The North Korean government was apparently so distraught over the prospect that Sony's film, "The Interview", would go public that it pulled out all the stops in its cyber warfare arsenal to shut it down. Upon reflection, The Interview is hardly the first critical media missive to be hurled at the dysfunctional hereditary monarchy mismanaging North Korea. There have been countless publications, media interviews, television news clips and broadcasts - all casting the regime in a horrible light. What was it about The Interview that suddenly upped the ante?
When the communists first took over Russia, one of their first acts was to arrest and execute a stand up comic in Moscow who was mocking them. And, of course, no one can forget the reaction to certain cartoons published a few years ago in Denmark. Political satire seems to have a special sting to it and to provoke violent response almost on cue.
The North Koreans desperately want to be "taken seriously" and the leadership is aware that satire, once released, is impossible to contain. Laughter is the last revenge of the downtrodden. You can persecute us, victimize us, and terrorize us, but, if we can still laugh at you, you cannot own us. The widespread circulation of clips from the film on the internet - some of which inevitably would get back to North Korea itself would lead to subversive giggles among the populace and perhaps ultimately a cascading disrespect for the autocracy leading to its downfall.
Comedy tends to deflate bubbles, undermine pretensions and subvert the power structure. When a large group of people laugh together at the same thing, they suddenly become aware that they share something - a perception that it is funny. When what they are laughing at has political dimensions, that shared experience is dangerous for an autocracy. They suddenly realize that they all think that the leader is a pompous fool. The seeds of revolution have been sown. That cannot be allowed.