To quote John McEnroe, "you CANNOT be serious!" It seems that North Korea is threatening "dire consequences" if a comedy drama film "The Interview"( due to be released in October) is shown- namely because it deals with a plot by the CIA to persuade a journalist and producer (played by actors James Franco and Seth Rogen respectively) to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the course of an interview. Leaving aside the inherent absurdity of the "Company" targeting a head of state( even a Communist one) for assassination
(which has been forbidden since the 1970s if only out of enlightened self-interest- American and Western leaders-or their citizens- are too vulnerable for retaliation), just what "dire consequences" are on the table- a Second Korean War? A breach of diplomatic relations?(NK has NO diplomatic relations with the US)
One is reminded of Soviet protests during the "Cold War" about the publication of "anti-Soviet" books and films or complaints by majority Muslim countries about "The innocence Of Muslims" due to its allegedly "blasphemous" and "Islamophobic" character.
I don't usually agree with conservative commentators such as Michael Novak but when Soviet delegates complained about "Rocky IV" (which they claimed portrayed the Soviet boxer Ivan Drago as a "stupid idiot") during the Helsinki review conference, he dryly replied that the film was not produced by the US government but by a private film company and that the Soviets should direct their representations to the company in question. And anyway the First Amendment of the US Constitution precluded government interference with the media including film or TV productions!
'Nuff said!
Anybody else think as I do?
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