Distinction

Two maps sat side by side. One was of the American West and North Korea.

“You see, they’re about the same,” Roebuck Waddell pointed out.

“What you say is a fallacy. You’re attempting to conflate the portion of the United States with the entirety of a brutal dictatorship,” Jani Baskin retorted.

“But the lights…they’re not there. For all the talk of capitalism being represented in lights, there are far too few lights for the great bastion of free markets to claim.”

Baskin looked at Waddell intently. “The lights are mainly on the coasts. The American West comprises rocky terrain, desert, and forestry. It’s uninhabitable. In wide swaths, it’s land that belongs, wrongly, to the federal government. Most of the inhabitants of the US reside in coastal states and the South. What are you trying to do is tie two ends that don’t go together. North Korea is dark because of ideas. These are ideas that stifle innovation, throttle achievement, and garrote any chances for advancement.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The US thinks it’s so high and mighty. Try living in North Korea. People are fed and clothed and given ample housing.”

“I’d love to see your fact sheets to back up these claims. For now, you ought to recognize the difference between what America, for the most part, has to offer. The rights and freedoms we enjoy are all part of ideas that differ from that of North Korea. The ability to rise up from squalor, to make a beacon out of a wasteland, and to create, to carve out a life of riches in glory…that is the American reality. Sadly, Washington would think otherwise.” He stopped and pointed a finger at the map. “There, that’s Washington amongst the lights all glittering like power surges. But places like the great state of Delaware are dedicated to making America the greatest. Wall Street up here is working on that, too. They’re busy keeping the brains of the country active. There’s about twenty million people between those lights. And,” he traced his forefinger over to California. “Silicon Valley ensures that the young, greedy minds can demonstrate their abilities to produce greater products and services that have revolutionized the world. There’s about forty million people who live there.”

“I know that in Pyongyang, you can find folks bustling to find a way,” Waddell replied.

“They’re trying to find a way out, though. Those who wish to live under tyranny will either want to stay under the lash of a whip or desperately seek an exit from such vicious conditions. You ought to see just how much the difference is between America and virtually any other place on Earth, especially NK.”

“I would move there but….”

“Yeah, but what?”

“I’m settled here. I’m able to pen articles that promote North Korea from the outside.”

Baskin scoffed. “You talk all that hot air about a horrific place and can’t see that you’re protected by a Declaration and a Constitution that guarantee your right to preach such drivel. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” he responded.

“I've been in this country long enough. Then I’ll go. I’ll go to North Korea and live the life I’ve always dreamed of. I mean have you seen their parades?”

“You and I both know that all of that is propaganda. Those people haven’t been brainwashed, but brainsullied. They’ve been fed the offal of mysticism, collectivism, and altruism. The state is like their god; they tie together under the banner of selflessness; and offer sacrifice to their ruler expecting nothing in return. If that’s the dream you wish to live, have at it, but you’re not going to impose it on me.”