Dennis Rodman is looking to justify his ongoing, train-wreck-like odyssey in North Korea by comparing it to the Ping-Pong Diplomacy that helped cool relations with China in the 1970s. I couldn’t disagree more, but whatever helps him sleep at night.
The one constant in the public life of Dennis Rodman is self-parody. At least, that’s what I always thought it was. But his shuttling back and forth to the hilariously named Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, his fawning expositions staged for the edification of dictator Kim Jong-un, seem to suggest he’s actually taking himself seriously.
Which would only serve to make this funnier…if he wasn’t whoring himself (and now, others) out for one of the most despicable human beings (not coincidentally leader of one of the most despicable regimes) in the world. But of course Rodman doesn’t see lil’ Kim as despicable. He calls him his best friend.
One wonders if Rodman has taken the time to objectively analyze the history and practices of North Korea. It isn’t pretty (the word “atrocity” comes up a lot) but it’s not hard to do. See here, here, here, and here.
But you know, you could force those facts down Dennis Rodman’s throat and I don’t think it would make any difference. I used the term “whore” advisedly. Kim has a well-documented history of spending lavishly on his own lifestyle while his people starve. Is he paying Dennis Rodman to stage this pitiful sideshow? Wouldn’t surprise me a bit, but even if he’s not, he’s still remunerating Rodman with a very twisted sort of international prestige. Which is just as bad, just as whorish.
All Dennis Rodman has done is confirm his own irrelevance. Despite his best efforts, he hasn’t even achieved the worst of what he’s been accused of: lending legitimacy to North Korea and Kim Jong-un. Because Rodman’s a joke, and Kim is a thug; legitimacy is beyond the both of them.
