China is going to overtake the rest of the world in basically every single aspect. Just look at their major cities and how insanely modern they are, for example. Soon people cannot ignore China anymore.

I’ve made headway simply by being non-apologetic. “The DPR Korea is a nation which forges its own path. They do not interfere in the affairs of other nations, nor do they let any other nation interfere with them. They do not let America or anybody else dictate to them their past, their present, or their future. As a democratic citizen, you are free not to like the path the Koreans have chosen, but it is a strong as well as a difficult one, and nobody asked you to walk it. Your main obligation toward the Korean people right now is to ensure your government minds its own business.” People seem to respect that.

Its important to highlight the slander and continuous violence brought against them. The one-sided aggression.

NK is the legitimate successor of the Korean People’s Republic, the south was literally the americans putting their own citizen and japanese collaborators on the throne. North Korea has a protestant presence since its foundation.

Bring attention to the continuous crimes committed against NK, despite north koreans NEVER having attacked the west. The Nuclear bombs on Japan killed 22k korean slave labourers. One in seven nuclear bombing victims in Hiroshima was of korean descent.

The US partook in the Jeju massacre killing up to 100k people, South Korea killed 200k communists causing NK to invade, the us then killed 25% of NK population and destroyed 75% of its infrastructure.

The north lacked agricultural lands (historically located in the south or china’s dongbei region) and so is very food insecure and needs petroleum agricultural machinery and imports from Russia to nourish itself. The collapse of the soviet union and america’s sanction on oil imports (as well as sabotaging NK agriculture by paying saboteurs to cut off the tails of laboring animals), caused massive starvation. Modern UN sanctions have also “violated” their own standards and had an adverse effect on the populace.

Sometimes I’ll bring up how fucked they were by the Korean War and how their entire foreign policy was shaped by the violence they experienced.

I know you’re trying to persuade liberals, but these arguments seem fairly liberal. Mind you, I’m as far from wanting to see the DPRK color revv’d as you can imagine.

‘I like positive depictions of North Korean people/Korean culture’

“I enjoy seeing romantic perspectives on imperial Japan.”

‘Regardless of what you feel about any place’s government, it is always good to see an increase in standards of living’

“You don’t have to like Andrew Jackson but think of all those settlers with free land!”

any remarks or analysis about sanctions, for example talking about how sanctions don’t actually accomplish the popularly ascribed goals, but instead directly target the most vulnerable people in a society (with the stated goal of “making the people dislike their government” as if that is not the most mask-off thing politicians say)

“It’s good to remind people the long history of the Jewish people’s oppression. Imagine trying to slander Israel when Iran wants to see them gone.”

…

I always wonder how wary they are against non Western non communist countries. Ultimately opening up to more countries and doing stuff like this seems like a good way to break the western hegemonic view of the country.

I was volunteering with the local LGBTQ+ org at a local music festival in June for the second time, and the hypocrisy going on behind the scenes is just midblowing. Like they’ve been branding themselves as “People’s Party” (or more like Humans’ Party) for some years now, but based on what I’ve seen and heard these two years it’s more like “Rich Peoples’ - who can pay for their goods and services - Party” because most people who work there to run the festival are unpaid, but instead volunteer to work for a three day pass, most of these being underage kids. Last year a friend of mine was in cocharge of those underage volunteers, and mentioned some huge oversights by the festival org on the safety and well-being of those kids.

I’ve also enjoyed seeing my face on their social media (usually belatedly because i myself don’t fuck with meta), because our rainbow org has held a pride march at the fest these past years I’ve been there also, and me with my brightly coloured hair holding a sign up defiantly with my head held high and proud is a bunch of great pr that they ain’t gotta pay shit for me, or anyone else who’s a part of this fucking propaganda machine. The festival org, who asked our rainbow folks to come in again “for exposure” i guess, deemed it befitting that each one of us was given one (1) food ticket to the fest cantina for the entirety of the three (3) day festival. Other food we had to supply or pay for ourselves. Or starve ig. This isn’t an issue only because of the absolute hypocrisy but also because everything you can buy on the festival area has to pay the festival for the privilige, and is thus expensive as shit.

Ugh, I feel tainted by this shit.

Same here. Companies like Total Energy, Deloitte, the cops, multiple right wing parties are joining. It’s just a corp and pink washing fest at this point.

Some left wing orgs organised an alternative pride some weeks ago with a decent turnout. Hopefully it gets some following here and inspires people abroad to do the same.

we had nato at our pride too. their shirts just said “proud to be nato”… like wtf

I do love how Mexicans are identifying that yes, although USAians are coming in droves, destroying the local economy and displacing people, the blame lies on the government not regulating the housing industry.

AirBnb is a leech to society. Anyone who thinks hosting on Airbnb is a full-time job deserves 🔻

That sign is fucking awesome.

I can relate to that, most of my working life has been burnout after burnout. You ignore the signs for too long, then finally take a break when it’s too much, and then it all comes crashing down worse than you thought it would.

I hope you’re able to prolong your break somehow, I’ve found these things need a long time to go away. Although I know it’s rare privilege to be able to do that.

Would love to visit. A tour would be nice but ultimately I’d love to go and move freely if possible. Not yet though I think.