Imagethief

Is that, or is that not, a "special" tone of blue on the back of the thing Dear Leader is leaning on?

The sort of blue that you could, say, paint on a wall, have Dear Leader stand in front of leaning on a similarly painted object, and then insert whatever background you wanted behind Dear Leader?

Such a system would certainly save Dear Leader a lot of time not having to appear in every photograph published of him appearing. I wouldn't presume to suggest it could be used for anything _evil_ -- such as, say, making the Dear Leader appear to be, say, alive after he was temporarily indisposed by, say, death?

His shades are absolutely faaaaabulous!!

Of course!

Good to know that wicked, capitalist-Imperialist image-manipulation rumor is self-evidently false!

Long live the Dear Leader!

As a father yourself, you know the importance of being able to answer EVERY question your kid asks.  Well, my 11 year old asked me if Kim Jung Il knows he is evil or if he thinks he is doing the best he can for the NK people.   Would you please turn on the Mighty Thought-o-Tronic and provide an answer as it is so obviously critical....

You need to create an application which allows your readers to enter their own captions into the Thought-o-Tronic.

As for the situation in N Korea, one has to wonder if Kim Jung Il is still calling the shots or if the military is running the asylum in his name.

@Dan / Will

Once upon a time I was often asked: "What kind of people did you meet in the Army?"

To which I would always respond: "You know the group of people who you call your friends? People just like that."

I don't think there is a singular "dictator" psychopathy. I am sure _some_ of them think they are hard men for hard times. I am equally sure some of them have been repeatedly Peter-principled, know it, and continue the charade in desperate daily fear of being "found out".

For  the 11-year-old (excellent!) question, I think I'd have a discussion of "motives". What are they? What were yours when you did x? What do you think Daddy's were when he did y? I'd suggest that thinking about other people's motives can be a very positive thing to do, and can help you in all sorts of situations that could otherwise end unhappily. And I'd then come back to answer the actual question by saying that for some people, we are so far from their actions, and their actions seem so strange to us, that we can't really meaningfully discern their motives. But that shouldn't stop us from tying, and trying to keep an open mind.

In my experience as a witness, participant, and surrogate, 11-year-olds relish these sorts of discussions. Especially with their Dads.

"All dictators believe they are essential men for tough times. I think believing your own propaganda is part of the job description."

Dick Cheney, anyone?

"I don't think you can function in that state for long without buying into your own myth."

That kind of cognitive dissonance is clearly impossible for most people.  But is that simply imputing our (in)capabilities onto dictators?

Hitler (Godwining myself here, granted) for example clearly felt pleasure at the vast parades, etc. organized for his personal glorification.

Mugabe equally clearly takes delight (always has) in the fear he inspires in others. I remember watching a video where a child brought in to see him cringes away in fear, and his pleasure is palpable.

But Kim Il-Sung looks, in every single photo I've ever seen, bored out of his brain.

I don't think he's puppet or mastermind. I think he's just a selfish child-man who probably loathes himself and everything/one around him but sees no way out. He's playing (not very well, actually) a role that there is no non-fatal way for him to escape.

But believing his own mythology?

I just can't see it.

Well, according to the "official" record, Kim Il-Sung was born on the sacred mountain Paektu and upon his birth, a number of glorious events occurred, including a new star appearing in the sky, a swallow descending from heaven, a frozen lake cracking open and a double rainbow appearing overhead.

It's not too hard to believe in your own mythology when you come from such humble origins.  

seems the old fellow has developed a penchant for leaning on inanimate objects. see if this links: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/02/north-korea-kim-jong-il