In our country, we have freedom of speech. We (in general) believe that every person should be able to speak their mind without reprisals. And that is why ultimately, the people of the US agreed when Sony released The Interview even under threat from the North Korean dictator. But just because we believe in it, does that mean that every person has the right to free speech?
North Korean defector and human rights activist Park Sang-hak has that everyone deserves uncensored access to The Interview, and, together with the Human Rights Foundation, is going to drop 100,000 copies of the movie to the citizens inside North Korea. Now, I respect and understand this desire to help them, and to try to break down the psychological walls Kim Jong-un has built around his country. But, here's the potential problem. IF anyone decides to watch the movie without turning it into the authorities and IF the authorities don't find all of the copies first anyway, those citizens who keep it are automatically subject to a death sentence. So what do you guys think? Is it worth the risk to individuals? Will efforts like these help the situation at all in N. Korea? Is it anyone's place to interfere in the operation of another country?
I actually jokingly suggested this to my dad. I said that Sony should airdrop in some tablets with precisely enough memory for the movie and impossible to stop. I never imagined that anyone would ever actually be stupid enough to do anything of the sort, though. While I do understand where Sang-hak is coming from with free speech, how is it a human rights project to lead to executions? This is a meaningless and highly unintelligent show of defiance that will do absolutely nothing to help the situation; rather, it will inflame it.
ReplyDelete-Liam Brookhart
Just because the United States protects freedom of speech doesn't mean all countries do. Park Sang-hak may think it is the right of the North Korean people to see this movie, but there is a question, Is it his right to expose the people to this movie, amd danger, if he cannot protect them under their laws?
ReplyDeleteNorth Korean citizens have DVD players? just kidding they probably do. Think about this though, we didn't like North Korea infringing on our beliefs and rights, is it ok for us to tell them what to do? This may not be an example of this and it may not be a huge issue at all but it is something to think about.
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