Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The "North Korean Propaganda" film: a discussion

David Seaton's News Links
A YouTube video purported to be a leaked North Korean propaganda film has been making the Internet rounds. The film, which has been called scarily accurate, criticizes Western capitalism, consumerism and celebrity culture. Update: The clip is actually from a 2012 documentary about North Korean propaganda made by New Zealand filmmaker Slavko Martinov, which has its U.S. premiere on July 31. In These Times
I am putting this up to hear your comments... I'd like to start a discussion or an argument, whatever.
Personally I think that we should have made this film about ourselves, as perhaps we have. I imagine many of us would agree with much of it. DS
PS: The full movie is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-25HOVRtaMk

5 comments:

stunted said...

Seems more like a documentary itself, or a j'accuse brulot than propaganda.

Anonymous said...

OMG! Shocking! Who knew such things existed?

About the silliest clip possible because of its solipsistic perspective. Extreme examples abound, but neither any particular sequence nor all of them together form any coherent analysis.

Granted, Paris Hilton can make one puke, but, then, so do organized, mass demonstrations in N. Korea.

In short, what is there to discuss? Are we at a level that categorically states capitalism, bad, socialism good along the lines of 2 legs bad, 4 legs good?

David Seaton's Newslinks said...

The film is a hoax! Made in New Zealand.

stunted said...

In response to Vizsla (and I apologise for this onslaught of comments), there is much to discuss if one can put aside a binary view of life. Slavoj Žižek has an article in the current edition of The London Review of Books on the spate of global protest where he states that "the 'eternal' marriage between democracy and capitalism is nearing divorce." And, later, in reference to the demands of some of the protests that "…we are forced to recognise that there was a flaw in the goal itself. This may mean coming to see that democracy can itself be a form of un-freedom, or that we must demand more than merely political democracy: social and economic life must be democratised too….the question is how to push further once the first, exciting wave of change is over…how to move beyond Mandela without becoming Mugabe." Near the end, comparing Turkey and Greece to illustrate a point, he quotes Brecht"s "Hollywood Elegies:

"The village of Hollywood was planned
according to the notion
People in these parts have of heaven. In
these parts
They have come to the conclusion that God
Requiring a heaven and a hell, didn't need to
Plan two establishments but
Just the one: heaven. It
Serves the unprosperous, unsuccessful
As hell."

David Seaton's Newslinks said...

Great comment Stunts!