2015-02-12 John Locke Foundation (featuring Cherie Yang)

Cherie Yang and I spoke to the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, North Carolina.

* I was the warm-up act, so with my speech I had to keep in mind setting a foundation for Cherie's talk and saying something meaningful during my time.

During Q&A, I joined Cherie onstage. This was only her third public speech in English, so she was thankful that I didn't leave her alone. Some speakers prefer that I answer first so they can have time to collect their thoughts, but I have to keep in mind that audiences want to hear from the refugee speakers, so I keep my answers brief. Of course, I'd prefer to be able to take a seat, check my email.

* We were interviewed together for a local radio station before our speeches.

* It was really nice, the audience was so welcoming.

* A few of the ladies in the audience started crying after a few minutes of hearing Cherie talk. Then, at the end, one of the guys started crying as he said good-bye to us.

* We had a couple of Korean war veterans in the audience. Surprisingly, they were more interested in talking and learning about North Korean human rights issues rather than talking about nukes or the latest crazy dictator.

* One reason I love talking before non-experts--they are looking to learn, not sitting back smugly with a "I've heard this before" or "there's nothing new" here looks about everything, even new stuff.

* Pam Davidson--TNKR tutor and donor who has returned to North Carolina--attended the event. Afterwards, she treated us to dinner at a Mo Joe's, one of the top burger joints in the area (yes, I'm the one who chose it).

* Special thanks to the Atlas Network for sponsoring the trip, the John Locke Foundation for hosting the event as part of the William Sumner Event Series. http://www.atlasnetwork.org/event/coming-out-of-north-korea-to-freedom

www.patreon.com/caseylartigue

Support FSI via Stripe

Common Sense on North Korea (Korea Times, April 2, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. As interesting as Kookmin University professor Andrei Lankov’s writings are, there is nothing quite like attending one of his lectures. He can barely restrain himself behind the podium, often pointing and waving his arms. I also enjoy his unscripted speeches, but his answers in Q&A sessions are like the difference between watching Michael Jordan shoot baskets in warm-ups and an actual game. I have finally discovered the secret behind Lankov’s consistently solid analysis about North Korea: Use common sense. At an Asan Institute conference last summer, he argued that North Korea watchers should try to understand North Korea from its perspective. Don’t most people know that you must understand the mindset of others you are dealing with? Yet, common sense in theory gets ignored politically. From the North Korean perspective, nuclear weapons are the best thing they’ve got going. They will NOT give them up easily, even if President Obama ...

Rich talking back

The rich are talked about very often in negative terms, but how often do the rich respond in kind? Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, who inherited most of her money but apparently has also done very well with it, recently railed against class warfare and had some advice for the non-rich : "There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working." She complained about politicians raising taxes, regulations that slow investment, and other anti-business policies that harm the poor. "If you want to help the poor and our next generation, make investment, reinvenstment and businesses welcome."

Random photos from today

I went walking around today. Whereas some people like to go walking in the mountains, I enjoy walking around in the city. Well, not D.C. or other cities with many homeless, crazy and/or armed people walking around... * * * Here's where I had lunch today. About $1.90 for a hamburger hamberger. * * * Ha-ha! Bet you never would have guessed that Batman is a drinking place in Korea! * * * Man Clinic? The Koreans walking by seemed to be very curious about why I was taking a photo of a "Man Clinic." They may know something I don't know...Actually, I wasn't curious enough to go in and find out what it was... * * * Right down the street from the Man Clinic...there's a Love Shop! I love the euphemism. "Love Shop" sounds much better than Sex Shop. I'm guessing that if you don't go to the "Love Shop" to buy condoms that you may need to visit the Man Clinic a short time later? * * * Nobo...

To be a good volunteer, use your brain (Korea Times, December 5, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. There is probably an unwritten rule that a celebrity offering to do volunteer work for a good cause should immediately be embraced. Well, that’s not what happened to Jeong So-dam, the glamorous Korean cable TV announcer when our paths crossed on Nov. 29. Ms. Jeong was the MC of an event about American political philosophy hosted by the Association for Economic Evolution. During my speech about American libertarianism since 1940, I discussed my volunteer work for North Korean refugees. After the speech, Jeong approached me, asking how she could help. I gave her the same tough love I give to potential volunteers by asking: “Who are you?” After all, if you are Bill Gates, then open your wallet. If you speak four languages, then help with translation work. So I first stress to potential volunteers: Use your brain. Tell us about your skills and interests so together we can figure out your initial role. Jeong was good-natured about it, rather than c...

Last weekend: Suicide, Kim Young Ha, NK

Credit: Joanne Cho Event 1: Friday night I went to a talk given by Fulbright junior researcher Joanne Cho. She did a great job putting together statistics about some of the most commonly cited reasons that so many Koreans commit suicide. Probably the most provocative tidbit: Cho watched 86 dramas from the spring of 2012 to now, she says that 63 had "scenes depicting or discussing suicide" in a favorable light (as a way to solve problems, that troubled people can be forgiven for their sins and are even seen as sympathetic). Another interesting tidbit: While it is often cited that Korea is number one in the world in suicide (among countries reporting reliable statistics), what I had not realized or had forgotten is that Korean men are number 8 in the world compared to men in other countries with reliable statistics, Korean women are #1 in the world when compared to women in other countries. My questions for the speaker: 1) What was a finding in your research th...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

Search This Blog