Over the weekend, the media paid tribute to the wonders of North Korea. They praised their cheer squad, who clap and smile in exact unison — a result, no doubt, of the fact that they could be shot if they betray actual human emotion. They praised Kim Jong Un’s sister, who did not strangle a puppy in public. And they criticized Vice President Mike Pence for having the temerity to sit while the unified Korean national team walked into the stadium, because he didn’t want to pay homage to North Korea.
David Meeks of USA Today wrote, “By not standing for Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics, VP Mike Pence embarrassed America.” He stated, “By declining to stand and recognize athletes of the Korean unified team as they walked together during the opening ceremony, Pence not only offended the host country, he sent a message that to the Trump Administration, not even common courtesy matters more than childish politics.” Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com complained, “After refusing to stand and recognize a united Korean team, the VP passes on an Olympic dinner.” The BBC whined, “US Vice-President Mike Pence has skipped a dinner at which he was due to share a table with North Korea’s ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam.” The New York Times suggested that Ms. Kim “managed to outflank Mr. Trump’s envoy to the Olympics, Vice President Mike Pence, in the game of diplomatic image-making … while the unified Korean Olympic team received a standing ovation as they marched into the stadium Friday night, Mr. Pence remained seated, which critics said was disrespectful of the athletes and his host, Mr. Moon.”
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