It’s No Joke as North Korea Bans Sarcasm
Being a stand-up comedian in North Korea must be a nerve-wrecking calling. The totalitarian regime just banned people from making sarcastic comments about its leader Kim Jong-un. Similar comments about the regime itself are also forbidden. Eye-rolling is also likely going to cost you.
North Korea’s political apparatus held a series of meetings across the country to explain the policy.
“One state security official personally organised a meeting to alert local residents to potential ‘hostile actions’ by internal rebellious elements,” reported Radio Free Asia’s Korean Service from Jagang Province. “The main point of the lecture was ‘Keep your mouths shut.”
An example of a sarcastic expression the officials don’t like if used to describe their regime – “This is all America’s fault”.
“This habit of the central authorities of blaming the wrong country when a problem’s cause obviously lies elsewhere has led citizens to mock the party.”
They also really don’t like it when their country’s leader is mocked via expressions like “A fool who cannot see the outside world.” Apparently, this description of Kim Jong-un has been gaining popularity.
As there’s been an observed growth of public protests against the North Korean government, like such statements or mocking graffiti, the ban on sarcasm seems hard to enforce but makes some sense from the Communist nation’s point of view.
Certainly, as studies have pointed out, engaging in sarcastic commentary is both a sign of intelligence and leads to “enhanced creativity”. Perhaps, such population traits are not prioritized by the North Korean leaders.
As the mysterious nation just carried out its biggest nuclear test, people around the world are indeed taking the country’s actions more seriously.
