[litwin]

Of course, because the article is in Zero Hedge, the author had to explain that Travis King did bad things, like assaulting someone. We don't know the conditions surrounding the assault though. Did he hit someone who made a racist comment? Was he involved in a scuffle between racists and their victims?

Likewise, Zero Hedge is catering to its primary audience by calling the defection "bizarre" and calls its own article "a good propaganda moment."

Even as the USA collapses, its media continues to wave giant styrofoam hands, though they are starting to look a bit frayed.

[skinster]

@Verv, let me know when you have any evidence of racism pushed by the DPRK. As yet, I keep getting your opinion. I also have got opinions from friends who've visited the DPRK and they would consider the type of stuff you're saying to be complete shite, but they, unlike us two, have visited.

[Pants-of-dog]

In terms of this defection, it is irrelevant if NK is racist or not.

What is important is whether or not Mr. King believed that NK was significantly less racist.

[skinster]

In terms of this defection, it is irrelevant if NK is racist or not.

It isn't and DPRK isn't.

But anyway, as I said to begin with, Verv was projecting the racism he grew up with onto the country his state once commit genocide in.

[QatzelOk]

...North Korea, of course, has many problems, and there are some sick elements of their society that go back to their government's totalitarianism... But the North Korean people are wonderful, and I am actually confident that their country will become better.

I also think that the reason for their extreme totalitarianism is the personal excesses of the Kim dynasty, and I believe that the Cold War politics enabled such grotesque totalitarianism. Kim Jong Eun has the power to make these things better by easing in reforms, and it is conceivable that sooner than later North Korea could be like China: a very pleasant place to vacation full of wonderful locals to hang out with.

It's easy to point fingers at the Km dynasty and the government's totalitarianism... But these elements came to the surface AFTER the USA's atrocities were committed on North Korea during the 1950s.

Would you criticize someone for "bizarre behavior" right after they had been raped? Would you criticize the Irish for being "ill-mannered and badly dressed" during the 100 year famine that destroyed most of their families?

If you want to see when North Korea might be a bit hard for Westerners to understand... look at the way we have buried all the atrocities that WE (the West) committed against it very recently. This makes the subsequent political choices of the Kim dynasty very comprehensible.

"Face up to Western atrocities, or admit that you are a racist yourself" if you *can't understand* why North Korea doesn't look like Disneyland or the Founding Fathers ride at Disney World.

And countries that have gone through atrocities like this... are often very extreme in their reaction AGAINST the nation that caused these atrocities. And USA racism... was one of the leading causes of the Korean War - if not the ONLY cause.

[skinster]

I think you'll like this, Qatz.

[Verv]

It's easy to point fingers at the Km dynasty and the government's totalitarianism... But these elements came to the surface AFTER the USA's atrocities were committed on North Korea during the 1950s.

Would you criticize someone for "bizarre behavior" right after they had been raped? Would you criticize the Irish for being "ill-mannered and badly dressed" during the 100 year famine that destroyed most of their families?

If you want to see when North Korea might be a bit hard for Westerners to understand... look at the way we have buried all the atrocities that WE (the West) committed against it very recently. This makes the subsequent political choices of the Kim dynasty very comprehensible.

"Face up to Western atrocities, or admit that you are a racist yourself" if you *can't understand* why North Korea doesn't look like Disneyland or the Founding Fathers ride at Disney World.

And countries that have gone through atrocities like this... are often very extreme in their reaction AGAINST the nation that caused these atrocities. And USA racism... was one of the leading causes of the Korean War - if not the ONLY cause.

I will agree with what you say to a good extent... And I would say that the North Korean governmental apparatus may even be full of hard-working, ethical, ideological Marxists that are properly trying to advance their country, often with good ideas and integrity.

There are actually some internal Communist party issues which I do not know that much about - they say that Kim Il Sung may have cut deals behind the scenes that led to the assassination of a much better Communist party leader who was a good orator and upstanding man. The fact that the transitions have been dynastic hasn't helped them - Kim Jong-il was not an incapable leader, in fact, he was personally talented to some degree in terms of computer science and technology, but his real passions were not in politics... Just as how Kim Jong-eun's passions are actually more in basketball, militaria, music... He may not be that inclined personally at all to complex political issues.

