North Korean citizens told: Socialist haircuts are a thing... go get some The North Korean government has issued haircut guidance for its citizens and chosen 28 hairstyles it deems "appropriate" for members of the single-party state. According to the WantChina Times, photos of the 28 haircuts recommended by the totalitarian regime (pictured below) have been issued to salons around the country. The …
"Quite - what happens if you are bald? :)"
Unless you particularly enjoy being publicly ridiculed, you're probably rather less likely to be visiting a "hair saloon" any time soon, given the lack of hair, which is presumably somewhat of a prerequisite for such an establishment, and therefore unlikely to face this particular issue.
Consider yourself blessed, my smooth-noggined comrade. Baldies are manly men with testosterone fuelled, manly shaped appendages. Not at all like them fluffy-haired quasi-male-oriented fakers.
The mops on those so-called socialist, OTOH, look decidedly conservative to me, in a Hilary Clinton sort of a way. Although, arguably, Hilary Clinton is also a testosterone-fuelled manly man with a manly shaped appendage, so maybe it's a wig.
I mean just look at Ms. Big Hair at No6! That has to be the most conservative hairdo I ever saw. And Mr. Top Centre looks like a Faux News anchor, for Goat's sake. Heck, they all look like they're lined up for inspection at a Tea Party rally (lapsang souchong, naturally).
This won't do at all.
Everyone knows that socialists have greasy, perfectly straight, long hair all the way down to their arse. This was enacted into law in the 1970s, and ratified by 57 countries under the International Treaty of Socialist Haircuts (although North Korea abstained on the grounds that they weren't invited to the signing ceremony).
Pfft.
Exactly, and why is the leadership focusing on haircuts and nuclear weapons when there is a slightly larger problem of most of the populous starving to death. I hate this kind of BS, I can understand them feeling the need for security and even leaving aside any disputes over the validity of communism, haircuts should not be something their government is wasting time on. When you can feed your people, maybe then you can consider mandating haircuts, but to be fair there's still a hell of a lot of things higher up the list.
That sounds like the most open government type possible, Surely a simple national vote will allow the people to change what haircuts make it to the top 10, like an "x-factor" for hair, if you will. They could use their smartphones or vote via their interactive plasma TV's. I suspect that we have only heard what the Daily Mail wants us to hear! All this Nuclear talk is a smokescreen to prevent Simon Cowell from going to NK and taking over.
"Exactly, and why is the leadership focusing on haircuts and nuclear weapons when there is a slightly larger problem of most of the populous starving to death."
That can be said about most governments. Why are governments talking about stricter copyright enforcement or (anti-) terror laws, when there are slightly larger problems of education and, in the case of some countries, most of the populous starving to death.
Governments very seldom actually solve problems. That's because if you are rational you will agree with most of your peers and never stand out rising to power, and most government positions are filled with people who don't have problems.
"Exactly, and why is the leadership focusing on haircuts and nuclear weapons when there is a slightly larger problem of most of the populous starving to death. "
Its all about control. If you tell people how to live their lives right down to the smallest detail it crushes their self esteem and will and they become little more than robots with whom you can do what you like. This is the reality of the socialist dream - in theory a system of equality , in reality a system to turn individuals into nothing more than lobotomised identikit "workers" who worship Orwells Big Brother. Or else.
"This is the reality of the socialist dream - in theory a system of equality , in reality a system to turn individuals into nothing more than lobotomised identikit "workers" who worship Orwells Big Brother. Or else."
No it's not.
North Korea is not Socialist in any meaningful way.
I know it's fashionable over the other side of the pond to label any unpleasant totalitarian government as 'Socialist' and use it interchangeably with the words 'Communist' and 'scum', but that's not what Socialism actually is.
"North Korea is not Socialist in any meaningful way."
What , just like Cuba isn't? Or venezuala? Or a dozen other left wing governments who's views are nothing more than a front to control people? Socialism is all about control whether its the intolerance of liberal left in the UK to any dissent against their absurd views or a dictatorship in the 3rd world. "We defend the right to hold any viewpoint - so long as we agree with it." should be the motto of all lefties.
"Socialism is all about control whether its the intolerance of liberal left in the UK to any dissent against their absurd views or a dictatorship in the 3rd world. "We defend the right to hold any viewpoint - so long as we agree with it." should be the motto of all lefties."
Bwahahaha.
See: You're just using the words 'Liberal' and 'Socialist' to label anything that you don't politically agree with, in the same way that many people on the other side of the fence use 'Fascist' to describe Conservative and Right-leaning politics that *they* don't agree with. It's just a stupid piece of propaganda and thought control that's ultimately divisive.
""We defend the right to hold any viewpoint - so long as we agree with it." should be the motto of all lefties."
