@@CraigStCyrPlus Stop being such a cynical contrarian, will you? First of all, you have no idea what Hitch would've wanted. Secondly, being an atheist and missing a human that has died but who touched many while he was living are not mutually exclusive. The OP was saying he wished Hitch could still be here so we could hear his commentary on current events. Stop trying to take any and every little moment of nostalgia away from people.
I may have disagreements with Christopher's ideas from time to time, but when it comes to issues such as North Korea, he's basically spot-on and impeccably precise. You rock!
The more i listen to and watch the Hitch, the more i realize what a devastating loss we really have taken. What a fantastic blow to us all that we have lost such a mind. I still cant believe he's gone. Were all fucked now.
Ironic how these comments are filled with atheists saying that North Korea is a theocracy for worshipping their leader, while at the same time expressing unadulterated praise, worship and adoration for Hitchens, speaking of him the same way devout Christians speak of Jesus.
That story about walking through a zoo full of starved animals in North Korea and coming upon a bird that looks at you sullenly and says "long live the dear leader" sounds like a fucking nightmare out of a horror movie...
Then you must also not understand why Hitchens is smirking and telling jokes throughout. “I know why we laugh. We laugh because it hurts, and it's the only thing to make it stop hurting.” - Robert Heinlein
I spent a week in North Korea over 15 years ago....and everything he says was just the same then. Watching the TV over there is the freakiest experience ever.
North Korea actually has a trinity. It's called "The three generals of Mt. Baekdu" or "The three stars of Korea". One and two are Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and the third one is the mother of Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-suk, the "Mother of Korea" and Anti-Japanese Fighter, who, coincidentally, was born on the 24th of December and her birthday is a holiday, along with the birthdays of Kim Il-sung (April 15th is the Day of the Sun) and the birthday of Kim Jong-il.
Such a loss to all concerned. We desperately need someone to fill his boots. The problem is there's no one out there with his ferocious intelligence that is matched by his ferocious courage.
At first I thought Hitchens was exaggerating slightly with his 'most religious state' comment... but after watching several documentaries and such about the country... he is absolutely spot on.
Well they believe in the divinity of the leader, and they believe it and dedicate themselves to it more than Christian/Jews/Muslims etc etc Probably because if they don’t worship their hid then their god will send men to arrest you family and put you in a labour camp. If Jesus/Adonai/Muhammad did that regularly then I’m sure us in the west and Mid East would be much more religious.
I remember reading Solzhenitsyn's "The First Circle" and one of the review blurbs on the back basically said that when the whole world around you is reduced to thugs ,villains and criminals then sometimes the only rational response is a loud laugh. I have a feeling that maybe the beginning of the end of the horror show in North Korea will occur when the people start mocking and laughing at the murderous scum propping the regime up....
there’s a theory about the theater behind fascist and authoritarian dictators, it’s a ridiculous thing that immediately falls apart once mocked and ridiculed it only works under a shared delusion of grandeur
Except the DPRK is not "Stalinist" and it's certainly not "communist". Marxist-Leninism was written out of the DPRK constitution in 1992 right after the USSR collapsed and left the DPRK holding the bag. "Juche" is the ruling ideology which is something altogether different. Communism in the USSR was almost dead when Reagan came along. He was just its chief pallbearer.
John Fund once spoke about a trip to East Germany. He had encountered a few teenage girls, and in conversation he asked what they want to be when they grow up. One replied, "It doesn't matter what we become when we grow up. They will always treat us like children." For some reason, this bit of memory popped in my head when Hitch spoke about the absence of private life in N Korea. The sad thing is that Western children have more privacy than Communist subjects.
That has no supernatural context whatsoever. It was meant to convey the party's absolute control of the minds of the people. I'm paraphrasing heavily here, since it's been years since I've read it, but it goes something like: two and two equals four, so long as we say it equals four and if the party decided that it equals five, it would become five and no one would be able to object.
I can appreciate your point of view, but as an atheist, I suggest the people of North Korea need liberty much more than religion. Let me add, that even though I value reason above faith, I wish my many Christian friends a Merry Christmas.
I shared so many if those same feelings on 1984 the first time I read it in hs and nobody would discuss/admit the religious aspects/metaphors/meanings. Fucking assholes mocked me.
