Kim Jong-Il Dead

[bjre]

surely that isn't how they really feel

whoever looks happy I am sure would be killed

"Can you lay eggs?" the hen asked. "No," replied the duckling. "Can you purr and arch your back?" asked the cat.

"No."

"Then what can you do?" they wanted to know.

"I can swim," exclaimed the ugly duckling. "It's delightful to dive into the water and feel it all around you."

"You must be crazy," said the cat and the hen.

[cybercoma]

Just wait until our Head of State (Queen Elizabeth II) dies. We'll see how crazy all of this public grief is then.

[bud]

Just wait until our Head of State (Queen Elizabeth II) dies. We'll see how crazy all of this public grief is then.

i doubt there will be any emotion. just a lot of tv coverage.

[Black Dog]

Looks pretty unbelievable to me. Even JFK didn't elicit that display of crocodile tears.

JFK didn't spend 50 years building a cult of personality and crushing dissent with violence though.

[Boges]

How about the reaction to Jack Layton's death?

at crying over the death of a politician.

[cybercoma]

i doubt there will be any emotion. just a lot of tv coverage.

People were crying on television when Jack Layton died. People cry publically when celebrities die. Look at Michael Jackson for an example. I mean, it's not all that surprising. It just makes an interesting narrative with Jong-Il Kim because we believe that people shouldn't respect him. He's an oppressive dictator, so we think people should celebrate his passing. The disparity between internal and external perceptions is interesting, but what's more interesting is that we believe that our external perception out to be held by those there. In fact, we find it impossible to believe that they're even being serious about their grief. Yet, we would grieve in a very similar way for a public figure.

[The_Squid]

Take a look at the people in this video.... these are well-to-do N.Koreans. Certainly not the average person on the street who is struggling to get enough to eat each day. These folks have connections and probably want to be seen crying over the death of the little bastard.

They're facing a famine over there... the people in the video certainly are not going hungry....

[Post To The Left]

I'm wondering if the son will inherit the throne(so to speak) or if someone else is in the wings. Also, is it possible that there is someone even crazier than Kim?

Here is a list of the top 10 behind the scene figures of North Korea:

http://blog.keia.org/2011/12/10-people-you-need-to-know-for-transition-in-north-korea/

Interesting is number 7, Kim Kyok-sik, who supervised the artillery attack on South Korea last year.