6 million out of 25 million in North Korea starving. Well she actually said, "near starvation."

[lonestarnot]

Rachael. 200,000 political prisoners. Wonder how many we are up to here.

[Politicalboi]

1. I've been watching Rachel

And the more she talks about NK it sounds more like us. Starving people, arresting people for politics, and spending more on war than citizens. Yup sounds just like us. We've come a long way. But NK doesn't hide it.

[lonestarnot]

4. NK doesn't hide it? Are you kidding me.

If I had to listen to that shitty music play all day, I be in the pen too!

[sufrommich]

6. We are nothing like North Korea. Jesus Christ. nt

[treestar]

18. On a trailer hitch.

Amen.

[ellisonz]

23. With Mitt Romney's

dog tied on top.

[sharp_stick]

7. False equivalence taken to an extreme

Comparing the United States to North Korea is at best a poor attempt at discussion.

[Posteritatis]

9. It does have that wonderful combo of painfully ignorant and flagrantly offensive, doesn't it?

Reminds me of idiots during the shelling mess awhile back trying to seriously argue that North Korea is somehow freer than the US.

[Posteritatis]

10. If you think North Korea's "just like" the US you need to learn a few things about both places. (nt)

[bayareamike]

13. Oh please.

This is either a terrible joke or one of the most ignorant things I've heard...possibly ever.

Disgusting.

[tblue]

2. I heard HALF of Americans

are low income or worse off.

We have, what %(?), in prison?

We have no business casting stones. Although North Korea is arguably an exception.

[joshcryer]

12. Please, please, PLEASE...

...don't equate a western world's "problems" with the despot that is North Korea.

I grew up in abject poverty and I would never even claim I could remotely know what the North Koreans (the majority, not those within the party) must live with.

Nor that it was comparable.

[izquierdista]

15. It isn't from lack of trying

I'm sure that if Charles and David Koch's vision of America came to be, it would be a lot closer to North Korea.

[treestar]

19. Their version would be a nightmare, but of a different kind

There wouldn't be the blankness and emptiness of NK.

There would be a lot of activity. Child labor, low wages, company towns, no limits on working hours/days, no worker's compensation or medical coverage.

[Posteritatis]

21. Things would have to go pretty damn far to get to North Korean conditions

There's some pretty frightening lack of perspective all through this thread, jeez.

[Muskypundit]

3. There was some stat that said their famine in the 90's

Killed around 25% of their population. 25% starving to death. That's outright medieval. That's beyond medieval.

[lonestarnot]

5. I hope any of that can give anything to kitchens will. They are so short and trying to feed so many

[killbotfactory]

8. We have a mere 2 million or so people in jail

And I'm sure they all deserve to be there...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States

And most people don't starve in the US, they merely go hungry, or have food insecurities.

http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-facts/hunger-and-poverty-statistics.aspx

And that's not because of some kind of injustice permitted by our economic or political system, which is completely fair and uncorrupted, but due to the personal failings of those affected.

I'm also sure none of this would change for the worse if we faced nearly worldwide sanctions designed to cripple our economy in response to our aggressively militaristic foreign policy over the past decade.

America: Fuck Yeah!

[joshcryer]

11. Don't google Yodok or Bukchang camps.

You will be heartbroken.

[unkachuck]

14. yet many North Koreans....

....appear to be sincerely grieving over their fearless leaders demise....

....I wonder to what extent holding historys' mightiest super-power at bay for decades has contributed to their problems....that's no small task....

[lonestarnot]

16. I've heard a bunch of wahing, but not really seen any tears.

[joshcryer]

17. That video was heatbreaking, they were mostly faking it.

[shoutinfreud]

20. Ever been to a massive public grieving like that? It's not that loud.

ALl fake tears

[JCMach1]

22. Don't forget inter-generational political prisoners.

Let's say your grandfather got put in the gulag. Chances are, you and your family will stay there indefinitely.