Propaganda - Prepare to be Indoctrinated

Propaganda – Prepare for Indoctrination

Becky’s recent post China Criticising US Human Rights Record got me thinking about how people in non-democratic countries may view democracies as far less than the superior regimes which they are so often held to be. I was reminded of the 2012 mockumentary, Propaganda – Prepare for Indoctrination which investigates the failings of democracy from a North Korean perspective and has been described as “either a damning indictment of 21^st Century culture or the best piece of propaganda in a generation.” Film's official website It is claimed that a female translator, Sabine, whilst holidaying in Seoul, was given a DVD produced by alleged North Korean dissidents and instructed to translate and upload it to YouTube for the world to see. The resulting film features an unnamed North Korean professor using historical footage – such as clips of Paris Hilton and the Korean War – to condemn the consumerist and imperialist culture of the W***. Although it was later revealed that the film was in fact made by Slavko Martinov, a New Zealand director, this makes Propaganda if anything, more intriguing. The 96 minute documentary attacks the use of religion to impose authority on the masses, the manipulation of citizens by so-called democratic politicians, the use of celebrity culture and hyper-consumerism to manipulate citizens around the world and the imperialist expansions of the United States. North Korea is upheld as the “glorious exception” to this world of manipulation and control.

The story gets even more interesting when you examine how the documentary was made. Christchurch man Slavko Martinov (a self-confessed “left-handed, sugar-addicted filmmaker named after a Croatian man ‘I’ve nevermet’”) worked on the project, “with the help of friends who worked in secretfor 9 years, with zero funding, through 2 major earthquakes, 10,000 aftershocks,accusation of North Korean collusion, investigations by the South Koreangovernment, an interview with the Counter-Terrorism Unit, and retaliation fromthe Catholic Church.” In an online interview, Slavko explains how in 2003 he grew disillusioned with life in a consumerist culture and decided to create an “antidote to all the lies” – a film which would critique the societal attitudes which we may have come to accept. To make the film stand out, he had the idea to turn it into an “intercepted propaganda film.” North Korea was the obvious choice, but Slavko also explains that there is so little information about this country, yet a wealth of misinformation. He says it is impossible to ascertain the opinions of North Korean people and laments that the Korean War is thought of as the “forgotten war.” Slavko’s own identity as filmmaker remained anonymous at the beginning. In fact, the guise was apparently so convincing that the South Korean government accused Slavko of being a North Korean agent and the Korean Society of New Zealand accused him of sympathising with communists. Eugene Chang, the Christchurch-based South Korean actor who plays the North Korean professor, faced similar subjugation and was refused communion by his Korean Catholic church. Stuff Article on Eugene Slavko is still not entirely trusted by media outlets in New Zealand and as a result, there is not a lot of information to be found on him online or elsewhere. (If you find some good articles please link them in!) Consequently, the documentary which was described by the Independent as “the real viral hit of 2012” and rated as the “no.1 hit for 2012” by Films For Action has been all but dismissed in mainstream New Zealand media. (Although it was screened at the recent Documentary Edge Film Festival.) Perhaps this situation will change. Slavko and his team are now seeking donations and assistance in creating a second, more controversial film in the Propaganda trilogy.

Whether or not you agree with all of the assertions raised in Propaganda, I believe it raises a number of significant issues which we would be wise to consider. Are we being dumbed down by mass consumerism – turning us into mindless creatures who spend our time vaguely browsing Facebook, watching reality TV and comparing iPhones and branded clothing? Are we being taught to simply accept the misinformation politicians may feed us without a word of criticism? Has religion been perverted from something intended for the good of people to a system of control? These are pressing questions for our generation and I believe Propaganda does us a service in bringing this out into the open. It also raises some interesting points of discussion for students of Political Science. By falling back on traditional measures of ranking states according to levels of democracy or authoritarianism, are we ignoring the significant influence of economic systems, especially of capitalism? As New Zealanders, we may well live in a democratic country, yet our consumerist culture – fostered by the media and propped up by wealthy corporations – encourages us to focus on meaningless everyday tasks of purchasing items and being good consumers, whilst turning our backs on the more important issues of the day. Thus we become complacent and distracted and are easier to manipulate, whilst being led to believe that we have a choice in how our countries are run.

I would highly recommend anyone who has not already done so to watch Propaganda. I have linked it to this page, along with Slavko’s interview. Some parts of the documentary are disturbing, others are laughable, but the overall effect of the film (at least for me!) was to really make you think about some of the less than desirable attributes of our W***ern democracies. Would a North Korean agree with the viewpoints raised? Who knows…?