Propaganda is no joke, folks…
It seems that James Franco and Seth Rogan’s upcoming comedy The Interview has caused quite a stir overseas, and according to news sources, could apparently be the catalyst for a war between the US and North Korea. If you’re not familiar with the film, the comedy’s plot is based around the covert assassination of the current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un — a storyline that I think I can safely say is in no way a preview of a top secret US military operation.
Despite this being obviously ridiculous comic material, it seems that North Korea didn’t quite see the funny side. Upon airing of the trailer, a North Korean spokesman warned in an official complaint to the UN that the release of the film would be considered “an act of war”, and is calling for the US government to block the release of the film. Failure to do so would apparently see “’stern’ and ‘merciless’ retaliation”. Seems a bit like overkill, right?
There has been a long history of the Western World using what goes on in North Korea as fuel for the comedy fire; and for the most part people seem to love it. We can all see the funny side of these spoofs, probably because the idea of what goes on over there seems so ridiculous to those of us fortunate enough to live in free countries, all we can do is laugh. I mean, if Tony Abbott was suddenly to declare to all of Australia with conviction that he inspired “budgee smugglers” to trend world wide, I’m sure we’d all give a collective scoff. But when it comes to North Korea, stranger things have happened; and it’s no wonder the world draws on some of its more crazy happenings for comic material.
It came as no surprise to me, then, that I took the latest viral North Korea spoof seriously (as I’m sure many people did, it was pretty well produced… or perhaps I’m just gullible).
It is certainly not out of the realm of possibility for North Korea to produce propaganda like this, claiming that they made it to the final of the 2014 World Cup. I mean, this would be coming from a country whose government once claimed that their late leader, Kim Jong-Il, sank 11 holes-in-one during a single round of golf. I think the sadder thing was that I believed it, and it made me look at the reasons why.
Propaganda is really quite a serious issue in North Korea, but Western society seems to have a love affair with trivialising an issue that affects millions of people in ways I’m sure we can’t even imagine. Perhaps this lightens the heaviness of these kinds of sad issues so we don’t have to think about them too much; or perhaps they really are just funny. I’m certainly not going to say I’ve never laughed at a joke about North Korea, and that I won’t in the future. But whatever the reason for joking about North Korea, the amount of spoofs made about the situation not only blurs the reality of what happens there, but also reduces our ability to see and really thoughtfully comprehend the harmful effects.
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North Korea is ranked second lowest on the World Press Freedom Index[/caption]
The restriction of press freedom in North Korea is a key issue when considering ideas about propaganda. The country is consistently ranked at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index, and is considered to have no independent media. It is reported that televisions and radios come pre-programmed to only those stations approved by the State, all of whom get their information from the government to ensure that all media messages serve the purpose of upholding the unifying principles of the socialist society. Under the North Korean penal code, access to any unauthorised media sources is considered a “crime against the state” and carries considerable punishments such as prison and hard labor — imagine if this happened in Australia next time you stream Game of Thrones! Simply put, all of this control over the media and the communication with the public, termed “routinization [sic] of politics”, effectively keep citizens in line with the state, and curtails any opportunities for social change. I think we can start to see why this is really no laughing matter…
The extent of the media oppression in North Korea has established a prime canvas for effective propaganda delivery within the country. Since there seems to be little transparency from the government about the political and economic realities of the country; and there is little visibility of opposing cultural ideologies, it is no wonder that the North Korean community believe some of the more crazy ideas put forward to them — the very examples we draw on for comedic relief.
So while we may joke about the stranger happenings in North Korea, importance must still be placed on discerning what is happening in reality and considering their effects. But when all is said and done, I for one will still be laughing alongside many others in the cinema when I see The Interview, and will appreciate it for what it’s worth.
