MovieChat Forums > A State of Mind (2005) Discussion > Why teach the kids English??

Why teach the kids English??


I thought it curious that such a strictly closed and isolated society would devote any time to teaching their schoolkids the English language. What is the purpose? Maybe that's just for the elite kids??

It was rather comical to watch and listen to those two young schoolgirls standing at smart attention, barking their English lines, learned by rote, at each other. They looked like junior Drill Sergeants barking orders to each other. lol

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Yes it is only for the elite kids, who are the subject of this film. The same thing was done in the Eastern Block and USSR. Only places you could study foreign languages was in schools run by the KGB - especially English.

I posted here before that this is NOT an accurate portrayal of DPRK and does paint a rather rosy picture of life there. The inclusion of setbacks like the power outage and talks about shortages et al were tactfully allowed to be included perhaps even encouraged because one of the regime's propaganda tools (like Cuba's) is that they are 'victims' of the USA.

This film might as well have been produced by the Kims themselves.

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I'm getting this creepy fake vibe from this movie... and I wondered where it was from.

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Of course the film was going to paint a rosy picture of the subject, otherwise the footage would not have been allowed to leave the country. It was very crafty on the filmmakers part the way they subtly showed the mass brain-washing and lack of individual thought there. We can thank them for putting this film together the way they did because it gives us an unprecedented view into a nation that is virtually impenetrable.

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I will admit, the film did a good job of slyly showing the cracks in the facade.

The one that stands out to me is the blackout; Pyongyang, the "showcase capital," was pitch black, and all any of the family members could do was point the finger at the US.

The US doesn't control North Korea's power grid. The DPRK can't provide a more stable grid because it would require outside aid, resources and knowledge -- and opening that floodgate would only kick the leg out from under the cult mentality they've fostered over the years.

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[deleted]

Truth.

The idea that the filming was, in no way, edited is only realistic if you don't dig any further.

While North Koreans are people, the same as all of us, this film shows nothing but a very sanitized version of daily life in North Korea; that is the only film that the DPRK would ever allow to be made.

In fact, the daily life depicted in this film represents the UPPER class in the DPRK (those privileged enough to live in Pyongyang). The only view of the outskirts of Pyongyang is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it road trip and a visit to Paektu that was basically narrated by a girl professing her endless devotion to Kim Jong Il. The rest of the film is a glimpse into the life of the privileged class in North Korea -- who, even in the jewel of North Korean cities, live a fairly lower class existence compared to much of the developed world.

It's a sad film, really.

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Right before the English lesson started they showed a poster that said "Foreign language is a weapon for the life and struggle." What better way to fight the US aggressors by learning their language and figure out their secret plans to invade all the socialist countries?

I think it is only in America where learning a second language is considered unimportant. We are so full of ourselves that we assume everyone else on the planet should know English. I'm glad they get to learn a foreign language. I was more concerned that their "history" lesson consisted simply of praise for their great leader combined with anti-American criticism. Seems to me there's a little bit more to learn in history than what has happened in the past 50 years!

In another documentary on North Korea they said that the select few who take foreign languages can learn French and German as well. But the French and Germans aren't constantly turning the lights off in North Korea...better to learn English so they know what time to bring out the candles!
:)

The people you idolize wouldn't like you.

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I was more concerned that their "history" lesson consisted simply of praise for their great leader combined with anti-American criticism. Seems to me there's a little bit more to learn in history than what has happened in the past 50 years!


Yes, that "curriculum" is utterly worthless in the world at-large.

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Yes I thought learning English was a bit odd, since they'll never get the chance to speak it in practice. Bit like learning Latin.

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