North Korea, the most religious state possible, but everyone there worships the leader. Head of the state is the dead father, making North Korea a thanatocracy. When the son, Kim Jong-il, the "The Dear Leader" died in 2011, he was designated as the "Eternal General Secretary" of the Korean Worker's Party (WPK) and the "Eternal Chairman of the National Defense Commission", in keeping with the tradition of establishing eternal posts for the dead members of the Kim dynasty. Kim Jong-un is the 3rd supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and I hope the North Korean people realize how much they have been oppressed and crushed by the hideous Kim crime family and overthrow that unctuous little bastard.
+Hadi Haridi Are you claiming that they do not worship the Kims in North Korea? What evidence do you have that this religion does not worship the Eternal Great Leader? How do atheists worship dead people? As a self-proclaimed expert on what makes a religion, you should have no difficulty providing sources for your claims. .
+RzzRBladez They worship their dead leader out of respect, and their leaders out of fear. Nothing to do with anything divine. As for your statement about people being equal- The Bible clearly stated all men, whether Greek or Jew, freeman or slave, are all one under Jesus. The Bible is very anti-racist, for those who study it. No, I'm not religious but I'm not ignorant toward religions. Racism and true Christianity/Catholicism can not co-exist. Religion is not the basis for all hate. Lol. Sure, a lot of hate stems from some religions, but certainly not all. The Nazi ideology was actually anti-religious, as was Hitler. Germans and Austrians were a majority of Christian/Catholic based, however, all of that was swept aside after the Nazis began expanding influence. They believed religion was weak and a threat to their people. And in fact, it was a threat. The Catholic church became an opposition toward Hitler, so naturally he began shifting away from it to ensure his power was unchallenged. Many Christians and Catholics were sent to labor camps and executed for either hiding Jews or opposing the Nazi way. Nazis weren't against Jews due to religious beliefs. Lol. The were against Jews because they need someone to blame for their loss during WWI, and later economic pressures. They also hated Jews due to their beliefs of racial hygiene- Jews being regarded as not Aryan, but of a different breed, despite Jews having been thought of as Aryan before said events...
The "chosen race" comes from the Bible. Hitler didn't originate the idea. The pope did sign a treaty with Hitler, and later almost did something to oppose Hitler. If you are satisfied with token opposition, the Vatican was full of it. It is good that the Catholic Church has abandoned many of its immoral ways. Let's hope that they continue to abandon their many immoral ways. Worshiping the divine leader of the country (North Korea) is what the religious do. Since Gods are immortal, they do not die. .
Tim Noonan Hitler didn't think of the chosen race in a religious context. He thought the Germans were a biologically superior race, which the Nazi Regime tried supporting with half-assed scientific claims and historical theories! This has nothing in the slightest to do with religion. By the way, the Jews are said to be the chosen people in the Bible, which in the New Testament becomes somewhat irrelevant after Christ sacrificed himself for the Human race. If you even read my message above, you would know that the Nazi Regime and Hitler were very much anti-religious and view such a thing as weak and a threat,,,
You can assume that anything Nordic is not Biblical. Your ability to read the mind of Hitler to support your prejudices is not convincing, but I don't care. I am bored with your trolling. Bye.
We don't pledge allegiance to a country, to the land. We pledge allegiance to a flag, a republic, a nation. We pledge to the people, ourselves and those around us. It's unfortunate that so many people have no idea what it means.
I agree, it is _because_ Snowden pleged allegiance to the flag and to the nation that he was obligated to share with the nation the conspiracies against it conducted by its State apparatus, not _despite_ that.
Why does the majority of the world believe in a non existent daddy figure that lives in the sky? People want to be told what to do, maybe not all, but most must have some belief system that they believes gives their life structure.
I think a lot of people who criticize atheism or more specifically atheistic communism, forget to mention that many who were involved in the Bolshevik party in Russia were jews or half Jews in Vladimir Lenin's case.
Fortunately, Americans are entitled to believe in whatever they choose. Whether we choose faith or reason to guide us, there are those on both sides who feel morally superior to others. Personally, I am not galled by spiritual believers as much as I am saddened whenever irrationality of any stripe conquers reason.
@animan360 That's because all worship and praise is reserved for "the great leader" and his son. North Koreans attribute miracles to both father and son and maintain that they are divine. Sounds more religious than secular to me.
