he may also have a kind of stockholm syndrome also.
isn't Stockholm Syndrome caused by circumstances vs. having it ? I.e. in certain circumstances - like being dictator's direct employee - we all suffer from stockholm syndrome?
Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
71–80 of 110 posts
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#72As noted by many of the other comments, this is a fascinating article in so many different respects, but the most interesting take-away for me personally is a little detail that shows just how far the ripples cast from a seemingly small action can reach. If one day, decades ago, a teenaged boy's co-worker and friend hadn't wanted to live like "normal" folks instead of scroungers, and shared a sushi dinner with his fr…
In some way, the butterfly effect highlights that North Korea is in meta-stable state, and relatively minor events on few select people can effect its political course. In the modern world, much less is governed by outliers of chance, simply by virtue of many more agents involved.
I suspect there where many minor changes that could have prevented any of the recent presidents from entering politics or at least running for president. Or more strangely Bush could have easily lost the an election with a minor change to the ballot design in a tiny area in a vary important state.
Overall I suspect that's for more impact than who's making sushi in NK as I don't think most presidents would have gone back to Iraq for instance. And without the Iraq war I don't think we would have the backlash that lead to healthcare reform etc.
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#73This article is fantastic. I did not like the fact that the sushi chef was a scumbag who created families in different countries and abandoned them which the author called out. He even complicated doing it a third time at the end of the article due to his greediness. I hope he does go back to North Korea and runs out of luck.
contemplated
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#74I'm still amazed at how he stayed there 20+ years and never learned Korean.
With an interpreter there, why would he need to?
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
In some way, the butterfly effect highlights that North Korea is in meta-stable state, and relatively minor events on few select people can effect its political course. In the modern world, much less is governed by outliers of chance, simply by virtue of many more agents involved.
I suspect there where many minor changes that could have prevented any of the recent presidents from entering politics or at least running for president. Or more strangely Bush could have easily lost the an election with a minor change to the ballot design in a tiny area in a vary important state. Overall I suspect that's for more impact than who's making sushi in NK as I don't think most presidents would have gone b…
Yes, I'm not denying causality of real world, just saying random factors tend to exert less influence here.
Taking America going to Iraq war, it might be a disturbing fact, but America wanted to go at war back then. The bloodlust of a common, red-blooded, mall-shopping American in the wake of 9/11 is the foremost reason the U.S. ended in two prolonged conflicts. Yes the reasons for Iraq were pulled from the hat, but the nation was eager to be deluded. Not a conspiracy of two men in DC: can anyone really imagine the USA not invading anyone after the 9/11 attacks?
But again what's happening here is that in democracy, the influences become averaged with certain cut-off of extremes, like a signal through a band filter. The politics becomes statistical, as opposed to heuristic deal in feudal countries like North Korea, and as such becomes harder to disrupt.
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
In some way, the butterfly effect highlights that North Korea is in meta-stable state, and relatively minor events on few select people can effect its political course. In the modern world, much less is governed by outliers of chance, simply by virtue of many more agents involved.
I suspect there where many minor changes that could have prevented any of the recent presidents from entering politics or at least running for president. Or more strangely Bush could have easily lost the an election with a minor change to the ballot design in a tiny area in a vary important state. Overall I suspect that's for more impact than who's making sushi in NK as I don't think most presidents would have gone b…
Look at France's socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn. If not for an allegation of sex abuse by a not-that-important cleaning lady, he would probably now be France's president.
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
I suspect there where many minor changes that could have prevented any of the recent presidents from entering politics or at least running for president. Or more strangely Bush could have easily lost the an election with a minor change to the ballot design in a tiny area in a vary important state. Overall I suspect that's for more impact than who's making sushi in NK as I don't think most presidents would have gone b…
Look at France's socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn. If not for an allegation of sex abuse by a not-that-important cleaning lady, he would probably now be France's president.
Yes. Would the politics of France have changed in a significant way though?
There are multiple presidential candidates in most developed democracies, but chances of national politics taking really unpredictable turn remain low.
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#78Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am guessing this was during the reign of Kim Il-sun when the country was apparently faring a bit better, and there were less sanctions etc. Also, did everybody in USA stop consuming sushi during war with Japan? Was it forbidden after the Pearl Harbor?
Quoting a dead comment: indiecore 14 minutes ago | link [dead] I don't think they had sushi in the west then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_sushi#Appearances_in... Wikipedia was pretty unhelpful but there don't seem to be many western references until the 1950s and it probably wasn't popular until the 80s when Japanese culture started getting big. The term "sushi" does seem to skyrocket around 1980: http://…
Oh, I stand corrected. Thanks for this little bit of knowledge :)
My point was that if the dictator wants some sushi, then enemy or not, hes gonna get the best guy for the job, and where else do you look for a sushi expert than Japan? Thinking about it more, how much of a missed opportunity this was for Tokyo, they could have had the perfect spy planted right next to King Jong-il!
Re: Kim Jong-il's Sushi Chef
#80Earlier quoted context omitted.
I suspect there where many minor changes that could have prevented any of the recent presidents from entering politics or at least running for president. Or more strangely Bush could have easily lost the an election with a minor change to the ballot design in a tiny area in a vary important state. Overall I suspect that's for more impact than who's making sushi in NK as I don't think most presidents would have gone b…
Yes, I'm not denying causality of real world, just saying random factors tend to exert less influence here. Taking America going to Iraq war, it might be a disturbing fact, but America wanted to go at war back then. The bloodlust of a common, red-blooded, mall-shopping American in the wake of 9/11 is the foremost reason the U.S. ended in two prolonged conflicts. Yes the reasons for Iraq were pulled from the hat, but…
I am not saying we would have avoid war with a different president, just that invading Iraq was a somewhat random choice and a different president would have probably just focused on Afghanistan.