A cult of personality is an instrument of propaganda through which a leader gains adulation and is portrayed as a heroic and sometimes even worshipful individual. When the personality cult is about a head of state, criticism of the person is usually prohibited and the masses are given a consistent image of the leaders perfection through the manipulation of mass media.
Such is the case in North Korea, where a cult of personality has existed for decades surrounding the Kim family. While other countries have also had cults of personality to various degrees, I believe that the extreme nature of the one in North Korea surpasses all others, and it is also unique due to the sheer intensity of its peoples devotion and feelings towards their leaders. This devotion was witnessed by the world in 2004 when several people risked their lives and some even died trying to rescue portraits of their 'Dear Leader', Kim Jong II, after an explosion in a train.
Cults of personality are hardly ever taken seriously enough by the international community, they are often viewed as a sort of bizarre curiosity found in some authoritarian regimes. On the other hand, I believe there is more to them than just that. A cult of personality creates loyalty by producing false beliefs in the people, considering the example of North Korea where the daily news bulletin begins with a song about the 'qualities' of their leader to instill an idealistic picture of him among the people. In this way, I think the government is violating the rights of its population in a way that they are not allowed to form their personal political opinions and in case of criticism of the leadership in North Korea, there are severe punishments.
Since not much attention is paid to the issue of personality cults, governments are actually allowed to get away with ludicrous decisions such as spending over $60 million in the construction of several statues of the leader (Kim Jong-il), causing financial issues in North Korea at a time when two-thirds of the country's population is already reportedly suffering from food shortages. Therefore, in my opinion, this issue must be given a priority for discussion in the international forum so that we can advance towards a society where people all around the world are free to shape their own political beliefs.
Such is the case in North Korea, where a cult of personality has existed for decades surrounding the Kim family. While other countries have also had cults of personality to various degrees, I believe that the extreme nature of the one in North Korea surpasses all others, and it is also unique due to the sheer intensity of its peoples devotion and feelings towards their leaders. This devotion was witnessed by the world in 2004 when several people risked their lives and some even died trying to rescue portraits of their 'Dear Leader', Kim Jong II, after an explosion in a train.
Cults of personality are hardly ever taken seriously enough by the international community, they are often viewed as a sort of bizarre curiosity found in some authoritarian regimes. On the other hand, I believe there is more to them than just that. A cult of personality creates loyalty by producing false beliefs in the people, considering the example of North Korea where the daily news bulletin begins with a song about the 'qualities' of their leader to instill an idealistic picture of him among the people. In this way, I think the government is violating the rights of its population in a way that they are not allowed to form their personal political opinions and in case of criticism of the leadership in North Korea, there are severe punishments.
Since not much attention is paid to the issue of personality cults, governments are actually allowed to get away with ludicrous decisions such as spending over $60 million in the construction of several statues of the leader (Kim Jong-il), causing financial issues in North Korea at a time when two-thirds of the country's population is already reportedly suffering from food shortages. Therefore, in my opinion, this issue must be given a priority for discussion in the international forum so that we can advance towards a society where people all around the world are free to shape their own political beliefs.
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