Kim Il-Sung is more in comparison (treatment) to Buddha and John F. Kennedy. Buddha is dead yet people follow his teachings. John F. Kennedy was a charismatic young president of America, then compare Kim Il-Sung's common attitude to Koreans and foreign visitors. Both aren't recieving diety (equal to worship of Christ) worship, but worship as heros (mostly Kim ll-Sung). North Korea has an over emphasis of respect towards their leaders, not religious worship. The religion is not blatant.
just because you believe something or someone doesnt make you religious. You have to believe in a higher power and mor than the eye can see to be religious
Right, and I would say that there is no such thing as a "nation" or it's symbolic representation in a "flag". There is no such thing as a "collective ideal". Furthermore, I do not have to pledge anything to anyone I do not choose to. All relationships are voluntary, and virtue by proximity is another thing that does not exist. It seems to me that you can be very secular and simultaneously religious in this sense.
And many were not, and many were Russian Orthodox, the religious heritage of those people had little to do with anything. The fact of the matter is that reguardless of the various and sundry beliefs of thousands or millions of individuals who fought to turn their countries into communisms, they ended up with Military dictatorships that enforced the exsistence of only one religion, worship of State/Leader, which we labeled as Atheism.
@Jallandhara "You won’t believe what happened to me today! You just won’t believe it!” And when you asked him, he would say, “Absolutely nothing!”. Each and everyday many events of utterly no significance transpire and we ignore them, but then if something strange happens---we dream someone breaks their leg, and the next day we go skiing with them and they do ---then all bets are off. It is hard to accept that it might be just a coincidence. -Richard Feynman and Lawrence Krauss.
Then i'm quite fortunate that i was perfectly correct in charging you. It isn't a matter of agreement, it's a matter of correct and incorrect. Believing one's birth to be a divine occurrence is many things, but it is not atheistic. I pointed out how North Korean communism isn't based on atheism (no communism is "based" in atheism). Seeing as how religion involves a deity by definition it's a contradiction in terms to call it atheistic, it can be one or the other, it cannot be both,
The chip I carry on shoulder is against all forms of irrationality, not just religion. I will not resort to calling you names, as, unlike you, I am not threatened by having my chosen philosophy challenged. Besides, I don't have to. Your postings speak volumes regarding your wisdom or lack thereof.
It's the Kurdish flag, looks similar to the Indian and hungarian but he talks about it in another video. He's showing his support for the Kurds by wearing it.
@TomthatiscalledTom Really? How did you get in? I'm from the US and interested in visiting the country, though I know that gaining admission to the DPRK is a hard, if not impossible, process.
But he's wrong to say that there is no concept of irony or humor or liberty in North Korea. The government WISHES that was the case, but it isn't. Humans are humans. The government has much less power over people's minds and bodies than it pretends to have, most people these days are more loyal to the "Jangmadang" than to the Korean Worker's Party or Kim Jong-un. Post-famine North Korea is a quasi-anarchic third world country where bribes can even get you saved from a public execution.
Yea seriously. They worship an eternal president who they think gives them everything in their life, and is completely infallible. How do you not see the Theocracy in that?
Also @ Arubberball I'm 47 and been an atheist since I was a teenager. I'm also mostly a libertarian. (registered independent) Which means that I'm pretty much totally dead set against the neo-liberals, against the neo-cons and against the religious right (misnomer..). (BTW: I'm for freedom of religion and freedom from religion) Socialism to me is the mortal enemy of America.
And yet self-congratulating atheists and moral relativists are a pious bunch themselves, are they not? It absolutely galls them to no end that someone, let alone most people of the world, are spiritual believers. And they never stop reminding us of this.
@animan360 Secularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs. Not allowing religion is going farther than just secularism. It's secular because religion doesn't play a part in government. It's abusive of freedom of opinion. Furthermore, Hitches is making the point that it has no religion because their political ideology is basically a religion itself, with the leaders being gods. They just don't use that terminology.
I'm hoping to go there soon, hopefully next year. Having done some basic research I can say that it isn't cheap; it's roughly 2000 Euro's for 5 days. Given the escalated situation between N.K and S.K I'm not sure whether that'd make the trip that bit more interesting or whether it's a kamikaze holiday. If anyone has been there can you tell me if it's ACTUALLY worth it?
oh. get out from your dream. Kim, Il Sung is the hero of Korean. He is like John Connor in Terminator movie. Without Kim, Il Sung there is NO north Korea.
Without the USSR there is no DPRK. Kim Il Sung was an uneducated dolt who was picked to rule solely because of his Russian ties and military background.
Classic slavery ( like what was in the US)= private ownership of slaves. Communism= public ownership of slaves. In classic slavery, the slave owners have an interest in maintaining the capital stock value of the slaves, which means treating them somewhat humanely. In communism, they don't- that's why private ownership of slaves is a lesser evil than communism.
