Becky Clark's Blog, page 20

(3) Favorite Thing I Read Today — Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim

It was at moments like these that I could not help but think that they — my beloved students — were insane. Either they were so terrified that they felt compelled to lie and boast of the greatness of their Leader, or they sincerely believed everything they were telling me. I could not decide which was worse.

While the author was there, they were told all the other colleges had closed except theirs. They were teaching the sons of the elite. All the other kids from the closed colleges would be sent off to work on infrastructure projects, in anticipation of Kim Jun-Un’s ascenscion, she speculated. The missionaries fully funded this particular school, which is why it was tolerated. She was pretending to be a missionary, but she really wasn’t a believer.

I sang along, but I could not help noticing that if you replaced the word ‘Jesus’ with ‘Great Leader,’ the content was not so different from some of the North Korean songs my students chanted several times each day.

Favorite Thing I Read Today — Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim

It was at moments like these that I could not help but think that they — my beloved students — were insane. Either they were so terrified that they felt compelled to lie and boast of the greatness of their Leader, or they sincerely believed everything they were telling me. I could not decide which was worse.

While the author was there, they were told all the other colleges had closed except theirs. They were teaching the sons of the elite. All the other kids from the closed colleges would be sent off to work on infrastructure projects, in anticipation of Kim Jun-Un’s ascenscion, she speculated. The missionaries fully funded this particular school, which is why it was tolerated. She was pretending to be a missionary, but she really wasn’t a believer.

I sang along, but I could not help noticing that if you replaced the word ‘Jesus’ with ‘Great Leader,’ the content was not so different from some of the North Korean songs my students chanted several times each day.

(2) Favorite Thing I Read Today — Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim

For the first time, thinking was dangerous to my survival.

I share a birthday with Kim Jong-il. Today, in fact. All the kids in North Korea receive gifts from the Party today. Sometimes my birthday coincided with a day off school, thanks to a President’s birthday, but I always pretended it had something to do with me.

I wonder what a North Korean kid thinks who shares our birthday.

Favorite Thing I Read Today — Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim

For the first time, thinking was dangerous to my survival.

I share a birthday with Kim Jong-il. Today, in fact. All the kids in North Korea receive gifts from the Party today. Sometimes my birthday coincided with a day off school, thanks to a President’s birthday, but I always pretended it had something to do with me.

I wonder what a North Korean kid thinks who shares our birthday.

(1) Favorite Thing I Read Today — Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim

This is a memoir of a woman who went into North Korea pretending to be a missionary (but was really writing a book about) teaching English to college-age boys. It’s a fascinating glimpse behind that curtain. It’s hard to imagine myself living in such a closed system, but she does an excellent job of making you feel the panic and suffocation.

There were only a handful of times any student veered from the script. During our conversation about Park Jun-ho’s birthday party, one of the boys blurted out that he liked singing rock ‘n roll, and then he turned red, quickly checking to see who might be listening. I had never seen anyone scan the room so fast, and the other students went quiet and looked down at their food. There was no explanation for such an instinctive reaction except for a sort of ingrained fear that I could never fathom…..Was this really conscionable? Awakening my students to what was not in the regime’s program could mean death for them and those they loved. If they were to wake up and realize that the outside world was not crumbling, that it was their country that was in danger of collapse, and that everything they had been taught about the Great Leader was bogus, would that make them happier? How would they live from that point on? Awakening was a luxury available only to those in the free world.

 

Favorite Thing I Read Today — Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim

This is a memoir of a woman who went into North Korea pretending to be a missionary (but was really writing a book about) teaching English to college-age boys. It’s a fascinating glimpse behind that curtain. It’s hard to imagine myself living in such a closed system, but she does an excellent job of making you feel the panic and suffocation.

