North Korea and Atheism - a mass case of Stockholm Syndrome

Two tyrants died this week - one intellectual and one societal. The first hated the other with a passion and likewise did the second the first. One was a libertarian and the other a fascist. The first's name was Christopher Hitchens and the other - Kim Jong Il.  The fact that they both died within days of each other adds a layer of delicious irony to Hitchens`death which started with esophageal cancer which rendered him unable to speak for some time - stupendously appropriate no matter the cause - the effect being a giant slice of cosmic justice for the ``Hitch``.

There is a strong case for the application of the term ``Stockholm Syndrome``on a mass scale to the proceedings streaming out of N. Korea today - mass wailing and moaning from the crowds as though each person had lost their only child.



In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is an apparently paradoxical psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness.


Many people observe a video like the one above and say it must be rigged or they must be forced to do it. This is not necessarily the case. The people of N. Korea live in total isolation and this is now the third generation of leaders to subjugate the people in this manner. They literally worship their captors. Much of this worship could be attributed to the Stockholm Syndrome phenomenon. If they observe abuse, especially on others, the perceived lack of abuse against them personally could be interpreted as kindness and this fits according to the Syndrome parameters. 


The regime lifts itself up as gods and are worshiped as such. There should be no surprise when we are shown images of people showing intense emotional suffering when the god dies. They have been abused and are suffering from a mental disorder - Stockholm Syndrome.


This relates to modern Atheism in the same way. Around the western world we are seeing young people jettison their faith because someone talked them out of it using intellectual tyranny. In a WND interview Hitchens told Art Moore to ``give it up`` saying "You'll be happier," he insisted." Maybe not at first, but you will be." This is terrible intellectual manipulation. There is no way Hitchens could know he would be happier. In fact Hitchens life was anything but ``happy``. 

``If you ask: would I do it again? I would probably say yes. But I would have quit earlier hoping to get away with the whole thing. I decided all of life is a wager and I'm going to wager on this bit`` - Hitchens

And he lost that wager. He lived life as a true Liberal - an unrestricted lifestyle - an ungodly lifestyle - and he lost. Yet he managed to convince many others to join him whilst hurling himself off the cliff. Like he tried to do with WND`s writer, Hitchens attempted to manipulate people out of their faith - a place of peace and hope into a place of chaotic doubt and closed-minded naturalism - cut off from the realities of the transcendental realm. Like the people of N. Korea, Hitchens had caused many to be cut off from the real world and to embrace, often against their will due to the inability or lack of preparedness intellectually, the delusion of atheism. These people, the victims of Hitch`s tyranny, are suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.