Funny that Christians seem much more mean-spirited than Atheists, at least judging the posts on this video. For those who are not supposed to judge, they are very judgmental.
+Mysterys Mistress All I said was I never knew it was so religious I never said it was a religious state I said I never knew it was so religious so your claiming I said it wasn't a atheist state....That's not what I said....
+Mysterys Mistress I simply said it was more religious than I thought it was....You can say that's not religion that's superstion or something But the way I see it there all ways told lies about there dear leader they think he can read there mind...So it sounds more religious than I ever thought.....
+Mysterys Mistress I'm not denying anything I said it's more religious than I thought and you told me too claim otherwise is too deny fact....I never claimed other wise That would mean I said north Korea is a religious state I never said that....North Koreans believe there dear leader is a god he was born on a mountain top while singing north Korean. You can claim that believing that a human is a god is different than believing in a all powerful god....But I would say there an atheist state. If they think there dear leader is a god who can read there mind....But I'm not saying that's what they claim maybe they did make north Korea an atheist state...That's not what I'm talking about if talking about all the beliefs north Koreans have and how religious they are or would seem...im not sure that would be by definition religious but that's a prefect description....
Everybody is religious, according to his perception of religion. Even if a leader is obeyed, that leader is a God. In that case, every president of every country is a god. In other words, if you believe what christopher hitchens says, that means you believed in him. Which means every atheist is an worshipper of this man. See how confusing this gets
It's confusing because you're inventing nonsense. A fanatical obsession with a leader is little different to believing someone. I suggest you learn basic English before you start trying to use it.
Can you imagine Hitch in 2022? RIP, need you now more than ever.
No. We dont. To cling to cold bones isnt what Hitch would have advised.
I never knew the importance of this person until I knew what was actually going on in this world, Hitchens exposed the naked truth
@@CraigStCyrPlus Stop being such a cynical contrarian, will you? First of all, you have no idea what Hitch would've wanted. Secondly, being an atheist and missing a human that has died but who touched many while he was living are not mutually exclusive. The OP was saying he wished Hitch could still be here so we could hear his commentary on current events. Stop trying to take any and every little moment of nostalgia away from people.
Hitch would fucking destroy MAGA. He hated the tea party…imagine what he would think of the Trump worship.
oh god, how I miss Hitchens!
marcowargamer 11
Me too! A real loss!
I'm not too fond of him.
Me too :(
"The life of the human being...is completely pointless". Never a more frightening statement.
I may have disagreements with Christopher's ideas from time to time, but when it comes to issues such as North Korea, he's basically spot-on and impeccably precise. You rock!
The more i listen to and watch the Hitch, the more i realize what a devastating loss we really have taken. What a fantastic blow to us all that we have lost such a mind. I still cant believe he's gone. Were all fucked now.
he was magic. even when i don't agree with what he says I love how he says it
Well his brother Peter is still with us, and I think Peter knows more about things/life then Christopher ever did.
Listening to this made me realize he's dumber than I thought.
frisco61 What books have you written?
Ironic how these comments are filled with atheists saying that North Korea is a theocracy for worshipping their leader, while at the same time expressing unadulterated praise, worship and adoration for Hitchens, speaking of him the same way devout Christians speak of Jesus.
A "thanatocracy"... LOL I miss Hitch. He had such a delightful fluency of expression.
That story about walking through a zoo full of starved animals in North Korea and coming upon a bird that looks at you sullenly and says "long live the dear leader" sounds like a fucking nightmare out of a horror movie...
YOU MADE ME LAUGH
Then you must also not understand why Hitchens is smirking and telling jokes throughout.
“I know why we laugh. We laugh because it hurts, and it's the only thing to make it stop hurting.” - Robert Heinlein
I spent a week in North Korea over 15 years ago....and everything he says was just the same then. Watching the TV over there is the freakiest experience ever.
I love the way this dude speaks
North Korea actually has a trinity. It's called "The three generals of Mt. Baekdu" or "The three stars of Korea". One and two are Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and the third one is the mother of Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-suk, the "Mother of Korea" and Anti-Japanese Fighter, who, coincidentally, was born on the 24th of December and her birthday is a holiday, along with the birthdays of Kim Il-sung (April 15th is the Day of the Sun) and the birthday of Kim Jong-il.
The state of north korea makes me sick.
Christopher Hitchens Was one of the Greatest intellectual Free Thinking Individuals Ever! R. I. P Hitch! You are Dearly Missed!
