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"U.S. propaganda can dismiss North Korea’s legitimate concerns so easily because of the underlying racist assumption that these are a bizarre and simple-minded

"U.S. propaganda can dismiss North Korea’s legitimate concerns so easily because of the underlying racist assumption that these are a bizarre and simple-minded people that believe in things like unicorns. This feeds off of and into orientalist logic that sees East Asians as a nearly subhuman “other” that can’t be reasoned with and so must be handled with force." I don't particularly see this logic with Vietnamese, Chinese, South Koreans, Japan. At least in the particular context of military action. In fact, most of the articles I end up reading about Japanese, South Korean, or Chinese responses to what North Korea is doing at the current time. That said, I think there is a big role of racism to play when North Korea is used as a fear tactic during political cycles locally. But maybe everything is just about America and I'm wrong here.

wyldfire 9y ago
The "US propaganda" that I see and hear regarding PRK is almost always regarding the cult of personality of the Supreme Leader. I don't think I've ever seen anything that would lead me to believe that its people are simple-minded. The thing that puzzles me is, as in any dictatorship -- why does the military enforce the unjust rule? Is it that they don't see the plight of their people, they don't care, or they're enriched by the status quo and can't imagine disrupting it? Or something else entirely? And why do the Chinese continue to support this state? Is it because of a belief in the ideology? Or a perpetual bargaining chip with the US?
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  > The thing that puzzles me is, as in any dictatorship -- why does the military enforce the unjust rule? Self-interest (in the most case, individual, on the part of each actor.) As in any dictatorship. > Is it that they don't see the plight of their people, they don't care, or they're enriched by the status quo and can't imagine disrupting it? They see the plight of their people, and don't want to join it, and even moreso don't want to be (along with potentially their family) killed when any one of the many co-conspirators they would need to do something about it turns out to be a regime loyalist who scuttles the plan before it kicks off. > And why do the Chinese continue to support this state? Because they don't want a united Korea, and even moreso don't want a US (and Japan)-allied united Korea on their border. The DPRK is an alternative focus for China's global and regional rivals attention.

wyldfire 9y ago

The "US propaganda" that I see and hear regarding PRK is almost always regarding the cult of personality of the Supreme Leader. I don't think I've ever seen anything that would lead me to believe that its people are simple-minded. The thing that puzzles me is, as in any dictatorship -- why does the military enforce the unjust rule? Is it that they don't see the plight of their people, they don't care, or they're enriched by the status quo and can't imagine disrupting it? Or something else entirely? And why do the Chinese continue to support this state? Is it because of a belief in the ideology? Or a perpetual bargaining chip with the US?

dragonwriter 9y ago
> The thing that puzzles me is, as in any dictatorship -- why does the military enforce the unjust rule? Self-interest (in the most case, individual, on the part of each actor.) As in any dictatorship. > Is it that they don't see the plight of their people, they don't care, or they're enriched by the status quo and can't imagine disrupting it? They see the plight of their people, and don't want to join it, and even moreso don't want to be (along with potentially their family) killed when any one of the many co-conspirators they would need to do something about it turns out to be a regime loyalist who scuttles the plan before it kicks off. > And why do the Chinese continue to support this state? Because they don't want a united Korea, and even moreso don't want a US (and Japan)-allied united Korea on their border. The DPRK is an alternative focus for China's global and regional rivals attention.