could list, I'm primarily thinking of the beginning of World War II, when Hitler was ravaging Europe while the Allied Powers, atrophied and lethargic as a result of the painful combination of guilt (for conclusions of WWI and the retribution Germany was subject to courtesy of France) and fear, adopted a policy of appeasement. They gave Hitler the artillery for his cannons, rather than immediately rallying together, mustering their courage, and assaulting him before he could get a foothold in European and otherwise soil.
I don't know about you all, but I think freedom of speech/public honesty/media reliability is of vital importance to a surviving and thriving society. We cannot be forced to stop saying things simply because someone says we shouldn't be saying them. We shouldn't be bullied into silent submission; we should state the whole truth, even if it kills us. What's more important than honesty and clarity? Lucidity to all, I say! When Marilyn Manson did musical tours, he would constantly get all sorts of bomb and shooting threats. But he went on the stage every time, and guess what? Nothing ever happened. Nine times out of ten, when someone issues a formal threat, it's an empty one. If you really were going to shot up a crowd, you wouldn't want to clue in the security so they can beef things up, would you? But if you knew a speaker was coming to your local university, and you wanted to avert his or her presence, issuing an empty threat would be a pretty easy way of making that happen. Not that I'm saying the threats Sony received are empty ... just something to think about...
jasmine2 wrote: I think Sony officials should have predicted that the comedy movie "The Interview", which involves a plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un, would certainly trigger huge threats and damage attempts from this unhinged despot.
No no no no no! Take heed of deschainXIX and also what I'm about to tell you... :mrgreen:
You are blaming the wrong side. You have practically just stated that freedom of expression can trigger bad things. You have just stated that if Sony and the cinemas were to go ahead and show the film, it would have been their fault that the terrorists carried out their strike. We cannot sustain this way of thinking as it means that we are being polite to people who don't deserve it and giving in to their demands.
Should Salman's Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" be censored? Should we all be deprived of Judas Priest's music because some unhinged individual read too much into the lyrics? Should Bambi be censored because some conspiracy theorists believe that the Illuminati conveys sinister subliminal messages to our children through Disney's animation? If we always had to tread carefully for fear that some nut might do something, nothing would ever get done. It would also mean that we would be allowing psychopathy and religion to triumph over humour. If this happens, we are truly doomed! :shock:
It has already been pointed out that "Team America" did a lot worse to Kim Jong-Il and nothing happened. And what about the fact that Kim Jong-un portrays Americans as hook-nosed monsters to his people? Do we see Americans getting offended? Should they? Kim Jong-un tells the world, "Do not laugh at me or you will be severely punished!" What is this horrible approach? And what kind of cowardice urges everyone to keep their mouths shut so that we don't upset the narcissistic dictator? :x
I would say that the noble approach is for people to be willing to die for freedom of expression. I have three kids and I do not want them to live in a world where we have to decide what ideas, art, and other forms of creativity are allowed to circulate because someone might get too upset. :idea:
I would just like to inform you that, while Mr. Obama is too busy playing down the threats by calling them "cyber-vandalism," Kim Jong-un has already accused America of orchestrating "The Interview" business as a pretext for some unknown end and that it doesn't matter because he will soon launch an attack "a thousand times worse." So much for the whole thing not being an act of war... :roll:
North Korean propaganda is far worse than "The Interview". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd1qR66gcLQ "North Korea blows up White House in propaganda video" (at around 2:50 minutes) If you read the information about the video it tells more about it and what the content is, because it's all in Korean.
If anyone should cyber-terror anyone it should be Canada against South Park. ;) Yet we in the civilized world would laugh at that idea. We can't give North Korea special treatment. They certainly don't deserve it.
And that is the difference between Canadians and North Koreans. The latter have been brainwashed to the extremes and the former are biding their time. :-D
I think North Korea has been airing enough material to warrant a nuclear strike on America's part. But the trouble is how many innocent people would die and how South Korea could be affected.
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We're still brooding over America's 1995 propaganda release, "Canadian Bacon". But we will bide our time for now....
LOL! You do that for now! :mrgreen:
I can't believe the latest news! North Korea has just suffered a massive Internet outage and now there is speculation that this is part of the retaliation that President Obama alluded to. The United States will never admit to this but perhaps they got their own hackers to go to town on the Orwellian dystopia.
This is truly surreal! :o
I think we should at least assassinate the Kim family. Without going to war. That, at least, is totally warranted. Maybe some sort of mass strike really is in order, though. Things are heating up.
Yeah, Americans could take out the North Korean government and assassinate the Dear Leader. If the US government is not responsible for what just happened there, then maybe America-loving hackers around the world are. Who knows. Obama still needs to keep an eye on Mr. Ronery's son.
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Now Sony will release the film: a little late, you are still cowards. And the availability is still very limited as a safety measure. Not good enough!
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I didn't think much about the film but now I have been looking at North Korea under a microscope in my spare time. I think we should all raise awareness and see what's going on behind those borders.
When natural events strikes a nation the world comes together and caters to their needs, but if a dictator is a culprit, well what is the world to do? Diplomacy is a bitch.
That's my vent for the day, but I know I'm right.
We cannot negotiate with psychos. We cannot reason with unreasonable men. Kim Jong-un has committed crimes against humanity and needs to be dethroned. Diplomacy is not applicable here, it only serves as a smokescreen for politicians who are too wrapped up in appearances or how they will go down in history.
