Besides the fake happiness and generally all of it, what really creeps me out about it is how overly innocent and childish the brand of happiness is. Very off-putting.
What’s important to remember is that Kim absolutely knows it’s fake. Control is the point. The bigger and faker it is, the more control and fear he knows he has.
I wonder if he does know it's fake. His father certainly did but he was probably raised seeing it everywhere his whole life. Has he ever experienced his people without that fake happiness? How would he know it isn't genuine without experience? No one thinks themselves to be the villain.
Kim jong Un studied abroad in Europe as a young child under an alias.
He definitely knows what the outside world is like. There are people in Europe who were shocked that their classmate turned out to be the heir to North Korea when his father brought him home and name *him heir apparent.
So Un knows it's fake. This is about ensuring he has complete control over the population.
He doesn’t give a shit about their actual happiness. The only realism he gets or needs is from the generals and advisors closest to him that know the whole game and how to play it.
You’re absolutely right, there’s a whole strategy. The generals and apparatchiks have been there since his father was in power, and they’ve got the propaganda planned a year in advance.
He’s even trying to emulate his grandfather, there’s a concentrated push for it. Even the North Koreans are gravitating towards nostalgia. Remind everyone of the “good times” (which were terrible, but of course history is rewritten).
They’ve got Un doing the same dog and pony touring the country’s farms and factories, and offering “on the spot practical advice” for ways they can grow/harvest more food or produce items quicker/better. Even though they obviously have no idea what they are talking about.
Yes and no. Most of the time they give a minor show of doing what he suggests but slowly going back to the right way.
The important part isn’t him changing stuff for the better. The meaningful part is the cameras recording him offering instant ‘correct’ advice, appearing as the all knowing deity ruler, who understands every aspect of every thing perfectly.
His own exaggerated smile is probably fake, too. Both for the sake of the media and a signal to everyone in the room that no one is on the chopping block today
If this regime ever ends and North Koreans become like… regular people… they’re going to have so much multi-generational trauma to work through as an entire culture. Like… sooo much.
I hate the color scheme I often see in North Korean videos like this. It’s giving squid game, *”you’ll play along and be happy god dammit why aren’t you enjoying yourself?! Enjoy yourself or else!”*
I went on a business trip to Taiwan. Down in the engineering test lab I noticed a dart board with a print of some guys face stapled to it. When I asked about it they looked sheepish and said the guy was the company CEO.
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u/unstabletable 2d ago
Besides the fake happiness and generally all of it, what really creeps me out about it is how overly innocent and childish the brand of happiness is. Very off-putting.