If you opted out of the 4am live internet stream of The New York Philharmonic’s performance in Pyonyang, and waited until 8PM last night for Channel 13’s broadcast of the performance, then you paid the price of having to sit through ABC’s virtual propaganda machine. Now, before you get all pissed off at me, I’m not saying that North Korea isn’t a brainwashed totalitarian society. And I’m not saying that Kim Jong-il isn’t a total asshole dictator. But I am saying, that ABC didn’t need to couch the landmark performance of the orchestra in quasi-journalistic skepticism. We already know North Korea has these problems. The world knows.

So, instead of presenting a unique occasion of goodwill between enemy nations (BTW, WTF does it mean to be an enemy of the United States, anyway?), ABC—and I have to say, even Daniel J. Wakin’s writing has exhibited a similar slant—made concerted efforts to discredit this already credit-less nation. And the last person I want to see weigh in on serious political topics is Diane Sawyer. Her not-so-subtle condescension is annoying. The segment of her passing around a copy of Glamour magazine or some shit to a classroom of 6 year-olds, who passed it along as if it were a dirty hand towel, doesn’t really prove anything other than that 6 year-old North Korean’s have more discerning tastes when it comes to print media than do many of our fellow citizens.

Now, certain things were interesting; and by interesting, I mean scary. When the kids follow up every sentence with some kind of hymn to Kim Jong-il, or when the only thing they know to say about their country is “We’re the strongest country,” “Korea is the best place to live,” “Kim Jong-il is looking out for us,” and when they can’t find anything bad to say about North Korea and that there’s no reason to ever leave, “It’s best to stay here,” it does make you really sad for them. But Woodruff calling these kids a “real life It’s A Small World”, although classic, isn’t great journalism: it’s sensational.

But come on, I remember being taught—in public school—to love America, to say The Pledge of Allegiance and to believe that The United States was the greatest nation in the world, and to respect the founding fathers and to revere our Presidents. I’m sure I’m not alone. And I’m sure there are places and classrooms in the U.S. where you wouldn’t find any more creative answers to Sawyer’s questions than the young kids of Pyongyang. The majority of Americans have never even been outside of the United States.

Yes, I know, I know there’s a difference. North Korean myopia is compulsory, whereas American myopia is elective. Is that the only difference? And is that enough of a difference? For all of our liberties, there’s still this strain of American citizen—probably the very one’s who would admit to hating North Korea for no other reason than that they think they’re supposed to)—who willingly subscribe to the same kinds of dogmatic nationalistic pressures. Remember the Dixie Chicks!!!

Aaaaaalz I’m saying is that ABC’s reporting came across as borderline hypocritical. I mean, George Bush didn’t even win the 2000 election for fuck’s sake. And it’s no secret that special interest groups play a large role in writing the laws of our country, rather than the politicians we elect to represent individual citizens. Who are we to go around criticizing other peoples’ governments? I’m sure some people in certain parts of the world are wondering why on earth the North Korean government would allow onto their soil an orchestra from a country who tried to take them over fifty years ago; and who for five years has waged an illegal war on Iraq that has cost several hundred thousand civilian lives (a war that was met with world opposition before it even happened); and who has this lingering grudge against communist nations.

But these issues are complicated, and I’m not attempting to solve them here. Nor, let it be clear, am I excusing the human rights abuses or nuclear weaponry of the North Korean government. But neither am I excusing the human rights abuses or nuclear weaponry of our government. I suppose the glory of this situation is the fucked up complicatedness of it all. I think most Americans (citizens or not), want to do good in the world, and want to see good happen. So how are we to parse a situation that, looked at objectively, appears to be a paradox? To paraphrase Peter Brooke, the most difficult position is probably the right one. In this case, the most difficult position is to hold one’s own country up to the same scrutiny that we freely level against other countries. ABC didn’t do that, and their choice felt that easy.