Which is the whole problem with these sorts of dynastic successions... And, I will agree, that internal stability problems brought on by sanctions and covert foreign operations create great amounts of instability that may favor dynastic succession... Countries like North Korea, Russia, Ukraine, etc., can't really be conventionally democratic because they have oligarchs or strong militaries that will simply seize power when you attempt to do something that democratic.

Hell, it is even the case that Western democracies function very much like oligarchies where consent is manufacured from the top. Democracy is often the mask that oligarchy wears...

I do not want to impose anything on North Korea or criticize them for their poverty. I want to take away the mechanisms that create instability and poverty, and I would prioritize having long, honest discussions with Xi Jinping about what we can do to assist North Korea in detransitioning from their level of totalitarianism, and in rehabilitating their economy, and then propose these modestly to the North Korean leadership with promises to be cooperative and no "stick" in the background (the CIA would be abolished; the Department of Defense would be radically downsized and purged - not of my political opponents, but of Hawks).

[Verv]

@Verv, let me know when you have any evidence of racism pushed by the DPRK. As yet, I keep getting your opinion. I also have got opinions from friends who've visited the DPRK and they would consider the type of stuff you're saying to be complete shite, but they, unlike us two, have visited.

Fair enough - I appreciate that you have ended the exchange on good terms just as it was beginning to get repetitive and without any bitterness. That was mature and laudable.

[QatzelOk]

...Which is the whole problem with these sorts of dynastic successions... And, I will agree, that internal stability problems brought on by sanctions and covert foreign operations create great amounts of instability that may favor dynastic succession...

Exactly.

We have been "taught" by corporate media that it is better to have limited-term leaders, who can act as temps, constantly thinking about their post-government careers, which corporations can help them with.

These corporations have CEOs who are often in power for decades. They prefer newbies as presidents, because newbies are relatively ignorant of power politics, and can easily be pushed around by well-connected old cronies in the corporate world.

One great thing about "dynastic" leaders is that they can develop a lot of political knowledge that can be carried over into effective policies, whereas temps like Justin and FJB... are just kissing corporate ass for a few years in order to feather their nests.

[Unthinking Majority]

Pretty much every non-white country is more racist than white-majority countries. This soldier is a naive fool. North Korea overall sucks in general anyways.

[Verv]

Exactly.

We have been "taught" by corporate media that it is better to have limited-term leaders, who can act as temps, constantly thinking about their post-government careers, which corporations can help them with.

These corporations have CEOs who are often in power for decades. They prefer newbies as presidents, because newbies are relatively ignorant of power politics, and can easily be pushed around by well-connected old cronies in the corporate world.

One great thing about "dynastic" leaders is that they can develop a lot of political knowledge that can be carried over into effective policies, whereas temps like Justin and FJB... are just kissing corporate ass for a few years in order to feather their nests.

Right, this is an absolute catastrophe... the more that you learn of the actions of the CIA abroad, and the continued wars of empire, the more impossible it becomes to ever envision any kind of democracy anywhere without the collapse of the Western intelligence communities & military industrial complex...

Believe it or not, this is something that American libertarians and conservatives are starting to learn about.

... And it is something that the hippies who opposed the Vietnam war forgot.

Nonetheless, something rather powerful is happening, and we are starting to see more isolationism from conservatives again, and more critique of powers that be. "Woke capital" has also made some conservatives scramble for answers on economic questions because a rift is growing between them and their Reaganomics.

But a lot of people never hear about this, and I think there is an effort to increase the volume of the culture war in order to get anti-establishment leftists & rightists to vote for establishment leftists & rights to "WIN THE CULTURE WAR!"

But the only goal here is actually to have you herded onto the plantation of establishment politics and thus ready to co-sign all of their excesses.

May one day the principled left & right be able to put an end to this.... and not to fight over who gets power, but to agree to maximize decentralization, and to minimize every kind of accumulated power, so each local community can do what is right and support one another positively.

The more we relinquish control over one another, and the more we organize our communities voluntarily with the design of customized localities and re-integrated communities, the more we can have peace...

