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>brainwashed minions Kinda ironic considering which site posted the article + it's not even true. We should all take a step back and remind ourselves that we d

>brainwashed minions Kinda ironic considering which site posted the article + it's not even true. We should all take a step back and remind ourselves that we do not have the universal truth or are immune to "brainwashing".

wkat4242 2y ago
It's pretty common knowledge that the north koreans are educated to believe that America is an evil empire out to eradicate them and that their leaders are basically god on earth. Similar to the pre-war Japanese indoctrination model. Called Juche. The ideology was purposely designed to keep the population under control. If that's not brainwashing I don't know what is. Also, North Koreans have no access to internet or non-state-sanctioned information. If the border ever opens that will be a huge problem I bet.
- kelipso 2y ago
  Pretty true except for the god part, no? America did kill some 10% of their civilians (in addition to their troops) and flatten the entire country, and now sanction the country and call it evil etc.
  - nozzlegear 2y ago
    > Pretty true except for the god part, no? No. America is not an evil empire trying to eradicate North Korea. At most, America wants to defend one of its closest allies, South Korea, from its belligerent dictator-led neighbor to the north. > America did kill some 10% of their civilians (in addition to their troops) and flatten the entire country That was over 70 years ago now, it does not reflect any sort of modern American foreign policy and hasn’t for decades. > and now sanction the country and call it evil etc. This is unfortunately inevitable when the country is led by a dictator who rattles his saber, continuously threatens to develop and unleash nuclear weapons on South Korea and Japan, and overall acts as bellicose and belligerent as possible.
    - kelipso 2y ago
      If a country decimated your population, razed your entire country, and is conducting economic warfare on you while undermining you politically, you would consider that country evil. They can make up all the justifications they want but there's no question you would still view that country as evil.
      - nozzlegear 2y ago
        That's fair from the perspective of a North Korean citizen; I agree that it makes sense for them to see the US as an evil country. But you and I aren't North Korean citizens, so we have the advantage of a broader perspective. We know why the US sanctions and undermines North Korea.
        kelipso 2y ago
        Yeah, my point being calling it brainwashing is a huge stretch. It's just the natural worldview that will develop from all these factors.
        nozzlegear 2y ago
        I gotcha, I mistakenly thought you were arguing a different position. Sorry for being quarrelsome.
- verygoodnotbad 2y ago
  > It's pretty common knowledge that the north koreans are educated to believe that America is an evil empire out to eradicate them and that their leaders are basically god on earth. Similar to the pre-war Japanese indoctrination model. Called Juche. The ideology was purposely designed to keep the population under control. I think you are taking this "knowledge" at face value too much. The reality of the situation could be that most people don't give a shit and just go along with the local village leaders, who often don't give a shit either. As long as they get to drink some alcohol every weekend who cares. > north koreans are educated It's a big assumption to assume that North Korean mass education works that well. If they can't even get everybody to read normal books, how would they get everybody to believe crazy shit about America to the point that most people would actually sacrifice their life. > If that's not brainwashing I don't know what is. I agree with you though. The government of North Korea aims to brainwash their citizens, to have a world-view where they prioritize the goals of the government over other things, but it's probably not as effective as people think. > America is an evil empire This is objectively not true. I don't know much about the world, but I am confident that America is better than the others. That is the mindset I keep as a good citizen.

wkat4242 2y ago

It's pretty common knowledge that the north koreans are educated to believe that America is an evil empire out to eradicate them and that their leaders are basically god on earth. Similar to the pre-war Japanese indoctrination model. Called Juche. The ideology was purposely designed to keep the population under control. If that's not brainwashing I don't know what is. Also, North Koreans have no access to internet or non-state-sanctioned information. If the border ever opens that will be a huge problem I bet.

kelipso 2y ago
Pretty true except for the god part, no? America did kill some 10% of their civilians (in addition to their troops) and flatten the entire country, and now sanction the country and call it evil etc.
- nozzlegear 2y ago
  > Pretty true except for the god part, no? No. America is not an evil empire trying to eradicate North Korea. At most, America wants to defend one of its closest allies, South Korea, from its belligerent dictator-led neighbor to the north. > America did kill some 10% of their civilians (in addition to their troops) and flatten the entire country That was over 70 years ago now, it does not reflect any sort of modern American foreign policy and hasn’t for decades. > and now sanction the country and call it evil etc. This is unfortunately inevitable when the country is led by a dictator who rattles his saber, continuously threatens to develop and unleash nuclear weapons on South Korea and Japan, and overall acts as bellicose and belligerent as possible.
  - kelipso 2y ago
    If a country decimated your population, razed your entire country, and is conducting economic warfare on you while undermining you politically, you would consider that country evil. They can make up all the justifications they want but there's no question you would still view that country as evil.
    - nozzlegear 2y ago
      That's fair from the perspective of a North Korean citizen; I agree that it makes sense for them to see the US as an evil country. But you and I aren't North Korean citizens, so we have the advantage of a broader perspective. We know why the US sanctions and undermines North Korea.
      - kelipso 2y ago
        Yeah, my point being calling it brainwashing is a huge stretch. It's just the natural worldview that will develop from all these factors.
        nozzlegear 2y ago
        I gotcha, I mistakenly thought you were arguing a different position. Sorry for being quarrelsome.
verygoodnotbad 2y ago
> It's pretty common knowledge that the north koreans are educated to believe that America is an evil empire out to eradicate them and that their leaders are basically god on earth. Similar to the pre-war Japanese indoctrination model. Called Juche. The ideology was purposely designed to keep the population under control. I think you are taking this "knowledge" at face value too much. The reality of the situation could be that most people don't give a shit and just go along with the local village leaders, who often don't give a shit either. As long as they get to drink some alcohol every weekend who cares. > north koreans are educated It's a big assumption to assume that North Korean mass education works that well. If they can't even get everybody to read normal books, how would they get everybody to believe crazy shit about America to the point that most people would actually sacrifice their life. > If that's not brainwashing I don't know what is. I agree with you though. The government of North Korea aims to brainwash their citizens, to have a world-view where they prioritize the goals of the government over other things, but it's probably not as effective as people think. > America is an evil empire This is objectively not true. I don't know much about the world, but I am confident that America is better than the others. That is the mindset I keep as a good citizen.