Month: January 2019

Reading through the first few chapters in nothing to envy makes me very grateful for the free life i have, and really compassionate for the refugees of north Korea. Kim seems to have absolute power over everything the people experience in life for birth to death nearly. Manipulating every situation and human being to his favor until there is no more value left it and then murdering of his subjects. Its a discussion exhibition of absolute tyranny.

Gravitas…. torcher of the soul….. oppressive tyranny and its finest one might even say, in regards to what it must have been lie to be a refugee from North Korea.

Brainwashed from young children, told that a man is god, kept from having any kind of personal experience that doesn’t serve the needs of the tyrant.

Truly a horrific experience for a human being to endure there whole life.

Based on the first two chapters of Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, I’ve noticed how oppressed the North Korean citizens were.

In the first chapter, it talks about how the byzantine system of social controls, or its ranking system, affected its citizens. For someone high ranking to affiliate themselves with someone who was bottom of the totem pole would be judged as unsightly. The quote below demonstrates how people of different rank would be affected if they were to simply date.

“To be seen in public together would damage the boy’s career prospects as well as her reputation as a virtuous young woman.”

(p. 5)

In the second chapter, it goes in depth how the propaganda blinded each and every one of North Korean Citizens by speaking of how great their dear leader was. Not only that but the “Official History” that the North Korean government provided and how it was taboo to speak of what really happened. Below is an example of how students may be educated.

“The children had been thoroughly inculcated in the North Korean version of history. The Americans were the incarnation of evil and the South Koreans their pathetic lackeys. They’d studied photographs of their country after it had been pulverized by U.S. bombs. They’d read about how sneering American and South Korean soldiers drove their bayonets into the bodies of innocent civilians. Their textbooks at school were full of stories of people burned, crushed, stabbed, shot, and poisoned by the enemy.”

(p. 31)

In chapter three of Nothing to Envy, despite having four children, it talks about a committed communist named Mrs. Song who continued to work a full eight hour shift and still attended classes afterward about her great leader.

As a result from a long and exhausting day, she didn’t have time for any leisure, no time for sleep, and was still expected to participate in “self-criticisms” in which you admit all of your wrong-doings.

“All those years of sleep deprivation, all those lectures and self-criticisms — the very same tools used in brainwashing or interrogations — has wiped out any possibility of resistance.”

(p. 43)

Everyone remembers their childhood. We hold on to the little moments, memories, and experiences (good or bad) that shape us into who we are today. In the novel “Nothing to Envy” written by Barbara Demick, we get to read and learn how the children living in North Korea grow up and how different their lives are compared to the life of an average American child. Some could say that the children of North Korea are “brainwashed” at an early age, learning to obey every rule, worship their leader, and even learn to snitch on one another.

“The children were never to forget that they owed everything to the national leadership. Like other North Korean children, they didn’t celebrate their own birthdays, but those of Kim Il-sung on April 15 and Kim Jong-il on February 16…When the time came, the children lined up in front of the portraits to express their gratitude. In unison, they would bend from the waist, bowing deeply, with feeling.” (Nothing to Envy, pg. 47)

It is said by defectors of North Korea that you could not trust anyone. Not even your own neighbor, sometimes not even your own family member. Everyone was taught to report anything that was against the rules. From a young age it is highly encouraged that it is okay to snitch on one another. There is even a group of young children called the “Socialist Youth League” and these young children and teenagers are taught to keep an eye on everyone and report any suspicious actions.

“One day after she’d changed clothes in a hurry, she ran out without her badge and was stopped by a teenager wearing an armband that identified him as part of the Maintenance of Social Order brigade. These were Socialist Youth League vigilantes who made spot checks to see if people were wearing their badges” (Nothing to Envy, Pg. 46)

https://1.cdn.edl.io/RLI7TmBJckgp3kNkFw1Pq6EJ2ZMnJY6vwSolLIHwK6iBXvuQ.pdf

In Chapter one, I am seeing a cultural perspective through North Koreans and the Hawaiian culture. The North Korean and Hawaiian culture had similarities. These similarities included the Kapu system, and an ondol system. The North Koreans segregated their men and women from eating together just like Hawaiians. This was considered the Kapu system. The North Korean women were only aloud to eat cornmeal, while men ate rice. Hawaiian women could not eat bananas, pork, red fish, and coconut. We also learn about the ondol system in the text. The ondol system seems similar to the ‘imu in Hawaiian culture. The ‘imu is an underground oven used to cook food, while the ondol was underfloor heating through wood smoke. It was also used to cook.

I served ten years in the U.S. Army, and I have been around the world twice. I grew up in the 50’s and 60′, and I remember there was a phrase “Better Dead Than Red” referring to Communism ideology. So when I read how the birth of her little brother, and the sexes became segregated in their household. It’s like looking into a mirror, women are second class here too. I mean Mi-ran questioned, “Why”? That was a good thing, but still the brother got the shoes. “Mmm” In my title, I was being witty, if not for women, man would not be.

Based on the first two chapters of Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, I’ve noticed how oppressed the North Korean citizens were.

In the first chapter, it talks about how the byzantine system of social controls, or its ranking system, affected its citizens. For someone high ranking to affiliate themselves with someone who was bottom of the totem pole would be judged as unsightly. The quote below demonstrates how people of different rank would be affected if they were to simply date.

“To be seen in public together would damage the boy’s career prospects as well as her reputation as a virtuous young woman.”

(p. 5)

In the second chapter, it goes in depth how the propaganda blinded each and every one of North Korean Citizens by speaking of how great their dear leader was. Not only that but the “Official History” that the North Korean government provided and how it was taboo to speak of what really happened. Below is an example of how students may be educated.

“The children had been thoroughly inculcated in the North Korean version of history. The Americans were the incarnation of evil and the South Koreans their pathetic lackeys. They’d studied photographs of their country after it had been pulverized by U.S. bombs. They’d read about how sneering American and South Korean soldiers drove their bayonets into the bodies of innocent civilians. Their textbooks at school were full of stories of people burned, crushed, stabbed, shot, and poisoned by the enemy.

(p. 31)

While reading about Mrs. Song Hee-Suk, I was surprised to learn North Korean women were extremely independent. I admired that North Korean women did not take their husbands surnames, but rather kept their maiden names. It was extremely powerful to read about Mrs. Song birthing all four of her children by herself. I have given birth and could not imagine not having help during the process. It appears that the women are not only the backbone in the family system, but also in the work force. Women ran the factories which is extremely impressive. Even though, women appear to have independence in certain areas of life, they still remain second class citizens to men. This can been seen in the interaction with Mrs. Song and her mother in law. It was quite bizarre to think her family would stop talking to her and even shame her until she produced a male heir. I was outraged that she abused her daughter in law because her son was only shooting X chromosomes.