As a Boston Celtics fan, I never much cared for Dennis Rodman. I didn't think he was as bad as some of the thugs on the late-80s Detroit Pistons team that faced off against Larry Bird and company in the playoffs on numerous occasions, but he was still the enemy. Well, lately he's been chumming around with a real enemy of all that's good and decent: Kim Jong-Un, dictator of North Korea, whose wretchedness is visible from space. Innovative global peace tactic on Rodman’s part, or boneheaded idiocy?
In his recent apology for some thoughtless, drunken comments he made regarding detained American Kenneth Bae, Rodman said that his dreams of basketball diplomacy were falling apart. NBA commissioner David Stern has distanced himself from the Hall of Famer, as has the US State Department, which apparently "did not want to 'dignify' [Rodman's] activities or comments in Pyongyang by commenting on them."
Far be it from me to defend the tattooed rebounding legend, but I do think we need more people trying to build some kinds of bridges with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Sure, people with a little tact would be good, but Rodman's antics would matter less if he were one of hundreds instead of "the only American, and one of the few foreigners, with access to the young leader."
North Koreans have suffered tremendously under the Kims, and the urge to punish evil is perfectly understandable. But as I was reading up on South African apartheid after the death of Nelson Mandela last month, I came across the argument that US sanctions against the racist regime had in fact hurt the country's downtrodden and actually helped the ruling class hold onto power, just as it has in Cuba. Our noble intentions are not worth much if we end up doing more harm than good. We need more, not fewer, connections with the Hermit Kingdom if we want to help its victims claw their way out of their tragic predicament.
Far be it from me to defend the tattooed rebounding legend, but I do think we need more people trying to build some kinds of bridges with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Sure, people with a little tact would be good, but Rodman's antics would matter less if he were one of hundreds instead of "the only American, and one of the few foreigners, with access to the young leader."
North Koreans have suffered tremendously under the Kims, and the urge to punish evil is perfectly understandable. But as I was reading up on South African apartheid after the death of Nelson Mandela last month, I came across the argument that US sanctions against the racist regime had in fact hurt the country's downtrodden and actually helped the ruling class hold onto power, just as it has in Cuba. Our noble intentions are not worth much if we end up doing more harm than good. We need more, not fewer, connections with the Hermit Kingdom if we want to help its victims claw their way out of their tragic predicament.