The Bizarrest of Things

I found this documentary on a topic I never would have thought existed.  It's a story about an American (actually four) who CHOSE to defect to North Korea back in the 1950s.  Joe Dresnok, who the documentary follows, walked right across the DMZ during the height of the Korean War into the arms of North Korean soldiers and has never left the DPRK since.  After 40+ years inside the Hermit Kingdom, the Kim regime finally allowed his story to be documented in a Daniel Gordon Film called, Crossing the Line.

It was a fascinating story to watch, but I couldn't help but feel like I wasn't getting the whole story.   Despite this, it's a glimpse into a world many know little about.  Definitely worth a watch if you've got an interest in North Korea or psychology.


The full documentary is available on YouTube or you can click the links below.  Each link is about 15 minutes, so its running time is 1.5 hours in total.

Part I: Crossing the Line
Part II: Crossing the Line
Part III: Crossing the Line
Part IV: Crossing the Line
Part V: Crossing the Line
Part VI: Crossing the Line

Taking a step away from the norm...

So this is not the normal type of thing that I post here on the blog--but I wanted to share these links as I think the content is really good. I watched these two documentaries yesterday about society's portrayal of masculinity ("Tough Guise") and femininity ("Killing Us Softly") and how these images and beliefs about what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman are destroying any chance of being 'human'.

If you have time, take a look.  They have my strong recommendation (two thumbs up here). Both documentaries together are shorter than the average movie that you find these days.  If you do watch them, let me know what you think.



Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising's Image of Women
(around 30 minutes)


Tough Guise: Violence, Media & the Crisis in Masculinity
(around 55 minutes)

-Diana