This morning, the Harvard Crimson doffs its hat, holds it to its heart, and mourns the early death of the Harvard Alumni Association’s planned Summer vacation to North Korea:
The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) canceled a summer trip to North Korea last Thursday, citing low demand and problems with insurance and medical evacuation procedures. But some alums suspect an opinion piece published last week in The New York Post caused the cancellation. Typically closed off to foreigners, North Korea announced earlier this year that American citizens would be allowed to visit the country from Aug. 10 to Oct. 10 and attend the 2006 Arirang Mass Games, daily large-scale synchronized gymnastics performances. HAA first offered alumni the 12-day, $6,360 trip in late April. “While such an offering is not without controversies the confluence of events that made it possible has convinced us that it is something we should make available to our alumni,” stated an HAA e-mail to alums.
Ah yes, the confluence of events! When an outlaw nation is at its most dangerous, ’tis the season for wide-minded elites to sup there, and rejoice, rejoice, in the foreign perspective (such as the drawing of plans to attack the United States!) and the foreign customs (such as bowing at the feet of Kim Jong-il!) and the foreign people (such as Kim Il Chol, vice marshal of the People’s Army, who loves him some pre-emptive nuclear strikes!). Pot, I suppose, isn’t cool anymore. Is there a high that goes along with being so absurdly non-judgmental?
The editorial referenced in the Crimson came from the pen of Deborah Orin, who wrote “Harvard Loves a Thug” earlier this month in the Post. Amazing that it was necessary, but Orin deftly declaimed the “totalitarian luxury tour”. She suggested that perhaps it was not in the ultimate interest of ve-ri-tas to take the Harvard community on a sojourn to a rogue state where, as one internal memo noted, they “will be expected to bow as a gesture of respect at the statue of Kim Il Sung and at his mausoleum” and where “[d]emonstrations of respect for… the current leader, Kim Jong Il, are important.” It is a pity. I imagine those many tuition checks from slaving parents could have been woven into a fine paper fan for the oh-so-ronery little man. And Harvard would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for that meddling lack of interest.