Dennis the Menace in North Korea: Ignorantly Harmful?
It amazes me how liberal American “icons” feel the great need and desire to raise themselves to the level of U.S. Diplomats when dealing with foreign dictators. What is it in the mind of liberals that draws them to the craziest of political leaders to support and dignify their political and social behaviors? What’s more, and possibly worse, I am continually amazed at the American government seemingly turning a deaf ear and closing their eyes when they travel to foreign countries and meet with leaders who obviously have no respect for the lives of their citizens or the rest of the world.
The U.S. State Department’s spokesman Patrick Ventrell’s recent response to these types of visits was, “Private individual Americans are welcome to take actions they see fit…”
“See fit”? I guess that is reasonable. If the President doesn’t need security briefings, these self-made diplomats don’t either.
In recent days, Dennis Rodman is the latest to elevate himself to the position of Ambassador to the country of North Korea. It isn’t surprising that the former NBA star, who once dressed in a wedding dress for a promotional stunt and has a habitual need to wear sunglasses, would be attracted to a country where the leader allows his citizens to sit in the dark most of the time.
Crazy is as crazy does, it appears.
Rodman was in North Korea with the Harlem Globetrotters who are filming a documentary. The Globetrotters were invited to North Korea, one of over 100 countries the team has visited in their long history as an organization, to visit a sports camp for children and compete in an exhibition game with North Korean athletes.
From the perspective of the Globetrotters, they were reportedly in North Korea based on their compassion for citizens of a country that has been manipulated by generations of dictators. However, “compassion” crosses the line when wealthy sports stars and actors embrace the dictators of these oppressed countries and propagate to the media about how our countries should “work together” and try to portray their evil leaders as “great, yet misunderstood”.
The only thing “misunderstood” is that basketball stars and actors are politically ignorant as to what is really happening to the citizens of these oppressed countries.
Unfortunately, when we raise our “stars” to god-like status, hanging on every word they say, something very bad happens to their psyche and, in essence, they become the fictitious characters they portray in movies or on television. They truly start believing they have an influence in matters that even the best political minds have yet to make significant inroads.
As Americans we call these individuals “icons” and “legends” despite the fact that although they may have reached a pinnacle in their profession, they haven’t done anything to truly improve life itself.
Do stars not realize they are being played as the fool in this type of high profile visit? What makes Dennis Rodman truly believe that relations with North Korea and the rest of the world would improve in the slightest if only President Obama would call Kim Jong Un and “talk basketball”?
Why does he believe this? Maybe because Rodman says he considers Kim Jong Un “a friend”.
“As a person…he’s my friend. I don’t condone what he does,” Rodman said. What Rodman is apparently too blind to see is that the only thing his visit meant to his new “friend” was a propaganda-filled photo op, with a group of madmen using him to try to show the rest of the world that they aren’t the violent, destructive dictators they’re perceived to be.
What is the attraction of such a bizarre friendship? Friendships are usually based on commonalities—so if you don’t condone what his entire family’s existence has been based upon, why try to promote political relations with our two countries?
Sorry Dennis, but you’ve been played. Kim Jong Un has used you for his political advancement in America. You have now assisted him in furthering the false appearances he gives to his own people by allowing him to use our media and appear as “a normal guy who just likes basketball”.
Of course Dennis is not the only “menace” when it comes to well-known Americans aligning themselves with dictators; Sean Penn and others have thrown their support behind Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez on numerous occasions. In 2010, Sean Penn lamented the American media calling Chavez a dictator. Showing his disdain for this label of Chavez, Penn said, “There should be a bar by which one goes to prison for these kinds of lies.” Last year, Penn returned to Valenzuela to appear at a rally for Chavez in his campaign for another term as President. Chavez introduced Penn by saying, “Thank you very much for visiting us again, dear friend,” adding, “We’re all Americans, from the north, the center, the south. Long live the American continent!”
This is where the problem lies: Hollywood and the sports world have lost sight of the distinctions of America and other countries in the world. In striving for no borders and open societies, these self-proclaimed diplomats are muddying the waters so that their blind followers will no longer see the uniqueness and strength of America. Americans have begun drinking the kool-aid of communistic ideas and theories as they are presented by these menaces, believing the notion that they had only been “misunderstood”.
As Americans, in theory we have helped place these actors, artists and athletes in places they don’t belong. In the endless quest for role models, many believe things like “intelligence” and “morality” aren’t exciting enough patterns to live by. Since most Americans today are blinded by the glitz and glam, these idol worshippers are being taken willingly to the doorsteps of dictators and tyrants saying, “They are our friends—it doesn’t matter what they do, I like them and so should you.”
Don’t go there, America. These foreign friends will deceive you, just as they have deceived others throughout time. Be your own person and realize, just as Mr. Wilson always did, that Dennis is a menace.
