Myth making in action

[Mountainheart]

Very interesting watching the real-time production of myths which is taking place in North Korea at the moment. Various miraculous portends 'happened' at the death of Kim Jong-il. Makes you wonder how many ancient mythological stories are just cynical productions of the propagandists of the time.

Also interesting to ponder on whether the North Korean propagandists are themselves being unknowingly influenced by the collective unconscious in the production of these new archetypal myths.

Thx
David

[DJ Droood]

It is fascinating, especially as we are removed from the events and can watch via our own propaganda machine....puts our own myth making into perspective, like how they turned Lady Di from a 1%er clothes-horse into a saint over night.

[Lily]

....like how they turned Lady Di from a 1%er clothes-horse into a saint over night.

that would be more like .0001% DJ.... but yeah, saint and all.

did you watch what Christopher Hitchens had to say abour Mother Theresa? Wow. What a hypocrite.
So some people actively work on their OWN myth.... Some just play along as it is convenient.... some strike a note in the people of their time and the myth gets a life of its own...

In the case of Jesus, I read once that the missionaries of the new faith had to add miracle stories and all, because the regional deities around the mediterranean could all do it, so if they wanted to have some "cool" - street cred! - they needed to be on par.

With regard to North Korea, there is no telling what people accept as truth because speaking out would be dangerous - you'd have to ask a defector. They are kept completely disinformed - on the other hand they can't be entirely gullible.
One defector clearly said they are forced to play along, even small children had already learnt fake mourning when Kim Il Sung died in 1994, 5 year olds in Kindergarden smearing spittle on their faces to fake tears in the communal ceremony.

[DJ Droood]

did you watch what Christopher Hitchens had to say abour Mother Theresa?

Yes!...talk about sacred cows....

I think the hoi polloi likes their myths, though...most dead celebrities from JFK to Micheal Jackson will be magically transformed, at the moment of their drug overdose, into some of the finest humans to have walked the earth.

[Mountainheart]

....like how they turned Lady Di from a 1%er clothes-horse into a saint over night.

that would be more like .0001% DJ.... but yeah, saint and all.

LOL: true on all counts. The UK propaganda machine works very hard on behalf of the Royal family. For example the fact that Prince Harry is almost the spitting image of James Hewitt is never mentioned... [See picture at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2641175.stm if you're not convinced]. Wouldn't match the saintly figure to go too far down that route... But would be very interesting to see if Harry's status is challenged should William not be in a position to succeed Charles.

[DJ Droood]

The UK propaganda machine works very hard on behalf of the Royal family.

Will and Kate made a tour of Canada this summer...the mainstream media is still talking about it as a "highlight of the year" (we don't get out much over here) and how it has "restored the prestige of the monarchy"....yea, right...huzzah....perhaps I should wipe some spittle on my cheeks and call them tears of joy...they might put me on telly!

[Mountainheart]

The UK propaganda machine works very hard on behalf of the Royal family.

Will and Kate made a tour of Canada this summer...the mainstream media is still talking about it as a "highlight of the year" (we don't get out much over here) and how it has "restored the prestige of the monarchy"....yea, right...huzzah....perhaps I should wipe some spittle on my cheeks and call them tears of joy...they might put me on telly!

Well even as a staunch republican (in the British sense) I must admit that they seem to make a nice couple.

It's going to be even worse next year with all the Diamond Jubilee rubbish.I think we need a new 'wiping spittle on the cheeks' smilie to use...

[DJ Droood]

It's going to be even worse next year with all the Diamond Jubilee rubbish.I think we need a new 'wiping spittle on the cheeks' smilie to use...

(you know it is the holidays when you have enough time to make a royal parade in smilies)

[Mountainheart]

It's going to be even worse next year with all the Diamond Jubilee rubbish.I think we need a new 'wiping spittle on the cheeks' smilie to use...

(you know it is the holidays when you have enough time to make a royal parade in smilies)

ROFL.

[Lily]

(you know it is the holidays when you have enough time to make a royal parade in smilies)

how awesome is this.

[Dathi]

Greetings,

Yup, long history of this sort of thing. Just happened I was flipping through a book of iconic photos today. The story of Otto Von Bismarck's death photo is similar.

http://www.all-art.org/history658_photography13-10.html
http://sunilification.com/dejavu/2011/0 ... hotostory/
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck

The Korean story is similar to Che.
http://www.bellingencourier.com.au/news ... 03280.aspx

Guevara was a thoroughly nasty piece of work, yet his well documented racism / homophobia / anti-semitism, his predeliction for shooting people in the head, ordering mass executions etc., is all ignored in the style icon portrayal of the man.

There are many ways to portray someone: http://www.ihatethemedia.com/che-guevar ... s-not-cool

CFN,

Dathi

[DJ Droood]

Guevara was a thoroughly nasty piece of work, yet his well documented racism / homophobia / anti-semitism, his predeliction for shooting people in the head, ordering mass executions etc., is all ignored in the style icon portrayal of the man.

In classroom in Cuba, they hang pictures of Che with slogans such as "Study Hard like Che" , "Be Brave Like Che", "Be Loyal Like Che", etc.

I agree, though...the apologist can gloss over Che's negatives and focus on what they think are positives, like leaving an upper class future in Argentina to work in a leper colony, being instrumental in teaching over 900,000 Cubans to read by constructing dozens of schools throughout Cuba (to this day, you can't go to the smallest village in Cuba without seeing scores of little tykes in red and white uniforms heading off to school (usually located near one of the many free clinics), removed the American Mafia and thier partners, the Batista dictatorship from Cuba, which had killed 20,000 Cubans and tortured thousands more, desegregated Cuban schools before it happened in the Southern US, criticized South Africa’s Apartheid in 1964, 30 years before the West, stopped American companies from owning 70 % of the arable land in Cuba (hello, United Fruit Company), fought white mercenaries in the African Congo with an all black army, spoke out against US Imperialism.

Even Nelson Mandela seems to be under this guy's spell!

"Che’s life is an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom, we will always honor his memory." — Nelson Mandela

So yea, propaganda is a sharp knife that can cut both ways...who knows...maybe K-Jill DIDinvent the hamburger! I guess we believe in the myths that give us comfort. (or keep us from being imprisoned and sent to a slave labour camp)

[Al Hakim]

Myths are easy to create. Dear Che is a good example. He was a learned man, ok, but really failed with all his revolutionary ideas. But he complied with the aspirations which young people wanted to see and hear in the 1960es and seventies. It is similar to become a star: Give some dreams to the people. That is not too bad, isn't it?