Propaganda

Message: With this piece I intended to look at how countries are able to divert attention from domestic problems towards international and security problems through a war. North Korea, I thought, would be a perfect example. They have a million-man standing army which is extremely costly, and the rest of the country is in shambles. With a tight controls on what people can think and say (through brainwashing and imprisonment/death), the government is able to push off most of these problems on other countries (for example the US). I do not believe this video is too out of the ordinary, except perhaps in its dialogue.

This also applies to other countries. Many would say that the Iraq war has been a perfect excuse for the President to divert attention away from many domestic problems.

Propaganda: My main tool in this piece is satire. I use almost solely video taken in North Korea and then extrapolate it to the rest of the world. Starving North Korean children are not North Koreans, but Americans funding their giant army which they cannot afford. North Koreans attempting to cross the border to South Korea are really South Koreans trying to join the North Koreans' "glorious revolution." By doing so, and by including certain snide remarks about the state of affairs in other countries (but certainly not in North Korea!) I am attempting to show that this is a true example of propaganda... and therefore, nothing that is said can be trusted.



Section 1: Call to Arms

"The time has come, Comrades. The Great General, in his wisdom has decided the agression of the big bully, the United States, cannot stand. This is war!"

(Images of Kimg Jung-Il, people cheering, NK army training and marching, etc.)

Section 2: Why the US is Bad

"You may know of the United States as a huge world power. It is true they have a good military, but the rest of their country suffers because of it! Look at these pictures of their weak and hungry! I have been told that we are not weak and hungry like this, so I can only believe that we are not!"

(Images of US military, marching, bombing, etc, juxtaposed with images of starving North Korean children)

Section 3: Someone Else is Bad Too

"Their ally, South Korea, sits below us like a chair that the Great General rests his bottoms on. In fact, many South Koreans seek to join our glorious revolution. Look at them trying to cross the border! (Not North Koreans!!!)"

(Images of North Koreans being detained by NK military at the borders, jumping fences, crawling under fences, etc.)

Section 4: Rallying

"We are glorious, we are strong. The United States cannot stand against us. We are rich in monies and possibly in other things as well, maybe we are rich in culture! The big bully United States cannot stand against our superior culture and possible money and other things! Now is our greatest of times! Now we fight!"

(Images of NK celebrations, parades, dancers, army, infrastructure, etc. Ends with an image of Kim Jung-Il and his father [previous dictator]).