"Birds singing in Korean" hahahahaha :-D
Such a loss to all concerned. We desperately need someone to fill his boots. The problem is there's no one out there with his ferocious intelligence that is matched by his ferocious courage.
At first I thought Hitchens was exaggerating slightly with his 'most religious state' comment... but after watching several documentaries and such about the country... he is absolutely spot on.
Well they believe in the divinity of the leader, and they believe it and dedicate themselves to it more than Christian/Jews/Muslims etc etc
Probably because if they don’t worship their hid then their god will send men to arrest you family and put you in a labour camp.
If Jesus/Adonai/Muhammad did that regularly then I’m sure us in the west and Mid East would be much more religious.
I AM NOT LIBERAL BUT I MISS CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS. HIS WIT AND INTELLIGENCR WAS A GIFT HONED SKILLFULLY.
Tap that caps lock button, buddy. This isn't 2002 AOL.
I remember reading Solzhenitsyn's "The First Circle" and one of the review blurbs on the back basically said that when the whole world around you is reduced to thugs ,villains and criminals then sometimes the only rational response is a loud laugh. I have a feeling that maybe the beginning of the end of the horror show in North Korea will occur when the people start mocking and laughing at the murderous scum propping the regime up....
there’s a theory about the theater behind fascist and authoritarian dictators, it’s a ridiculous thing that immediately falls apart once mocked and ridiculed
it only works under a shared delusion of grandeur
Like our federal government.?
They've got their trinity now, Chris. Shame that you didn't outlive Kim 2.0. I would have LOVED to hear you comment on "the Great Successor".
Wish he were here to speak on the political extremism (both sides) today. RIP a level-headed and reasonable voice
6 inches ~ 15 cm
In a predominantly male comment section, most people know what 6 inches looks like.
awethesound .... some have to guess the last 2"
Except the DPRK is not "Stalinist" and it's certainly not "communist". Marxist-Leninism was written out of the DPRK constitution in 1992 right after the USSR collapsed and left the DPRK holding the bag. "Juche" is the ruling ideology which is something altogether different. Communism in the USSR was almost dead when Reagan came along. He was just its chief pallbearer.
'1 short of a trinity' oh boy if only he could see the situation in North Korea now
The more I've read about North Korea the more it looks like just the most dreadful fate anyone can be born into, just absolute human nihilism.
I thought 1984 was published in 1949
Why, since his death do I not listen to him like used to? Always missed
I miss miss him also
John Fund once spoke about a trip to East Germany. He had encountered a few teenage girls, and in conversation he asked what they want to be when they grow up. One replied, "It doesn't matter what we become when we grow up. They will always treat us like children." For some reason, this bit of memory popped in my head when Hitch spoke about the absence of private life in N Korea. The sad thing is that Western children have more privacy than Communist subjects.
That has no supernatural context whatsoever. It was meant to convey the party's absolute control of the minds of the people. I'm paraphrasing heavily here, since it's been years since I've read it, but it goes something like: two and two equals four, so long as we say it equals four and if the party decided that it equals five, it would become five and no one would be able to object.
I can appreciate your point of view, but as an atheist, I suggest the people of North Korea need liberty much more than religion. Let me add, that even though I value reason above faith, I wish my many Christian friends a Merry Christmas.
LibertyPen Hey, what's the soundtrack from 0:01 to 0:11?
@VirtuosicElevator The Kurdish flag. He wore it in solidarity with the Kurdish people and their struggles in the middle east.
I shared so many if those same feelings on 1984 the first time I read it in hs and nobody would discuss/admit the religious aspects/metaphors/meanings. Fucking assholes mocked me.
North Korea, the most religious state possible, but everyone there worships the leader. Head of the state is the dead father, making North Korea a thanatocracy. When the son, Kim Jong-il, the "The Dear Leader" died in 2011, he was designated as the "Eternal General Secretary" of the Korean Worker's Party (WPK) and the "Eternal Chairman of the National Defense Commission", in keeping with the tradition of establishing eternal posts for the dead members of the Kim dynasty. Kim Jong-un is the 3rd supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and I hope the North Korean people realize how much they have been oppressed and crushed by the hideous Kim crime family and overthrow that unctuous little bastard.
+Hadi Haridi
Are you claiming that they do not worship the Kims in North Korea?
What evidence do you have that this religion does not worship the Eternal Great Leader?
