Free Speech Works: A Lesson from the South African Embassy
South Africa, the beautiful country that was my home for three glorious and historic months as apartheid crumbled all around me in the year 1990, still has a few things to teach us about how much more effective discourse is than censorship in defanging a venomous lie. While the GNP fulminates with demands to arrest extremists like Professor Jang Shi-Ki for proclaiming Kim Il Sung to be Kim Il Sung’s gift to the lesser races of the world, the South Africans simply tell us how completely full of shit Jang is.
With reference to the article written by Professor Jang Shi-Ki of Dongguk University and posted on the website of the National Association of Professors for Democratic Society (http://www.professornet.org) in Korean the following comment:The South African Embassy in Seoul do [sic] recognize responsible freedom of speech and do [sic] accept that academics are entitled to views based on the knowledge and experience they gained over a period of time through research. What we need to guard against is misleading statements and the tendency to apply statements made by leaders out of context as they were made in a specific historical context. What is, however, difficult to understand is how an academic, after visiting South Africa only two months, can make statements on behalf of South Africans and Africans that are totally distorted from reality.
Statements like “Africans feel more affinity with North Korea than South Korea”, “since the 1960s, the biggest obstacle to the independence of African countries was the US’, and “the struggle with the authoritarian powers in Africa was in fact a fight directed against the outside power of the US” are all totally incorrect statements.
. . . .The reference to a South African artist that do [sic] find it strange that only South Koreans come to South Africa is a clear indication of the lack of knowledge about the political systems on the Korean peninsula by the sources consulted in South Africa. Apart from official North Korean Government delegations other North Koreans are not allowed by their Government to visit and/or work and reside in South Africa. It is therefore obvious why only South Koreans visit South Africa.
In view of the South African policies and the roles played by President Mbeki and Mr. Mandela, (both worldwide known for their roles in reconciliation and peace efforts through dialogue), their names should not be used in arguments to discredit other countries.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY, SEOUL ON 18 OCTOBER 2005
See how easy that was? Another idea would be to start by questioning why a group that openly admires Kim Il Sung’s tyrrany–arguably the least democratic system of government ever contrived–has the chutzpah to call itself “Professors for a Democratic Society.” That’s precisely the kind of mendacious doublespeak that Orwell warned us about, specifically in the context of Jang’s own Stalinist forebears. And while I yield to none in my defense of Jang’s and Kang’s right to speak their blather unmolested by all (and thus noticed by few), you have to question the legitimacy of the academic credentials of those who would “profess” about politics when they either don’t understand the concept of democracy or deliberately distort it to mean “total control by a ruthless and unaccountable oligarchy.” Since I don’t believe these men are simply stupid, it should be plain that they’re (1) liars; (2) too immersed in their fanaticism to be capable of critical thinking or reason; or (3) liars who are too immersed in their fanaticism to be capable of critical thinking or reason. At some point, a univerity’s reputation must depend on setting some intellectual and academic standards.
Semi-related observation: I’m not sure why South Africa’s government takes such a keen interest in North Korean human rights, but it apparently does. Nelson Mandela’s nephew, an Army general now (and the spitting image of his uncle) is a senior official at the South African Embassy in Washington. The man is a regular at hearing on the subject, and at events that relate to human rights issues there. Go figure, but we ought to notice things like that.
I’ll end with a friendly note to the Chosun Ilbo: I believe the International Court of Politicial Correctness banned the term “Dark Continent” in a ruling back in 1982.