Bollocks. I might as well argue that anyone Rightist stamps around in jackboots, taking money from poor people.
"""We defend the right to hold any viewpoint - so long as we agree with it." should be the motto of all lefties."
"Bollocks. I might as well argue that anyone Rightist stamps around in jackboots, taking money from poor people."
When was the last time your saw a right wing pressure group trying to prevent a guest speaker at a university from speaking? Happens all the bloody time with the left - as soon as there's something or someone they don't like its get out the placards time and lets cause trouble, democracy be damned. Yet they'll quite happily suck up to some terrorism supporting mullah paying a visit simply because of the my enemy is your enemy rule. Anything to stick it to the man. Pathetic doesn't even begin to describe them.
"When was the last time your saw a right wing pressure group trying to..."
There's plenty of right-wing groups making unsavoury protests and supporting unsavoury characters.
However, it's an inherent truth that right-wing pressure groups generally try to enforce their whim more by less publicly visible means, such as lobbying and throwing large amounts of money at the problem. Frankly, as much as I get annoyed by protesters wandering the streets, I'd rather policy be influenced by such means than I would see it sorted out by a brown-paper envelope and a handshake in a back room.
"its get out the placards time and lets cause trouble, democracy be damned."
Umm... protest and the right to gather is a cornerstone of democracy. It doesn't matter what your politics are, if you are pro-democratic, you should be supporting their right to whine.
"Yet they'll quite happily suck up to some terrorism supporting mullah paying a visit simply because of the my enemy is your enemy rule. Anything to stick it to the man. Pathetic doesn't even begin to describe them."
Bollocks. Again. Why the hell are you assuming that everyone who doesn't politically agrees with you supports terrorists. That's just idiotic. I don't agree with your politics, but I'll draw short of saying that you support violent right-wing extremists.
>When was the last time your saw a right wing pressure group trying to prevent a guest speaker at a university from speaking?
No they are too busy obtaining ANFO to blow up an abortion clinic to deal with lefty things like peaceful protest. Also in general they don't believe in public secular universities (too full of brainwashing lefties profs) so the whole idea of anybody being able to speak they don't approve before hand goes against their nature. And if they really wanted to muzzle someone even at a public uni they would just have the Koch brothers talk to the regents and get the talk suddenly cancelled.
"When was the last time your saw a right wing pressure group trying to prevent a guest speaker at a university from speaking?"
Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, Tec de Monterrey Campus León circa 2001? 2002? A teacher brought over a guest speaker explaining how the Guadalupe Virgin was actually made up by the Catholic Church using an Aztec goddess as a base model. Most of the people left the auditorium and the ultrarightist religious nutjob organizations *demanded* an apology from said teacher for daring to bring such blasphemous people to talk. And that's just the one case I know about; I'm pretty sure there are a lot of those cases in that particular Mexican state.
Extremes are extremes. They happen on both sides.
The political 'spectrum' is actually closed-in on itself; it's a circle.
The extreme left and the extreme right are perfectly indistinguishable. They're the same exact thing, dangerous lunatics.
The real battle is directly across the circle, moderates versus nut job extremists of any stripe.
This Political Spectrum Is A Damn Circle concept is extremely useful. It explains a lot and helps greatly on many ethics and morals questions.
I hope this helps.
> If you tell people how to live their lives right down to the smallest detail it crushes their self esteem and will >and they become little more than robots with whom you can do what you like.
Definitely a socialist idea - now just wait while I cut the end of my dick off, never cut my hair, don't eat shellfish, don't carry keys on saturday, hate gays, not use condoms .....
"This is the reality of the socialist dream"
This is the what Americans think is the reality of the socialist dream
There. Fixed it for you.
The damn pinko commie/socialist propaganda in America.. Most Americans wouldn't recognise a true socialist or have a clue what socialism stands for. And the irony is that most Americans that fall into this bracket are the ones that benefit most from some of the American "socialist" laws,,,,,, Medicare, state aid etc,
Socialist??? An enlightened social democracy would be a beautiful thing in any country. These "rulers" aren't socialists they're fascists. Frighteningly, Canada and many other countries are heading down that same road. Right now it's at a kinder, gentler pace but the harper regime is doing everything it can to quicken the pace and speed us into a totalitarian police state.
It does make me wonder who our politicians are actually working for.
I simply do not believe that there was five part a series entitled 'Let us trim our hair in accordance with Socialist lifestyle'. I do not think that 'Tara Brady' has credible sources within North Korea that could provide this information.
This factoid smells like a bullshit Wikipedia entry or joke that has been copy-pasted into her story. I could be wrong of course, but that's what I think.