How do atheists worship dead people? As a self-proclaimed expert on what makes a religion, you should have no difficulty providing sources for your claims.
.
+RzzRBladez They worship their dead leader out of respect, and their leaders out of fear. Nothing to do with anything divine. As for your statement about people being equal- The Bible clearly stated all men, whether Greek or Jew, freeman or slave, are all one under Jesus. The Bible is very anti-racist, for those who study it. No, I'm not religious but I'm not ignorant toward religions. Racism and true Christianity/Catholicism can not co-exist. Religion is not the basis for all hate. Lol. Sure, a lot of hate stems from some religions, but certainly not all. The Nazi ideology was actually anti-religious, as was Hitler. Germans and Austrians were a majority of Christian/Catholic based, however, all of that was swept aside after the Nazis began expanding influence. They believed religion was weak and a threat to their people. And in fact, it was a threat. The Catholic church became an opposition toward Hitler, so naturally he began shifting away from it to ensure his power was unchallenged. Many Christians and Catholics were sent to labor camps and executed for either hiding Jews or opposing the Nazi way. Nazis weren't against Jews due to religious beliefs. Lol. The were against Jews because they need someone to blame for their loss during WWI, and later economic pressures. They also hated Jews due to their beliefs of racial hygiene- Jews being regarded as not Aryan, but of a different breed, despite Jews having been thought of as Aryan before said events...
The "chosen race" comes from the Bible. Hitler didn't originate the idea.
The pope did sign a treaty with Hitler, and later almost did something to oppose Hitler. If you are satisfied with token opposition, the Vatican was full of it.
It is good that the Catholic Church has abandoned many of its immoral ways. Let's hope that they continue to abandon their many immoral ways.
Worshiping the divine leader of the country (North Korea) is what the religious do. Since Gods are immortal, they do not die.
.
Tim Noonan Hitler didn't think of the chosen race in a religious context. He thought the Germans were a biologically superior race, which the Nazi Regime tried supporting with half-assed scientific claims and historical theories! This has nothing in the slightest to do with religion. By the way, the Jews are said to be the chosen people in the Bible, which in the New Testament becomes somewhat irrelevant after Christ sacrificed himself for the Human race. If you even read my message above, you would know that the Nazi Regime and Hitler were very much anti-religious and view such a thing as weak and a threat,,,
You can assume that anything Nordic is not Biblical.
Your ability to read the mind of Hitler to support your prejudices is not convincing, but I don't care. I am bored with your trolling.
Bye.
That opening music is something else, I had to record and loop it for my enjoyment. It loops cleanly, too. Sounds like a good song.
No longer one short of a trinity. Add Kim Jong-Un
@DariusBlue It's the Kurdish flag. Hitchens wore it in solidarity with the Kurds.
We don't pledge allegiance to a country, to the land. We pledge allegiance to a flag, a republic, a nation. We pledge to the people, ourselves and those around us. It's unfortunate that so many people have no idea what it means.
I agree, it is _because_ Snowden pleged allegiance to the flag and to the nation that he was obligated to share with the nation the conspiracies against it conducted by its State apparatus, not _despite_ that.
This man is a legend!
Why does the majority of the world believe in a non existent daddy figure that lives in the sky?
People want to be told what to do, maybe not all, but most must have some belief system that they believes gives their life structure.
Oh that poor parrot....you were and still are great. You left a legacy of logical that will only spread.
Thank you for posting this, LibertyPen.
It's funny. And Hitchens is throwing some irony around.
Will always miss you Christopher 🕊️🕊️🕊️
Now they have their trinity
I think a lot of people who criticize atheism or more specifically atheistic communism, forget to mention that many who were involved in the Bolshevik party in Russia were jews or half Jews in Vladimir Lenin's case.
Fortunately, Americans are entitled to believe in whatever they choose. Whether we choose faith or reason to guide us, there are those on both sides who feel morally superior to others. Personally, I am not galled by spiritual believers as much as I am saddened whenever irrationality of any stripe conquers reason.
Thank you.
@animan360 That's because all worship and praise is reserved for "the great leader" and his son. North Koreans attribute miracles to both father and son and maintain that they are divine. Sounds more religious than secular to me.
if anyone is wondering where the intro music is from, its Ben B - Running Scared.
1984 was published in 49 and North Korea founded in 1948.
