There's something particularly dangerous about ruthless dictators. If you look at history, you'll see a lot of common traits that are poignant in every single violent dictator that has risen to power. While North Korea's Kim Jong-un has all of these traits, there's a certain dimension to him that makes him even more dangerous than anyone we have ever dealt with before. Only his predecessors have had the "honor" of this trait bestowed upon them.
Kim Jong-un is more dangerous than any dictator in the world because he lives in the most air-tight filter bubble that has ever been created.
Let's break down what I mean by a filter bubble. We can call current dictators like Duterte and Putin ruthless, and that assessment would not be far off base. However what sets Putin, Duterte, and people of their ilk apart from Kim is that they visit other countries. While they do censor their people, these dictators and their people travel a little more freely, and they have access to what the world thinks of them. Their own subordinates constantly build them up, but Putin knows that we find his tactics questionable. Duterte knows we find him nuts. Their people use Facebook and other social media connections that put them in touch with the outside world.
Kim is unique in that him, his people, and his citizens are all caught up in the Kim cult of personality. About two years ago, one of the popular news sites was able to get into the NK internet database. From what we were able to decipher, there were only 28 websites available to citizens. That's right, 28. Most of us visit 28 websites in a day. Let's not forget that these websites are sponsored by the state and NK citizens only get their information from state-run media sources, where propaganda is rampant.
Kim does not leave NK. He doesn't engage with other people outside of his little cult. When he does, it's people like Dennis Rodman who still reinforce his own view of himself. Kim never has to come to terms with the rest of the world's view on him because it's that easy for him to ignore it.
Kim truly has no idea what we think of him. He finds Donald Trump to be a joke because he truly has no idea what the United States is capable of. He never will know because he never leaves his country. Day after day, Kim is fed with the continuous messages of he is the supreme ruler, he is the greatest, he is the only one destined for the throne. It's honestly not hard to understand why this little man thinks we are psychotic. He believes his own delusions because they have been fed to him in so many ways for so long.
With people like this, there is no understanding how to dethrone this mentality. While taking him out seems beautiful, that would mean a country of brainwashed individuals that would have to be taken care of. They would revolt, rebel, and do everything they possibly could to undermine whoever took care of their leader.
Kim is the living, breathing example of what is wrong with a filter bubble. Kim is exactly what happens when someone is only fed their own thoughts and has them reinforced for years on end. It's unhealthy to only see your perspective, regardless if we are dealing with flower arrangements or the running of a country. You need some dissension to stay grounded. You can't torture and murder the opinions that go against you. It makes you power hungry.
Kim is your typical one-sided thinker, but he's got nukes. So next time you dismiss him as a non-threat, think twice. He's more dangerous than anyone we've ever dealt with.
