Is there a more fascinating country than North Korea?
Alex Tabarrok at MR is reading a book on it. It is amazing how effective brainwashing can be.
I remember listening to a podcast with some kind of ‘expert’ (for the life of me I can’t find it online) who was of the opinion that the one reason the brainwashing is effective is that it taps into the human inclination to racism that’s caused so much trouble in history.
Basically, goes the story, the Korean race is superior. Even if it looks like other countries are prospering, it’s an illusion: how could they if they aren’t Korean?
But a contradiction is developing. North Koreans have to deal with the dissonance of having a racially identical, much richer country next door. I get a warm feeling inside when racist ideologues squirm.
Not Unreasonable 