Is it really possible to ban sarcasm?
We’re about to find out.
Since reaching an armistice in July of 1953,
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
better known as North Korea, has existed in
a unique geopolitical sphere.
For more than half a century the population
has been isolated, impoverished and subjected
to levels of surveillance and state-sponsored
terrorism beyond even the dystopian tomes
of George Orwell.
This is 1984 in real life.
Many, many crimes are punishable by having
not just the offender, but also his or her
family to the third generation, carted off
to a concentration camp.
Most foreign media is banned.
Some haircuts are banned!
Well, technically, only 28 are approved…
but anyhow, here’s the latest, strangest thing.
According to US-owned Radio Free Asia, North
Korea is attempting to ban sarcasm.
That’s right – sarcasm, the use of irony
to convey contempt or mock someone.
At the end of August central government authorities
organized mass meetings wherein they warned
North Korean citizens that using sarcasm in
reference to the government or its hereditary
ruler Kim Jong-Un, even in casual conversation,
would be an unforgiveable offense.
It appears, you see, that the Supreme Leader
feels people are only agreeing with him ironically.
Sort of yes-manning him while also making
fun of him.
Poor guy.
This leads us to several questions, the most
immediate of which is: How do you ban sarcasm?
It’s such a contextual mode of expression,
often misread by people who speak the same
language fluently!
Like, you've had somebody be sincere and you think they're being sarcastic or vise versa.
It just happens.
The North Korean government aims to do this
by restricting what they call “hostile speech.”
This includes specific phrases, such as “this
is all America’s fault!”
At first that might sound like an odd one
to ban, but, again, it’s a matter of context.
The citizens of North Korea are using it humorously.
So, someone might stub her toe and say “this
is all America’s fault.”
Some guy might be late for work and his boss
might say “this is all America’s fault.”
This phrase specifically lampoons the government’s
tendency to blame internal or unrelated issues
on foreign powers, especially the resident
boogeyman of North Korean ideology,
good ol’ Uncle Sam.
Think of "this is all America's fault" as their version of “Thanks, Obama!”
Using the phrase “a fool who cannot see
the outside world” is also forbidden.
Banning a specific phrase is much easier than
banning a social mode of expression, but at
this stage the act seems more of a desperate
move
to quell internal uprisings, which are occurring more and more frequently.
While this law may prevent civilians and officials from saying it to Kim Jong Un himself,
censoring speech in this manner tends to give a word or phrase more power than it had in the beginning.
And one last thing: though it’s easy to make a few quips about sarcasm and move on,
the situation in North Korea is by no means a joke.
The people are starving, the government is increasingly testing nuclear weapons to provoke regional
and global powers, and the regime stands a very good chance of collapsing,
especially as the government of China slowly withdraws its support.
Thanks so much for watching.
If you’d like to learn more about North Korea, check out my show Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know,
or visit us at now.howstuffworks.com.
