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North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

bbc.co.uk

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Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#31

Post by brown9-2 »

nwh wrote: post #9

I don't follow the reasoning. It's a country that's stuck in a variety of awkward situations with its neighbours, isolated, famine stricken, and threatening to wage war on the South- yet they're worrying about the people having too much freedom with their 10 allowed haircuts? I can't begin to imagine what's going on in their minds. I suppose it could be a distraction from other issues, but restricting to 10 in itself…

You seem to be assuming that the country which has isolated itself so extremely is also led by rational people.

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#32

Post by JanezStupar »

kjjw wrote: post #13
nwh wrote: post #9

I don't follow the reasoning. It's a country that's stuck in a variety of awkward situations with its neighbours, isolated, famine stricken, and threatening to wage war on the South- yet they're worrying about the people having too much freedom with their 10 allowed haircuts? I can't begin to imagine what's going on in their minds. I suppose it could be a distraction from other issues, but restricting to 10 in itself…

I think the point is that it doesn't matter what is going on in 'their' minds. All that matters is what is going on in the mind of one particular person.

Do you honestly believe a single person can produce that much insanity?

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#33

Post by NotOscarWilde »

sharkweek wrote: post #24

Honest question - let's say at some point in the future North Korea sees their current regime fall and a more democratic or at least benevolent dictatorship takes over. What sort of mass psychological issues are we looking at here? I can only imagine how the minds of the current citizenship work, would it be nearly impossible for those raised only knowing what they know to recover from the previous trauma?

I believe people everywhere in the world are used to supressing the difference between the stated ideals of their land (equality, liberty, free elections) and the reality (prejudices, xenophobia, racism, assassinations ordered by the government, voter sway via public ads).

If our minds can supress the differences between ideals and reality in USA, Russia, India, Pakistan, Japan or any other country of residence, I believe North Koreans can do the same -- focus on their daily life and ignore the atrocities.

All of that is just my opinion, obviously. My family adapted fine after the fall of the Soviet Union, but that's just anecdotal.

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#34

Post by bprieto »

nwh wrote: post #9

I don't follow the reasoning. It's a country that's stuck in a variety of awkward situations with its neighbours, isolated, famine stricken, and threatening to wage war on the South- yet they're worrying about the people having too much freedom with their 10 allowed haircuts? I can't begin to imagine what's going on in their minds. I suppose it could be a distraction from other issues, but restricting to 10 in itself…

Read 1984 and you will understand why haircuts are important.

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#35

Post by peteretep »

JonnieCache wrote: post #28
peteretep wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you expect the world to do exactly? Military intervention? They'll lay waste to Seoul. Sanctions? Already there, and, generally they hurt the people rather than the leader. What's your solution?

Stop using the removal of dictators as a justification for invading countries you're strategically interested in, because it looks really fucking stupid when NK is allowed to ban haircuts and starve people. Similar things apply to zimbabwe etc. EDIT: "you" used here in a general sense.

    > because it looks really fucking stupid when NK is
    > allowed to ban haircuts and starve people.
So don't do the things you can do, because there are some things you can't?

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#36

Post by Touche »

nwh wrote: post #9

I don't follow the reasoning. It's a country that's stuck in a variety of awkward situations with its neighbours, isolated, famine stricken, and threatening to wage war on the South- yet they're worrying about the people having too much freedom with their 10 allowed haircuts? I can't begin to imagine what's going on in their minds. I suppose it could be a distraction from other issues, but restricting to 10 in itself…

> yet they're worrying about the people having too much freedom with their 10 allowed haircuts?

My guess is this is a response to something specific. They're tightening the clamps to assert their control and once people fall back in line they'll loosen the restrictions just a little to show that they are benevolent.

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#37

Post by gadders »

I know people hate on StratFor (for no good reason IMO) but the below article from them is an interesting summary:

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/ferocious-weak-and-crazy-nort...

"When the Soviet Union collapsed, North Korea was left in dire economic straits. There were reasonable expectations that its government would soon collapse, leading to the unification of the Korean Peninsula. Naturally, the goal of the North Korean government was regime survival, so it was terrified that outside powers would invade or support an uprising against it. It needed a strategy that would dissuade anyone from trying that. Being weak in every sense, this wasn't going to be easy, but the North Koreans developed a strategy that we described more than 10 years ago as ferocious, weak and crazy. North Korea has pursued this course since the 1990s, and the latest manifestation of this strategy was on display last week. The strategy has worked marvelously and is still working."

I guess the haircuts would be the "crazy" part of the strategy.

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#38

Post by Touche »

NotOscarWilde wrote: post #33
sharkweek wrote: post #24

Honest question - let's say at some point in the future North Korea sees their current regime fall and a more democratic or at least benevolent dictatorship takes over. What sort of mass psychological issues are we looking at here? I can only imagine how the minds of the current citizenship work, would it be nearly impossible for those raised only knowing what they know to recover from the previous trauma?

I believe people everywhere in the world are used to supressing the difference between the stated ideals of their land (equality, liberty, free elections) and the reality (prejudices, xenophobia, racism, assassinations ordered by the government, voter sway via public ads). If our minds can supress the differences between ideals and reality in USA, Russia, India, Pakistan, Japan or any other country of residence, I be…

Bribery is still a major problem in Russia. It takes a long time for a population to adjust to things they are used to being part of every day life.

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#39

Post by dTal »

Theodores wrote: post #29

In multi-cultural countries people have significantly different hair. In North Korea hair is somewhat harmonised, i.e. black and straight. Length is the only variable available to play with when it comes to style of cut. From their perspective this edict may be no more of a big deal than having to have your fingernails trimmed.

And that wouldn't be strange at all - "Citizens are required to keep their fingernails between .8 and 3 millimeters long. Violators will be shot."

Re: North Korea: Men required to get Kim Jong-un haircuts

#40

Post by Istof »

valarauca1 wrote: post #26
Istof wrote: post #6

as long as it's free (no pun intended)

Everything is free in The Democratic Republic of Korea. Glorious Eternal Leader pays for everything. This is why everyone votes for socialism every time. Free healthcare, food, education, transportation.

even email is free over there
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