The Emotion Police

If the elaborate funeral ceremonies were not enough, it appears that North Korea is now sending in the “emotion police to chastise those who have not sufficiently mourned the late communist despot, Kim Jong-il.

A shocking article published in the Daily NK, titled, “Harsh Punishments For Poor Mourning,” ¹ reports that the police from North Hamkyung Province are cracking down on the less than perfect performance by the proletariat.

“The authorities are handing down at least six months in a labor-training camp to anybody who didn’t participate in the organized gatherings during the mourning period,” the article states, “or who did participate but didn’t cry and didn’t seem genuine.” Talk about judging intentions!

Such outrageous actions curiously do not make it to 60 Minutes or The New York Times. Michael Moore is not making a film about these blatant human rights violations. Jane Fonda is also silent about these poor exploited Koreans. There is no “Korean Spring” to Twitter around the world.

There should be widespread outrage over these punishments. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a more tyrannical rule than trying to control and judge the private inner emotions of an individual.

Yet this is exactly what communist authorities are doing. They are holding “criticism sessions” to punish severely those might be suspected of being slightly less than grateful for the atrocities committed by their late commander and tyrant by sending them to be re-educated for six months in labor training camps.

If this is not enough, the military has been ordered to shoot anyone who is suspected to might have tried to escape from the country during this time.

Not only emotions of sadness but also emotions of veneration are also being cultivated by authorities. In addition to the goodness of establishing criticism sessions, authorities have increased efforts to promote and idolize Kim Jong Eun, son of the late despot, to educate the people of his persona extraordinaire. “Every day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., they have vehicles for broadcast propaganda parked on busy roads full of people going to and from work, noisily working to proclaim Kim Jong Eun’s greatness.”

Unfortunately, the entire world watches without emotion as the “emotion police” carry out their cruel task.

Why not just let them mourn if they so wish or leave them alone if they wish not? Would not that be democratic? Revolution is never done from the bottom up, it is always a perversion from the top down. Communism; like a parasitic vine, kills all that it is attached to.