I agree emphatically, but if the state forces down the throats of its people that Americans are dumb and ruthless bastards, then you have Dennis Rodman show up and be our "citizen diplomat", to me that totally sends the wrong message.
I know, but the fact is, the weak link that the little tyrant likes basketball, so he's only inviting in basketball players. Rodman just gets a lot of press, but he's not the only player that's been invited there; several Harlem Globetrotters have as well. Those guys actually are pretty good ambassadors for this country if you ask me.
I think we fall into this trap of believing in the propaganda powers of a corrupt bunch of nuts like the NK leadership ourselves. We're worried about how 'Dear Leader' there portrays us via Rodman, but we fail to figure in that many people there KNOW that everything that comes out of that little fool's mouth is a lie.
"No, no, you're not starving! Dear Leader provides plenty for the people!" said to people that resorted to cannibalizing their own children that already died of starvation.
"Dear Leader loves you!" said to people who's entire families have been killed or shipped off to prison camps for some minor sin against the state.
"Dear Leader has it all figured out! He's the smartest guy ever!" said to people who can see for themselves that literally *nothing* anywhere in the whole country works.
So now we're shaking over dear leader proclaiming (more than usual) "Outsiders are dumb and ruthless bastards!"
I'd wager there are more sneaked-eye rolls of total contempt per capita in NK than in any other place on earth.