[ringm]

"Those North Koreans who have never crossed the border have no way to make sense of their tribulations"

Just today someone on some Russian blog wrote about typical North Korean perceptions of life abroad... It was along the lines of "Yes, we know they are bullshitting it. It's all propaganda. We're told Americans are all hungry and unemployed, but we know anyway! Life is good there, you can get plenty of rice for your ration stamps! No millet, no barley, everyone can get rice if they want. Not only in the capital, anywhere in the country. And the rations are big!"

[cynicalkane]

In a country where there's no meaningful national culture except that imposed by the state, it doesn't make sense to talk about the typical North Korean perception. Plenty of them just don't think capitalist society is wealthier, or if it is, it's because man is even more oppressed there.

In fact, I recall reading somewhere that some middle-class North Koreans, because they have access to American movies, think American life is full of violence, drama and gunfights... I wish I could remember where I read this. Talking to a visitng American, they asked him how he could live with bullets flying everywhere!

[FlorinAndrei]

Maybe each country is different, but I would hesitate before making broad assumptions.

I grew up under a communist regime in Eastern Europe. I was 20 when the revolution took place. So I think I know pretty well what the situation was during the dictatorship.

There was a pretty big difference between the official propaganda and the way people were really thinking. But it would have been very difficult for someone "from outside" to get a glimpse of what was going on behind the layers upon layers of doublethink. The risks were simply too great for anyone to open up and give a piece of their mind to a total stranger. The true dimensions of this orwellian spirit are hard to fathom without having the unmediated experience of it.

I would say that people had a pretty good idea about "life in the West". Not a perfect image, many details were certainly lacking, but overall correct. However, they would not openly discuss about those things except with close relatives or very close friends. Beyond a certain point on the social graph, the official doctrine would automatically kick in and start getting mixed into the discourse.

So take everything you hear about NK with a grain of salt.

Again, maybe I should not extrapolate like this. Maybe NK is a special case. I guess we'll find out one day, after the insanity is over and that land becomes free again.

[rbanffy]

Sadly, I fear lots of people will have a fair chance to experience Orwell first-hand.