Kim Il-Sung is more in comparison (treatment) to Buddha and John F. Kennedy. Buddha is dead yet people follow his teachings. John F. Kennedy was a charismatic young president of America, then compare Kim Il-Sung's common attitude to Koreans and foreign visitors. Both aren't recieving diety (equal to worship of Christ) worship, but worship as heros (mostly Kim ll-Sung). North Korea has an over emphasis of respect towards their leaders, not religious worship. The religion is not blatant.
just because you believe something or someone doesnt make you religious. You have to believe in a higher power and mor than the eye can see to be religious
Right, and I would say that there is no such thing as a "nation" or it's symbolic representation in a "flag". There is no such thing as a "collective ideal". Furthermore, I do not have to pledge anything to anyone I do not choose to. All relationships are voluntary, and virtue by proximity is another thing that does not exist. It seems to me that you can be very secular and simultaneously religious in this sense.
...with legitimate science. It truly boggles the mind.
Such irony, and so close to Christmas. A poetic demise you could say.
And many were not, and many were Russian Orthodox, the religious heritage of those people had little to do with anything. The fact of the matter is that reguardless of the various and sundry beliefs of thousands or millions of individuals who fought to turn their countries into communisms, they ended up with Military dictatorships that enforced the exsistence of only one religion, worship of State/Leader, which we labeled as Atheism.
Love this intelligent and outspoken man.
@neil lim, hah, no.
Obviously it's a communist state but miracles, immortality, and omniscience are ascribed to the Dear Leader.
@Jallandhara
"You won’t believe what happened to me today! You just won’t believe it!” And when you asked him, he would say, “Absolutely nothing!”. Each and everyday many events of utterly no significance transpire and we ignore them, but then if something strange happens---we dream someone breaks their leg, and the next day we go skiing with them and they do ---then all bets are off. It is hard to accept that it might be just a coincidence. -Richard Feynman and Lawrence Krauss.
@J450,
Not a problem.
there is no such thing as a coincidence
Because Hitchens could make anything funny.like he said take frivolous things seriously and serious things frivolously.
@nontrainspotter Considering the hits in the last few days, I'd say he certainly chimed in at the least.
Then i'm quite fortunate that i was perfectly correct in charging you. It isn't a matter of agreement, it's a matter of correct and incorrect. Believing one's birth to be a divine occurrence is many things, but it is not atheistic. I pointed out how North Korean communism isn't based on atheism (no communism is "based" in atheism). Seeing as how religion involves a deity by definition it's a contradiction in terms to call it atheistic, it can be one or the other, it cannot be both,
Name of the intro soundtrack? Anyone?
The chip I carry on shoulder is against all forms of irrationality, not just religion. I will not resort to calling you names, as, unlike you, I am not threatened by having my chosen philosophy challenged. Besides, I don't have to. Your postings speak volumes regarding your wisdom or lack thereof.
Thanks for the video, LibertyPen! I have been a loyal subscriber for some time now.
What is the name of the intro song? Sounds like Mahler or Wagner.
I really don't understand why people are laughing in this video. He isn't describing some Monty Python sketch. This nightmare country is real.
Trump says they’re in love
You don't hear that on cnn
Kind of sad that the crowd is laughing like he’s doing a stand up routine. But when talking about North Korea what more can you do?
Looks like a Hungarian flag pin he's wearing. Can anyone verify?
+zamardii12 Kurdish flag sir.
It's the Kurdish flag, looks similar to the Indian and hungarian but he talks about it in another video. He's showing his support for the Kurds by wearing it.
Are we reading the same posts?
@TomthatiscalledTom Really? How did you get in? I'm from the US and interested in visiting the country, though I know that gaining admission to the DPRK is a hard, if not impossible, process.
My brother!!!
Who's article am I going to read about this now?!!!!
Hitch, You should be writing this guy's obituary.
Unless Kim himself decides to go out with a bang, right?
But he's wrong to say that there is no concept of irony or humor or liberty in North Korea. The government WISHES that was the case, but it isn't. Humans are humans. The government has much less power over people's minds and bodies than it pretends to have, most people these days are more loyal to the "Jangmadang" than to the Korean Worker's Party or Kim Jong-un. Post-famine North Korea is a quasi-anarchic third world country where bribes can even get you saved from a public execution.
Long live freedom and democratic communism
Your comment reminded me of this quote: "I'm from the, uh, Confidential Committee on Moral Abuses..."
Yea seriously. They worship an eternal president who they think gives them everything in their life, and is completely infallible. How do you not see the Theocracy in that?