There were only a handful of times any student veered from the script. During our conversation about Park Jun-ho’s birthday party, one of the boys blurted out that he liked singing rock ‘n roll, and then he turned red, quickly checking to see who might be listening. I had never seen anyone scan the room so fast, and the other students went quiet and looked down at their food. There was no explanation for such an instinctive reaction except for a sort of ingrained fear that I could never fathom…..Was this really conscionable? Awakening my students to what was not in the regime’s program could mean death for them and those they loved. If they were to wake up and realize that the outside world was not crumbling, that it was their country that was in danger of collapse, and that everything they had been taught about the Great Leader was bogus, would that make them happier? How would they live from that point on? Awakening was a luxury available only to those in the free world.

 

(6) Favorite Thing I Read Today—The Humor Code by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner

This just made me laugh.

In 2004, Willibald Ruch coined the term “gelotophobia” to refer to the fear of being laughed at. There’s no known cure for gelotophobes, but for a start, it’s best to keep them separated from gelotophiles (those who enjoy being laughed at) and katagelasticists (fans of laughing at others).

And here’s what they suggest, after their global research. I couldn’t agree more.

Surround yourself with the people and things that make you laugh. Seek out interesting places and interesting people. Focus on the friends who make you laugh, not the ones who bring you down. Choose as a partner someone with whom you share a sense of humor, someone who helps you see the lighter side of life…. And it may be cliched, but remind yourself that everything is going to be okay. That thing that seems so scary in the moment, so catastrophic and worrisome, is only scary because you’re paying so much attention to it. It’s okay to complain, but add a bit of wit to your grumbling. Figure out a way to make that violation benign.

Amen.

And pick up this book. There’s a fascinating section about the Mohammad cartoonists. They were writing about the events from 2005-ish, but as the Paris bombings were fresh in my mind, it took on added significance.

Favorite Thing I Read Today—The Humor Code by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner

This just made me laugh.

In 2004, Willibald Ruch coined the term “gelotophobia” to refer to the fear of being laughed at. There’s no known cure for gelotophobes, but for a start, it’s best to keep them separated from gelotophiles (those who enjoy being laughed at) and katagelasticists (fans of laughing at others).

And here’s what they suggest, after their global research. I couldn’t agree more.

Surround yourself with the people and things that make you laugh. Seek out interesting places and interesting people. Focus on the friends who make you laugh, not the ones who bring you down. Choose as a partner someone with whom you share a sense of humor, someone who helps you see the lighter side of life…. And it may be cliched, but remind yourself that everything is going to be okay. That thing that seems so scary in the moment, so catastrophic and worrisome, is only scary because you’re paying so much attention to it. It’s okay to complain, but add a bit of wit to your grumbling. Figure out a way to make that violation benign.

Amen.

And pick up this book. There’s a fascinating section about the Mohammad cartoonists. They were writing about the events from 2005-ish, but as the Paris bombings were fresh in my mind, it took on added significance.

(5) Favorite Thing I Read Today—The Humor Code by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner

The authors set about crafting the world’s funniest joke, using all the tools they’ve learned along the way.

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls emergency services. He gasps, “My firend is dead! What can I do?” The operator says, “Calm down. I can help. First, let’s makes sure he’s dead.” There is silence, then a gunshot. Back on the phone, the guy says, “Okay, now what?”

Not very funny, eh?

In hindsight, the joke’s blandness makes sense. The world’s funniest-rated joke isn’t going to be the zinger that the most people find hilarious, it’s going to be the zinger that the least number of people find offensive…. “It’s the color beige in joke form.”

Favorite Thing I Read Today—The Humor Code by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner

The authors set about crafting the world’s funniest joke, using all the tools they’ve learned along the way.

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls emergency services. He gasps, “My firend is dead! What can I do?” The operator says, “Calm down. I can help. First, let’s makes sure he’s dead.” There is silence, then a gunshot. Back on the phone, the guy says, “Okay, now what?”

Not very funny, eh?

In hindsight, the joke’s blandness makes sense. The world’s funniest-rated joke isn’t going to be the zinger that the most people find hilarious, it’s going to be the zinger that the least number of people find offensive…. “It’s the color beige in joke form.”