Social Blindness

In the book Northing to Envy, Barbara Demick describes North Korea as an undeveloped country. “You can see the evidence of what once was and has been lost…” (4,Demick) The North Koreas aren’t up to the modern world and still haven’t learned that all humans need rights to be happy. Many aspects of human rights are broken in North Korean society that affect the people negatively, making them feel violated.

1984 demonstrates a dystopian society in Oceania by presenting a relentless dictator, Big Brother, who uses his power to control the minds of his people and to ensure that his power never exhausts. Aspects of 1984 are evidently established in components of society in North Korea. With both of these society’s under a dictator’s rule, there are many similarities that are distinguished between the two. Orwell’s 1984 becomes parallel to the world of dystopia in North Korea by illustrating a nation that remains isolated under an almighty ruler.

They aren’t told stuff about their own country, that they have the right to know. If that information gets out into the public, than that would put the leader’s command in threat. More than three quarters of the population doesn’t have enough to eat. North Korea believes that the Americans started the Korea War. There are many orphans in North Korea, but only a few escaped from the country. North Korea has many markets to shop at just like the United States. Even though the stores are stocked with many goods, many of the items aren’t for sale, they are only to show.

The United States has a complex government that builds on democracy whereas North Korea has communism centered on totalitarian rule. Both had their conflicts during the past and still are struggling in the future. Even though their government has two different sides to tell about they too have some similarities. One country having majority rule and the other having "political authority [whom] exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life" (definition: totalitarianism at dictionary.com). Going through the growth of their economy, the citizens are opening their eyes each and every day to a government that has different branches with their checks and balances, exposure to several political parties, having their civil

In North Korea all aspects of life are ruled by the government, which essentially takes away human rights. North Koreans, rich or poor have this idea put into their head that their dictator is a supreme god. If someone had the idea of not worshiping the supreme leader in public, they would be sent to a labor camp. North Koreans who try to leave North Korea without permission may be shot on the spot or sent to a labor camp where they may never be released. In every house, no matter where you lived, there is a picture of the supreme leader that you pray to every day. When the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong II, died recently, on December 17th 2011, there was a parade held that had mourners when the casket passed by. As the Supreme Leader’s casket passed by , the mourners were observed to see if they were actually crying. If they didn’t seem like they were sad enough they were sent to prison camps along with other North Koreans that didn’t join the parade. At these Labor camps imprisoned North Koreans are taught how important is to worship the supreme leader and sometimes kept there with their families for as long as they live.

They make people believe in things aren’t real just like King Jong Un does to his population. An example in George Orwell book was that 2+2=5, Orwell stated (1949) “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows” (page 81). This shows how much the government controls you and how they can manipulate the way people think. Just like 1984, North Korea makes the citizens believe things are true when they are clearly to anybody else in the world.The government is very careful with what they let in and out of the

Also the lack of jobs has led to the majority of the people to be below the poverty line. And the ones with jobs do not get paid much or at all due to government corruption. For example, “Men are forced to work long hours for the government, often without pay, and those that don’t show up for work risk imprisonment”. Which has led to men working worthless jobs and women becoming the breadwinners of the families but still not having the same respect as men. The North Korean government is forcing these men to work for free while their families have no food to eat. Brainwashing and propaganda are also major aspects of the regime to keep the people scared of the world outside North Korea, namely the United States, Japan and South Korea. As shown, “Ak (evil) may be the single most commonly used word to describe Americans. The derogatory term nom, similar to calling someone a bastard, is inevitably attached to the end of any word referring to Americans”. Children from a young age are taught to refer to Americans in such manner to install fear in them to always distrust Americans and their aid. Americans are the worst of the worst type of people, according to the Kim regime, because they prevented the reunification of the two Koreas. Followed closely behind by the Japanese, since there is still resentment from the Japanese colonial rule. South Korea is not as

In North Korea, a totalitarian or dictatorial government prevails, where one “Supreme Leader” is revered and even worshipped. This government features a monolithic system, which plays “a crucial role in enabling the continuing monopoly of power by a sole leader” (Park 5-6). All components of life and society thus become fully oriented toward the goals of the head of state, Kim Jong-un, and the Kim dynasty. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the government-headed Korean Central News Agency heavily commands the “dissemination of information, and all papers are strictly censored” (Lee et al.). This control over the movement of ideas in the population not only fosters the spread of government ideology but also prompts citizens to remain ignorant regarding certain issues, such as government actions

The country of North Korea compares rather closely to the world in Ayn Rand’s Anthem. Both nations of people are very closed off from the community and the outside world. The citizens only know about what the government officials want them to know about. In North Korea everyone depends upon and worships their leader, Kim Jong Il, almost as though he is their god. They all only depend on what they classify as “we” and they rely only on that because they do not have access to anyone else or even know what it means to be an individual. In both the book and North Korea, the citizens are locked down and watched with a careful eye. Breaking the rules in Anthem would send you to the Uncharted Forest, which is very similar to what happens to those

Many factors contribute to a broken down society. Though many may not see it , once pointed out, all becomes clear. In “Anthem”, the novella by Ayn Rand, societal blindness is caused by a government who limits information and conformation to society. Blindness, not in the sense of not seeing, but not knowing or understanding. With that societal blindness can be cause by a secretive government, which could start dangerous uprisings, or raging wars that could highly impact the community.

In Korea, the people have been taught to love and adore the great leader, Kim Jong Il. In the documentary about Korea, the people thanked the great leader for giving them the gift of seeing but did not thank the people who actually operated and fixed their eye. They are taught that everything he does is right and he never does anything wrong. In Anthem, they were trained at birth to live for each other. They had to say “We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State”(21), every night before sleeping as their prayer. They are also to NEVER doubt or question the council. The citizens in North Korea and in Anthem are taught that whatever the government says is always correct and there is no questioning with what they say. The citizens have no say in their lives. After time, the people will start believing nothing else than what they've been taught to believe. Then they start believing that if they disobey with what they are told to believe in, then they are an evil or bad

Being completely controlled and even afraid is a part of people’s everyday lives, those of North Korea. Hatred towards this totalitarianism is a philosopher and novelist, Ayn Rand. Rand has written a novel, Anthem, to display the impact of totalitarianism and how she opposes this type of system. Between the everyday life in North Korea and the dystopian society in Anthem, are many similarities and some differences. The structure of the governments, the state of the people, and the little progress made within North Korea and the society of Anthem can certainly be compared.

The Secret State of North Korea offered a great look into what basic things North Koreans are lacking. Even within the realm of Communism. Lack of freedoms, lack of food, lack of community, lack of trust, lack of a social society, lack of programs for children, lack of equality, and a lack of information. When Kim Il-Sung created North Korea, the government was based on Marxism and Leninism, called “Juche.” Just as the Soviets, the North Koreans followed suite with massive inequality between the government officials and the common people. The documentary showed its viewers what the government is omnipresent in the everyday lives of its people, so much so that recordings of daily life are illegal, and “random” searches take place commonly.

The movie “The Blind Side” took place in Memphis, Tennessee. There was different setting in the movie. The different scenes took place in the Tuohy household, the Wingate Christian school, and a few scenes took place in the rural side of the town.

Given the poor state of the nation's economy, North Korea's government has to rely upon the cult of personality in order to keep the population in check. Most art in the country venerates, either directly or indirectly, the 'great leader' Kim il-Sung or his successor, the current North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Among the population, there is a strong level of belief in such apparent absurdities as the idea that Kim il-Sung created the entire world, or that Kim Jong-il controls the weather (Martin, 2004).