Announcement List for the Virginia Atheists & Agnostics

[Scott Newton <>]

Hi all,

This Thursday at 7pm in New Cabell 309 fellow VAAer Tori Gabriele will be speaking about North Korea. Here is the blurb about the talk:

Escape from North Korea

North Korea is home to 25 million citizens. The details of their lives are painstakingly hidden by a highly secretive, highly paranoid totalitarian regime. The Kim family dynasty and the ruling elite of North Korea are often portrayed as comical buffoons, irrational ideological extremists, or twisted sadists. I am arguing against these ideas, instead viewing the ruling elite as rational, average human beings whose continued survival is dependent on the perpetuation of their repressive system of government. By understanding how the regime maintains itself, we can put into context seemingly erratic behaviors (such as bomb threats, cyber attacks, victimization of their own citizens, and the capture of one of our fellow Hoos) as a calculated (albeit Machiavellian) survival strategy. I will highlight the journeys of prominent defectors as a lens for understand the chilling realities regarding life in "The Hermit Kingdom," and discuss the historical development of a nation that single-handedly transformed into one of the most serious humanitarian crises in present day.

Content note: In discussion the defector's stories, the following themes may come up: suicide, abuse, torture, human and sex trafficking, depictions of public execution, discrimination, starvation, PTSD and other themes relating to death camps will be mentioned. My aim is to be informative, but brief. Statements along the lines of "He was tortured such that his limbs remain permanently misshapen decades later" can be expected. If anyone would like access to my source material ahead of time, I will be happy to provide it.

As always, we'll probably head to the corner after the talk. Hope to see you there!

Scott