Real America was the 19th century mainstream libertarian types peacefully watching the radical left inspired by Charles Fourier and various anarchists and communists try their hand at creating their own planned communities, and even very regular Chrisitan conservatives being moved by the poetry of transcendental anarchists, who themselves were moved by the stuffy old Christian saints. We can do this again with so much better results - and we can do it everywhere.

[skinster]

Fair enough - I appreciate that you have ended the exchange on good terms just as it was beginning to get repetitive and without any bitterness. That was mature and laudable.

No problem. I can be nice if I experience the same back. If I get shit of course, I will respond in kind. It's a good MO.

[QatzelOk]

Worst Countries for Racial Equality:

1. Qatar
2. Serbia
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Sri Lanka
5. United Arab Emirates
6. Slovakia
7. Myanmar
8. Israel
9. Ukraine
10. United States

At least the USA is below its Best-Friend-Forever Israel, an officially racist state that occasionally bombs the other races just to keep them on their toes.

It's also below Ukraine, that Nazi-run cesspool of corruption that Western politicians have been swearing allegiance to ever since the Covid narrative collapsed under their dirty feet.

And since I don't see North (or South, or Central) Korea on this list, I will assume that the US soldier will find less racism in his new home.

[Dimetrodon]

Won't be the first time someone illegally crosses a border to defect somewhere and it won't be the last.

Much to do about nothing.

[QatzelOk]

Won't be the first time someone illegally crosses a border to defect somewhere and it won't be the last.

Much to do about nothing.

And yet you felt it important enough to comment on.

As an anti-racist, all I can say to this soldier is "thank you for your service!"

[Dimetrodon]

And yet you felt it important enough to comment on.

As an anti-racist, all I can say to this soldier is "thank you for your service!"

I know you're angry that I didn't spew nonsense on how great North Korea is due to the U.S.'s problems, but I'm sure you'll get over it.

[QatzelOk]

I know you're angry that I didn't spew nonsense on how great North Korea is due to the U.S.'s problems, but I'm sure you'll get over it.

You would never spew nonsense about how great North Korea is.

You *know* that North Korea is *evil, dysfunctional, dystopic, hateful, illogical, irrational, etc* because the commercial media that we all read wants us to HATE certain countries.

A media that encourages you to HATE other countries will also encourage you to HATE other races.

Your irrational hatred for North Korea has been manufactured by the same type of governance that wiped out the 150 indigenous cultures of North America.

[Dimetrodon]

You would never spew nonsense about how great North Korea is.

You *know* that North Korea is *evil, dysfunctional, dystopic, hateful, illogical, irrational, etc* because the commercial media that we all read wants us to HATE certain countries.

A media that encourages you to HATE other countries will also encourage you to HATE other races.

Your irrational hatred for North Korea has been manufactured by the same type of governance that wiped out the 150 indigenous cultures of North America.

There's a big difference between hating the NK government and hating Koreans, but ok.

[Tainari88]

Fair enough - I appreciate that you have ended the exchange on good terms just as it was beginning to get repetitive and without any bitterness. That was mature and laudable.

I think the problem is that all these proxy war nations need to be left alone to pursue their own interests without these two superpowers being undermining each other and everyone else caught up in the sandwich has to deal with that nasty business.

That is why I support the Unaligned Nations movement who want to be left out of these puppeting moves on both the powers parts.

It sucks.

Stuck in the middle with these governments is not a good thing. It never is.

[Deutschmania]

https://youtu.be/l0E9Kel8BtE?si=4MCje1PzVk90zRM9

I think the problem is that all these proxy war nations need to be left alone to pursue their own interests without these two superpowers being undermining each other and everyone else caught up in the sandwich has to deal with that nasty business.

That is why I support the Unaligned Nations movement who want to be left out of these puppeting moves on both the powers parts.

It sucks.

Stuck in the middle with these governments is not a good thing. It never is.

Not surprisingly , the above video overlooks the People's Republic of Korea , which as existed before demarcation, and puts all the blame upon North Korea , under Kim IL Sung . Most people are not aware of the true history of Korea , post-World War II . This video however does a fairly good job , however obviously slanted. I would agree that Korea should enjoy self determination as to their future as a united nation.