There Is Something More Futile Than Hitting Your Head Against A Brick Wall
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Foreign Affairs | North Korea — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Terry Teachout explains. Why anyone thinks that sending the New York Philharmonic to North Korea will somehow create a thaw in relations between the North and the rest of the world--especially the West--is beyond me. If Kim Jong Il was so receptive to Western art and culture that a little dose would change his totalitarian ways, the vast collection of American DVD's he possesses would have turned him into a latter day Churchill long ago.
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There Is Something More Futile Than Hitting Your Head Against A Brick Wall 2 Comments (0 topical, 2 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
And I don't think there's anything to it at all. I don't know why this made it to the Wall Street Journal. When the idea first floated, everyone at the Philharmonic just made believe they hadn't heard anything.
The Philharmonic's last Asia tour was five years ago, if memory serves, and visited Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. The Metropolitan Opera was in Japan about four years ago (we have the snapshots). The New York City Opera went to Japan two years ago, and to Taipei back in 1987, if memory serves. Taking a major arts organization on tour is a huge undertaking, requiring years of preparation and a lot of corporate sponsorship.
If the story of the State Department's involvement is true, it wouldn't be the first time. Around the time that China reopened, early in the Reagan Administration, an enormous wave of Chinese students suddenly appeared in our top conservatories. I saw this with my own eyes, and came to know and work with a few of them.
Some were well into their twenties and even older at that time. Some had horrifying stories to tell about their experiences in the Cultural Revolution. Some of them are now playing in America's top orchestras.
Forget about NoKo. This is a bogus story.
...nothing.
While it's possible nothing good may come of such a visit, I can't imagine what harm it could do. Who knows, if it brings a little pleasure into the life of some North Koreans, I'm not going to protest. And it seems like a waste of time for others to do so.
The goal is to bring North Korea into the international community. With an incremental process like this -- undoubtedly a long and difficult one -- benefits may not be apparent for years to come, but the process has to begin somewhere. The more contact there is, the better.