Looks like it might actually be genuine. Although the BBC doesn't give the program name, their source is BBC monitoring in Caversham, who watch foreign TV and listen to foreign radio all day. BBC story
But those commies do like silly names, see these 2 examples from the Beeb story:
Television newsreels such as "Employees of Pyongyang Textile Plant keep their hairstyle and dressing neat and tidy" and "Hairdressers at Ch'anggwangwo'n manage men's hair according to the demands of the military-first era" have also aired.
John Wilson,
If you read the article, it says that this poster is new, and then they refer you back to the excellent TV mini-series with the bonkers name - to point out that it's not unprecedented.
So yes, it is news. As happens it's something I didn't know about, so now I've learnt a new (utterly useless) fact, all from reading the dear old Reg.
Although in reality, it's not news, it's one of those interesting titbits that can be filed under "and finally" or "funny things that foreigners do". Which is exactly what Bootnotes or Odds and Sods is for. If you don't like it, don't read it.
I'd actually quite like UK barbers to do this, at least then I wouldn't have to do the stupid "short on the sides and back, and a bit off the top, yeah.. parting there... around the ears, yes I would like it straight at the back... no product please..." bullshit I have to do whenever I get my haircut now.
Or maybe I'm just bitter because the old greek bloke that knew just how I like my hair has retired.
My old barbers used to have 12x17 inch b&w pictures or 'hair styles' around the top of the wall and you just pointed at the one you want. Much simpler. You still had to wait an hour every time you went in, and talk endless bollocks about football but it was a fair trade for a three quid haircut. Eventually moved away and couldn't find anywhere that satisfied the no appointments and no more than five quid rules on mens haircuts so just bought a hair trimmer.
Have to say - one of the male pictures (the one with the 1940's side parting) is actually quite popular in the 'Western World' at the moment, particularly in the UK. In their secluded world I think N Korean government assume that all Westerners have shaggy Kurt Cobain styles or dyed pink Mohawks. Perhaps Kim Jung Il was once shown a picture of Camden Market and now Jung Un things everybody looks like that.
Fair play to them though. I think there are quite a few people who'd love to go into the barbers and say "that one". I find more and more I'm having to learn strange hairdressing terminology to describe the barnet I want, despite only wanting short back and sides
I don't think anyone claimed russians ate their babies, but true things include: a) biggest problems the country faces are keeping warm and getting a belly full of food, b) There really is a fascination with the ruling class about the hairdos of their fellow citizens. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let's_trim_our_hair_in_accordance_with_the_socialist_lifestyle
Do keep up!
This post has been deleted by its author
North Korea really is like this, and yes it is socialism, though it is also other things. Socialism simply puts the needs of the collective above the needs of the individual; that is how progressive taxation is justified: the individual has enough wealth and it is justified for the state to confiscate some of it for the good of poorer people.
Of course there are matters of degree and North Korea is particularly extreme. But the point of controlling haircuts is part of a bigger strategy to keep out western individualistic influences. The point is to prevent people from thinking of themselves as individuals with rights; they are part of the collective.
Capitalism, by contrast, is about individuals taking on risks and succeeding or failing, with no central control. However in the west what we have is messy. We have capitalism but also government regulation and progressive taxation that attempts to redistribute some wealth. (Of course the biggest companies influence government to stack the rules in their favour but that is not capitalism, it's big companies using government to their advantage; for this to work government has to co-operate.) If you subtract all the capitalist, individualist properties from the west you will end up with pure socialism and I am certain it will look like North Korea.
Socialism, communism, capitalism, democracy - they're all myths and fantasies.
The only form of government ever practiced by any human culture anywhere, throughout history, is plutocratic feudalism, backed by the Gold and Gun Rule; i.e. who has the gold owns the guns and makes the rules. Rich people have children who will grow up to inherit their rule over everyone else's children, ad infinitum.
Occasionally there's a revolution; the proles are recruited by the revolutionists with promises of a better life; they storm the houses of the rich with torches and pitchforks, then as soon as the revolution is complete the revolutionists become the new feudal lords, the proles get kicked back to the gutter where they belong, and feudalism continues unaltered.
No other form of government exists, ever has existed, or ever will exist, as long as there are human beings.
Maybe not a wig but you know some are making mohawks with shampoo in the privacy of their own.....oops....forgot that there is not such thing as privacy there.
They can always dream. Until they find a way to control dreams as well.
What a scary place. And to think these people believe the outside world is worse.
Cue Post-Apocalyptic movies.
1965 called, they want their haircuts back!
Seriously though, the fact that this exists shows that outside influences and fashions are creeping in. Or this wouldn't be required at all. The defection rate goes up every year despite China tossing back every one they catch, and the rate of smuggled in material goes up every year as well. This is actually a GOOD sign.
You can only keep a whole country in the dark for so long.
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