You Think Democracy Sucks?

When I was young, there was practically no debate over whether democracy, communism or dictatorship is better. Nobody would have taken you seriously if you lived outside China or the USSR and wished to migrate there.

Nowadays, things have gone a bit grey as authoritarian regimes start growing a prosperous shell and countries that used to be great and progressive go on the path of decline due to a variety of social and political issues. As the lines begin to blur, there is an emerging group of simplistic, apathetic and shallow individuals from ailing democratic countries who think that democracy doesn’t work anymore and there is a better path steered by benevolent depots heading towards a socialist paradise.

But many don’t realise that this is only the start of the prosperous phase in these newly wealthy states and not the finish. Sure, you can prosper under somebody else’s dictatorship, but when does the party end and do you know when to get out before the fruits of your labour are taken away and you have no recourse? Or are you so enamoured of the authoritarian system that you don’t think that the party will ever end and you even want your own country to follow the same system?

In this video, disillusioned former China expat Matt Tye interviews North Korean escapee Park Yeon Mi and discuss the mentality of some emerging Western socialists.

The second video is my review of Miss Park’s book which details her escape from North Korea, her hellish ordeal as a sex slave in China and finally gaining freedom with help from a Chinese church which helped her escape to Mongolia and then to South Korea.

Miss Lee was miraculously released after being caught by the Chinese police. That might have been possible in the 1990s, but probably not with today’s technology. Like Miss Park’s sister, Miss Lee went through Southeast Asia where her family was arrested and imprisoned in Laos. It’s a miracle that a good Samaritan paid the bribes and got them out.

Miss Lee also has a book and her story is completely different from Miss Park’s. I’ve read it and I would encourage everyone to do so as well.

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee


Dewdrop Books – Fiction and non-fiction with a focus on the colourful and exotic Asian realm. Check out our titles.