Also @ Arubberball
I'm 47 and been an atheist since I was a teenager. I'm also mostly a libertarian. (registered independent) Which means that I'm pretty much totally dead set against the neo-liberals, against the neo-cons and against the religious right (misnomer..). (BTW: I'm for freedom of religion and freedom from religion)
Socialism to me is the mortal enemy of America.
cool, don’t drive on any American roads or cross any bridges made by your mortal enemies
good luck with that
@@magneto44 Roads, police, fire/rescue are infrastructure services not socialism.
And yet self-congratulating atheists and moral relativists are a pious bunch themselves, are they not? It absolutely galls them to no end that someone, let alone most people of the world, are spiritual believers. And they never stop reminding us of this.
nice projection hombre
North Korea 🇰🇵 is George Orwells 1984
@animan360 Secularism is the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs.
Not allowing religion is going farther than just secularism. It's secular because religion doesn't play a part in government. It's abusive of freedom of opinion. Furthermore, Hitches is making the point that it has no religion because their political ideology is basically a religion itself, with the leaders being gods. They just don't use that terminology.
@nontrainspotter : He'd probably say that they finally have their trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Un. Hitchens will be missed.
I'm hoping to go there soon, hopefully next year. Having done some basic research I can say that it isn't cheap; it's roughly 2000 Euro's for 5 days. Given the escalated situation between N.K and S.K I'm not sure whether that'd make the trip that bit more interesting or whether it's a kamikaze holiday. If anyone has been there can you tell me if it's ACTUALLY worth it?
@centristfiasco,
What he means is that NK is theocratic because their leader is their God. They worship their leader.
@TheCentristFiasco They have a god that they worship, their eternal leader, the eternal president, that IS a theocracy by definition.
oh. get out from your dream.
Kim, Il Sung is the hero of Korean.
He is like John Connor in Terminator movie.
Without Kim, Il Sung there is NO north Korea.
Without the USSR there is no DPRK. Kim Il Sung was an uneducated dolt who was picked to rule solely because of his Russian ties and military background.
@TheLogicJunkie
I think you're looking for a Ron Paul video page.
Classic slavery ( like what was in the US)= private ownership of slaves.
Communism= public ownership of slaves.
In classic slavery, the slave owners have an interest in maintaining the capital stock value of the slaves, which means treating them somewhat humanely. In communism, they don't- that's why private ownership of slaves is a lesser evil than communism.
this is complete and total make-believe nonsense
there are no versions of slavery morally better than any other type of slavery
Sorry, bud. You are not convincing. You either didn't understand him or tuned him out.
I think you have to lay off the drugs if you truly believe there is any resemblance between North Korea and Norway in any way.
Funny that Christians seem much more mean-spirited than Atheists, at least judging the posts on this video. For those who are not supposed to judge, they are very judgmental.
I never knew that north korea was so religious...Now i know why The north korea's government claim's that unicorn's exist...
North Korea is an atheist state...to claim otherwise is to deny fact
+Mysterys Mistress Yeah but they believe there dear leader is a god they believe he doesn't poop or pee....
+Mysterys Mistress All I said was I never knew it was so religious I never said it was a religious state I said I never knew it was so religious so your claiming I said it wasn't a atheist state....That's not what I said....
+Mysterys Mistress I simply said it was more religious than I thought it was....You can say that's not religion that's superstion or something But the way I see it there all ways told lies about there dear leader they think he can read there mind...So it sounds more religious than I ever thought.....
+Mysterys Mistress I'm not denying anything I said it's more religious than I thought and you told me too claim otherwise is too deny fact....I never claimed other wise That would mean I said north Korea is a religious state I never said that....North Koreans believe there dear leader is a god he was born on a mountain top while singing north Korean. You can claim that believing that a human is a god is different than believing in a all powerful god....But I would say there an atheist state. If they think there dear leader is a god who can read there mind....But I'm not saying that's what they claim maybe they did make north Korea an atheist state...That's not what I'm talking about if talking about all the beliefs north Koreans have and how religious they are or would seem...im not sure that would be by definition religious but that's a prefect description....
@Jallandhara Yep, very weird.
Everybody is religious, according to his perception of religion. Even if a leader is obeyed, that leader is a God. In that case, every president of every country is a god.
In other words, if you believe what christopher hitchens says, that means you believed in him. Which means every atheist is an worshipper of this man.
See how confusing this gets
It's confusing because you're inventing nonsense. A fanatical obsession with a leader is little different to believing someone. I suggest you learn basic English before you start trying to use it.
What's the music in the beginning?