For OhMyNews to run these parody posters for the Ryongchon disaster donation drives is, at best, highly inappropriate, and at worst, lends credence to accusations (even if they’re from the Chosun Ilbo) that the Internet publication is a fascist organization.
Look, I know you guys down at OhMy will publish just about anything, but come on, use your heads!
(Thanks, Antti)
6 Comments
With all the nazi cafes and stuff, we are aware that Koreans in general are not aware what this Nazi (and Stalinism) stuff means in many parts of the world - of if they are, they don’t care.
“Hitler sign” squirt gun from the 70s.
But “parody”? What does the Korean ?흸짢?????앪?actually mean? What are these parodying? On the one hand they seem to become parodies of the rescue campaigns themselves, but that cannot have been Ohmy’s and Newstoon’s intention. Neither can it have been their intention that using totalitarian posters reminds al least me of the DPRK totalitarianism.
I’m not surprised they didn’t use imperial Japanese or DPRK stuff - the people in that propaganda would have looked the same as those who are now encouraged to participate, but that would have also diverted thoughts to the DPRK system.
Funny you should mention that, because I was thinking as I wrote the post, gee, they should have used Imperial Japanese propoganda posters — heck, might not even have to change much of the vocabulary (but that’s another argument).
Yeah, and there was nothing really “parody” (English usage) about those posters, judging from the original Newstoon site. I mean, I’ve used North Korean art on my website, and everyone knows I have a thing for Stalinist art, but those posters are something different entirely.
South Korea/Japan/China are often described as an irony-free zone (IFZ).
This episode just speaks of ignorance, unless the authors pulled a fast one on Oh My News and wanted to represent North Korea and its sympathisers as fascists.
Avowedly leftist North Korea (and perhaps parts of the South Korean hard left) DO fit the dictionary definition of (small f) fascism.
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The term “fascist” is rather over used, Honourable Marmot. Please refrain from it.
Any of the Nazi posters can be forwarded to the Israeli and German Embassies in Seoul. They both have special sections that deal with this phenomenon, and (for obvious reasons) take the subject very seriously.
When I reported some things last year though, I had to send the information to the German Foreign Ministry, and they subsequently notified the German Embassy.