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I'm getting sick and tired of lying puppets and wish the world would wake up. I feel you.
Wake Up - Rage Against the Machine. 8-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUfaJ8RqfOg "Raise your fist in the air in the land of hypocrisy." 8-)
I was on You Tube to find that video and "The Interview" is now on the top of the list, full movie. I think some activists or somebody put it on there. We should all check it out!
Nevermind, it said it was 1:52:11 long, so I thought it was the full movie, but it turns out it's a fake and just an ad. Bah... I was about to carefully holster my fist, but I guess it has to go back in the air again!
DAMN YOU, FREE SERVICE! :lol: ;)
Yeah I've got that song. RATM rock!! Now Kim Jong-un is saying Obama is a monkey. Nice. His retaliation had to be personal and somewhat racist.
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When I heard about the monkey comment I just laughed. Kim Jong-un is so thuggish and simple, almost uneducated with such a remark. The racism and pouty immaturity really shone through this time.
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HAGART wrote: I'm getting sick and tired of lying puppets and wish the world would wake up. I feel you.
Wake Up - Rage Against the Machine. 8-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUfaJ8RqfOg "Raise your fist in the air in the land of hypocrisy." 8-)
I was on You Tube to find that video and "The Interview" is now on the top of the list, full movie. I think some activists or somebody put it on there. We should all check it out!
Nevermind, it said it was 1:52:11 long, so I thought it was the full movie, but it turns out it's a fake and just an ad. Bah... I was about to carefully holster my fist, but I guess it has to go back in the air again!
DAMN YOU, FREE SERVICE! :lol: ;)
Don't pay a dime for this movie - it's the worst film with professional grade cast I've ever seen, even for a B movie it would be very bad. I doubt very much that sony was hacked by anyone. This looks like a ploy toget people to pay for and watch a film that could not be released to theaters it's so bad.
Yep. The reviews are abysmal. It has a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. I didn't see it; I knew it would be terrible and the most distasteful kind of 11-year-old comedy when they devoted about 1/3 of the trailer's running time to flaunting a scene where Seth Rogan's character must hide some piece of technology in his ass. And James Franco? James freaking Franco? No thanks, I'll pass. :lol:
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It's shit then? Now we know why the great Dear Leader was so offended!!! :-D
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Snaggle wrote: This looks like a ploy toget people to pay for and watch a film that could not be released to theaters it's so bad.
I said before, (not here in this thread) that I think it was an inside job to promote it. But then when it got pulled and SONY lost money from the movies that were leaked, I second guessed myself. SONY doesn't want to lose money.
But if James Franco ruined it like he did hosting the Oscars, and it's really THAT BAD... than yea, I can see how they might remove it from theaters to boost DVD sales in attempt to save money. So the question is will SONY make up for their losses? (Always follow the money....)
deschainXIX wrote: I knew it would be terrible and the most distasteful kind of 11-year-old comedy
Enra Traz wrote: Now we know why the great Dear Leader was so offended!!!
Wouldn't an eleven year old that calls people, "monkeys", surely like a childish, offensive movie then? Maybe THAT's the conspiracy Kim doesn't want us all to know!
Yes it's basically shit. Go see "The Imitation Game" instead, especially if you're a Cumberbitch like myself. But, yes. Probably Kim Jong-un is just tragically misunderstood. Probably he only wanted to avert this further stride of American descension into artistic madness. We've figured it out, guys.
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*Sorry, DeschainXIX and Summerlander, but I disagree. I don't think Kim Jong-un was offended by "The Interview", or cares to protect the descension of American film into madness and what passes off as 'comedy' these days. I think he actually enjoyed the trailer and wants to see it. *
**Here's my theory I whipped up: **
Kim Jong-un is secretly a movie buff with poor taste. Where do you think he disappeared to a few months back? Some speculate he got sick from eating cheese and being lactose in tolerant which is only half the truth. He was actually binge watching Seth Rogan and James Franco movies, eating massive amounts of Cheez Doodles. Then one day, Kim Jong-un saw the new trailer and snickered, and was smiling like he does in lube factories, when someone in the room overheard him, so he had to pretend he was coughing to hide it.
He still secretly wanted to see it and have a private screening, but he didn’t know Sony Pictures’ phone number, and only has highly censored North Korean Internet, so he called up his pal, Dennis to look up the number on the American Internet for him. He then contacted Sony Pictures, and at first they thought it was a prank call, so to prove there is only one Kim Jong-un, he banned everyone else from sharing the same name as him. Then they swapped stories of atrocities such as North Korean famines and James Franco hosting the Oscars. He was about to ask for a favour and get a private screening when Sony Pictures suddenly had an idea that could benefit them both. They hatched a plan to create a hoax that allows Sony Pictures to justifiably pull the horrendous film from the theaters without suspicion, and at the same time, Kim Jung-un can now easily get a copy of The Interview which goes straight to DVD sooner to watch in private. It’s win-win! They're all in cahoots.
Soon, he and Dennis will be laying back watching it together, and everyone saves face. Except Kim Jughead-un and Dennis Rodman who will have orange Cheez Doodle smudges on their cheeks.
LMAO! This is probably true! ^^^ :-D
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