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From the "You just can't make this stuff up" file
- Thread starter 03bluecoupe
- Start date
Gmash
Extreme Android User
Was North Korea Kim Jong-Il haircut story fake? Israel News - Haaretz Israeli News source
From the BBC to TIME, no self-respecting publication could afford
Wednesday to miss out on a fascinating report – and viral goldmine: The
news that North Korea's reclusive regime had ordered all men in North
Korea to get the same haircut as their Dear Leader, Kim Jong Un.
Kim's antics have received worldwide attention in the past, and have
ranged from seasonal confrontations with South Korea and the West to the
cruel dispatching of dissenting family members (his uncle). We all know he
loves basketball so much that Denis Rodman is a guest of honor on the
northern side of the peninsula, and many of us have heard about his
falling out with his girlfriend, which ended with a firing squad.
But perhaps exactly because of the reclusive nature of the regime, stories
like the one carried by the Korea Times on Wednesday are hard to verify,
leading some critics to question the entire thing.
In his blog, Slate's Joshua Keating picked apart the report, highlighting
some suspect points. First, he said, the recent visitors to Pyongyang who
are quoted in the report "don't recall seeing people with unusual
haircuts."
He then went on to lay out past and equally as dubious hair-related stories
that emerged from North Korea – a 2008 Japanese report alledging Kim
banned long hair after watching a soccer match, and a 2013 Telegraph
article claiming Pyongyang had sanctioned 28 approved hair styles, 14 for
men and 14 for women.
"In other words," concluded Keating, "it’s true that the North Korean state
discourages long hair… But enforcement of these rules seems to be pretty
lax and it seems extremely unlikely that every man in the country is now
walking around with an imitation of Kim Jong-un’s Macklemore-ish side-
shaved do."
From the BBC to TIME, no self-respecting publication could afford
Wednesday to miss out on a fascinating report – and viral goldmine: The
news that North Korea's reclusive regime had ordered all men in North
Korea to get the same haircut as their Dear Leader, Kim Jong Un.
Kim's antics have received worldwide attention in the past, and have
ranged from seasonal confrontations with South Korea and the West to the
cruel dispatching of dissenting family members (his uncle). We all know he
loves basketball so much that Denis Rodman is a guest of honor on the
northern side of the peninsula, and many of us have heard about his
falling out with his girlfriend, which ended with a firing squad.
But perhaps exactly because of the reclusive nature of the regime, stories
like the one carried by the Korea Times on Wednesday are hard to verify,
leading some critics to question the entire thing.
In his blog, Slate's Joshua Keating picked apart the report, highlighting
some suspect points. First, he said, the recent visitors to Pyongyang who
are quoted in the report "don't recall seeing people with unusual
haircuts."
He then went on to lay out past and equally as dubious hair-related stories
that emerged from North Korea – a 2008 Japanese report alledging Kim
banned long hair after watching a soccer match, and a 2013 Telegraph
article claiming Pyongyang had sanctioned 28 approved hair styles, 14 for
men and 14 for women.
"In other words," concluded Keating, "it’s true that the North Korean state
discourages long hair… But enforcement of these rules seems to be pretty
lax and it seems extremely unlikely that every man in the country is now
walking around with an imitation of Kim Jong-un’s Macklemore-ish side-
shaved do."
03bluecoupe
Guest
That's certainly true, but everyone has to be good for something...
He's the perfect argument in support of retroactive abortion.
03bluecoupe
Guest
As someone who has operated trains, take if from me; do NOT emulate this FREEKIN' IDIOT!
Trust me, they DON'T/CAN'T stop quickly!
Trust me, they DON'T/CAN'T stop quickly!
yeah, if you want to do something stupid like that make sure your the only one in the car.