misunderstanding about certain societies

I hope you know that when foreigners travel to North Korea they are basically on a state controlled giant amusement park ride on rails. Check out Vice's documentary on their visit to North Korea and you will understand what I mean.

 

Are computers very expensive in China or something, you can buy a ****ty computer with the price of smart phones these days.

meh I think China is open enough to the world that it doesn't belong in the same category as North Korea or Iran. I think people's perception of China can described as more outdated than anything. They still think of China as what they saw on the news about it 20-30 years ago.

As far as North Korea goes, I talked a couple of CCTV reporters who went there when I did an internship there. They said the NK government provided them with like a guided tour where they were not allowed to free roam. What they saw was like people dancing and singing and kids playing in the square or whatnot. It was impossible to see what people's lives were really like as a foreigner. Internet was only available to selected foreigners with a hefty fee.

But if you think about it, it's not really a stretch to think that there are people in NK who are leading relatively happy lives, at least in their mind. These people are born into propaganda machines, with absolutely no access to the outside world. How can they feel sad about their situation if they don't really know what a non dictatorship everyday life is like. They might be curious, but they've all been taught growing up how bad the outside world is and our great leader Kim is the saviour of the people.

 

White people do this, black people do that

[/chappelle]

 

Except many Chinese are poor... The average wage is abysmal.

 

Regarding North Korea, here's an article by American theologian John B. Cobb, Jr., who recently spent a week there. It seems to me a pretty fair and even-handed assessment, and Cobb is honest enough to admit when he can't be sure about a particular issue. He talks about several of the points already mentioned here, e.g. hiding the rest of country from tourists.

http://www.jesusjazzbuddhism.org/reflections-after-a-week-in-north-korea.html

 

Cultural Anthropology was one of my favorite electives I took in college.

Basically, it's pretty hard to quantify which societies are the most misunderstood or have the most stereotypes because every culture has different norms. What we think is normal on this side of the world can be somewhat of a culture shock to those on the other side of the world.

That said, I'm pretty sure places like Somalia and North Korea deserve their reputations.

 

I think you should go to those countries and report back

 

I have discussed this with a friend who's from China and
the majority of the populace is poor.

Cos they have 1Bn people, you may see many millions
using computers and phones and splurge $$$ but
in terms of percentage, it's small.

 

#1, electronics in Asia are usually more expensive than in the US.
#2, let's say you only have enough money to buy 1 item. Would you spend it on a laptop, or on a cell phone? I think what the 'expert' is saying is that Chinese people opt for the cellphone over the laptop.

 

maybe he has but his opinion was colored by seeing one too many pooping in public?

how po' is china? this po'!

Spoiler