Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I Forgot to Send a Card

Yesterday, North Korea celebrated one of the country's most important holidays: the birthday of their supreme leader, Kim Jong Il. The festivities included synchronized swimming.

In case you had any doubt just how frozen in time this despicable regime is, just take a look at this three part Vice Guide to North Korea. I thought such dystopian worlds only existed in novels like 1984 and Brave New World.

North Korea has brought Orwell's fiction into existence: a world of crumbling buildings and a dehumanized populace who are either imprisoned, fearful, or racists dwarfs.

Actually, I didn't want to send a card anyway.

2 comments:

Trung said...

there's an episode of the simpsons in which the ramones sing happy birthday to mr. burns. at the end of the song, one member of the band says to burns, "go to hell, you old bastard!" i feel this comment is more than appropriate for mr. kim jong il.

Kristen said...

I wish I had remembered that video! I was looking for some kind of graphic that would convey "happy birthday, but no, not really."