The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Over on the Member Feed, Maggie Somavilla posted a link to a National Review book review of the horrifying memoir, Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West.
Reading NR's two page review of the book is overwhelming. We learn of the story of Shin Dong-hyuk, a young North Korean man who had spent his entire life from infancy in a North Korean gulag with up to 200,000 other prisoners. He and his fellow prisoners were kept as animals; they lived in squalor, disease, and brutality. Shin witnessed the beatings and executions of classmates and family members, and was even instrumental in bringing about his mother's and brother's hangings. The details of his existence in the prison camp reveal a human darkness beyond comprehension.
Being overpowered by sadness and disgust, I shared the review with a handful of close friends so that I wouldn't be alone with the burden of this horrific knowledge. One friend was outraged by the powerlessness he felt upon reading the review. "Why isn't the U.S. intervening?" he demanded. "Someone needs to do something!"
And then his anger over the situation turned into frustration toward me for making him aware of such an awful reality. "Well then there is no benefit in the media informing me about atrocities taking place in the res to of the world if no one is helping. I would prefer to remain ignorant in my San Franciscan community, and go to Giants games and shop at Whole Foods," he concluded.
That's the mentality that our own Claire Berlinski butts in to with her reporting of the goings on in Turkey. It's a fury induced by powerlessness that people feel when learning about atrocities in a faraway corner of the world. Either that, or an apathy that results from a desensitization to this kind of news; there will always be madmen and violence and horror in the world, and aside from praying, there's so little that any of us on our own can do about that.
Even if they often fall short, it's easy to see a clear purpose of domestic media—government must be held accountable by the citizens, and the citizenry must be kept informed in order to do that. But what's the purpose of the media when it comes to reporting on global issues? Why, for instance, is it important that some nobody like me knows about the horrors that seize North Korea? Is it merely knowledge for the sake of knowledge?
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Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Virshu: Can we at least start with moral clarity...
True, countries evolve on their own schedules - Cuba and North Korea may have years or decades until they fall apart. But with UN obsessed with the hoax of Palestinian sufferings - it would be nice to realize that some peoples are reallydestitute! · 2 hours ago
The author of the NR review contrasts the moral outrage over 130 some-odd Gitmo detainees with the apathy and ignorance of the hundreds of thousands (millions?) who endure intense suffering under the evil North Korean regime.
Why the disparity in outrage levels, do you think?
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Here are concrete things that can be done--short of going to war. Volunteering for or supporting these organizations will not help every suffering prisoner in North Korea, but they may help some.
Justice for North Korea
The Korean Underground Railroad
LINK
NKHR Campaign
North Korea Freedom Coalition
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Diane, as for your friend's question--"Why isn't the US intervening"-- this might be a good opportunity to remind him of the 33,686 Americans who died in the Korean War--a scale of death, by the way, comparable to the First World War, in which 53,402 Americans died. It would also be a good opportunity to remind him why we still have 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea. We can't solve all the world's problems with military force--but in this case, we certainly contained it.
Apr '11
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Aelreth
What did the right do? Fascism and Communism are simply on opposite sides of street of the road to Serfdom. · 9 hours ago
Edited 9 hours ago
I understand that the Nazis were the National Socialist German Workers' Party. But social scientists look at the political spectrum like this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/European-political-spectrum.png/766px-European-political-spectrum.png
Edited on May 1, 2012 at 1:46pmApr '11
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Coming to an atrocity near you - the Atrocities Prevention Board!
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/can-the-atrocities-prevention-board-define-atrocity-.html
"the APB will include representatives of the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, Justice, and Homeland Security, the Joint Staff, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Vice President--all of whom are at the Assistant Secretary level or higher and have been appointed by name by their respective Principals. The APB will meet at least monthly to oversee the development and implementation of atrocity prevention and response policy, and additionally on an ad hoc basis to deal with urgent situations as they arise. The Chair of the APB will be the NSS Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights. "
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/23/fact-sheet-comprehensive-strategy-and-new-tools-prevent-and-respond-atro
"Who you gonna call? The APB!"
Edited on May 1, 2012 at 2:02pmApr '12
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
The truth hurts but truth is necessary and enlightening. Likewise, such news illustrates the chasm between a traditional Christianized society which stands on God's revelation, recognizes man's fall in Adam, exhorts repentance with faith in Jesus Christ, the second birth and restrains evil and encourages good. The last verse of Romans 12 exhorts not being overcome by evil but overcoming evil with good!
Surely we must recognize that most evils done to people is by their own government. Thus, we should recognize and value the great advantage of the Constitution and limited government that our forefathers gave us. Likewise recognize the obvious threats to our safety, wellbeing and future under Obama's vision. More, recognize what foreigners have seen from afar ... the beacon of light, freedom and a future that traditional America has rightly been.
Likely we must warn that today we are one election away from a great slide towards Socialist and atheistic Europe and the brutality of North Korea. Without a return to traditional Christian character, opposing opinions rule and ruin.
Finally, how different are N. Korea, China and most of Africa's governments?
Apr '11
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
As an American who once lived (though never comprehended, because I was too young) in a Dictatorship (communist Romania) I have heard many first hand accounts of totalitarian oppression from family members. My mothers side of the family was especially targeted not only because of their general affluence but also because they were a religious minority, being Greek-Catholics.
There is a lot in the world that can't be changed. We may in fact not be in any position to overthrow the North Korean dictatorship, the Syrian dictatorship, the Iranian dictatorship or other such governments. What we are in a position though to do is to be honest as to their brutality, and inhumanity. If we refuse to see their evil we will never be able to act to stop it even when we have the means to do so.
Bearing witness to the truth of what North Korea is, is the first and most important act of opposing it. To choose to be ignorant, to forget, to not know makes everything for people who suffer such injustice so much worse. Our willful ignorance of their plight only serves to strengthen their oppressors.
Edited on May 1, 2012 at 11:31pmSep '11
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Diane, thank you for finding words and for giving the NRO piece wider circulation.
Jun '10
Re: The Weight of the Horrors in North Korea
Diane Ellis, Ed.
The author of the NR review contrasts the moral outrage over 130 some-odd Gitmo detainees with the apathy and ignorance of the hundreds of thousands (millions?) who endure intense suffering under the evil North Korean regime.
Why the disparity in outrage levels, do you think? · 24 hours ago
There is a finite limit to how much outrage we have, or horror or even compassion. With the amount of information about atrocities all over the world constantly bombarding us, I think we tend to start tuning things out to preserve our own sanity.