In the original Naked Gun movie – remember that? – Ayatollah Khomeini, Mikhail Gorbachev, Yasser Arafat, Muammar Gaddafi, Fidel Castro, and Amin conspire to have Reggie Jackson assassinate the Queen of England. Was everyone up on arms about the sensibilities of respected national leaders like Muammar Gaddafi and Elizabeth Alexandria Mary Mountbatten-Windsor? Nope. They recognized it as the dumb comedy that it was. So why has The Interview been different?
Because Sony’s data was hacked.
I’ve learned two things about bullies. The first is that they hate being ignored. The second is that you have o stand up to them. Kim Jong-Un is NOT a world leader who deserves a shred of respect; his people are kept in slavery and starvation, and he has no diplomatic relations with anyone – unlike Mikhail Gorbachev, Muammar Gaddafi, Idi Amin, and the Queen of England at the time that the Naked Gun came out. Despite avoiding the most rudimentary diplomacy, he wants the world to recognize him as some sort of supreme leader. Sony’s executives probably should have acknowledged him somehow.
Sony also should have released the movie. I understand the market forces at work, but there are art houses that would have been willing to take the risk that an ordinary multiplex might not. As it is, The Interview become samizdat for the modern age. The movie may get more respect than it might have otherwise, as early reviews indicated that it was more a peer of The Naked Gun than of Day of the Jackal (about a fictional assassination attempt on Charles de Gaulle).
In any event, I’m disappointed by Sony and with those who defend their decision.
In the United States,we have a president who is pretty much regarded as the leader of the free world by all but members of the opposition party at home. We also have a constitution that recognizes free speech. You can criticize our president up to the point of a direct threat. (That will get you into trouble.) When dealing with emerging markets, one often faces leaders with lower status and greater isolation from the slings and arrows of criticism. They may find the questions of reporters and analysts to be shocking. Which doesn’t mean the questions shouldn’t be asked! They just may need to be asked in a different manner. Culture matters. It is hardly the only thing that matters, of course, and it should not be used as an excuse for evading the real work of business and politics.
North Korea is not going to be any sort of investable nation any time soon, to the detriment of its people. Its leaders aren’t ready for people who defer to money, not bloodlines.
