Imperilling American Film Culture - Seriously?

"This is something that's being treated as a serious national security matter. There is evidence to indicate that we have seen destructive activity with malicious intent that was initiated by a sophisticated actor."
"The United States stands squarely on the side of artists and companies that want to express themselves. And we believe that that kind of artistic expression is worthy of expression and is not something that should be subjected to intimidation just because you happen to disagree with the views."
"They [North Korean leaders] would be mindful of the fact that we need a proportional response, and also mindful of the fact that sophisticated actors, when they carry out actions like this, are oftentimes -- not always, but often -- seeking to provoke a response from the United States of America."
"They may believe that a response from us in one fashion or another would be advantageous to them. So we want to be mindful of that."
Josh Earnest, White House press secretary

"Both of us [Rob Lowe and Seth Rogen] have never seen or heard of anything like this."
"Hollywood has done Neville Chamberlain proud today. Wow. Everyone caved. The hackers won. An utter and complete victory for them."
Rob Lowe, Twitter

"We've made progress. But what we just saw with Sony shows a lot more progress needs to be done. That means, by the way, that Congress also needs to take up cyber-security legislation that's been languishing for several years now."
U.S. President Barack Obama

AP Photo/David Guttenfelder   From now on, Hollywood films will have to be Dear Leader-approved.

Well, now, to characterize North Koreans engaged in any kind of endeavour -- although bullying of one kind or another, whether it is by testing nuclear devices, or shooting off long-range missiles, or threatening a South Korean invasion, or, now, protecting the 'dignity' of their Dear Leader from the outrage of theatre guffaws -- as 'sophisticated', is stretching things a bit. Transforming the proverbial sow's ear to a silk purse of undeserved praise.

There are those who believe that security in corporations, businesses, government offices, is simply not as tight nor as vigilant as present-day realities mean them to be. And that no system is completely and absolutely tight, is a given; there are always areas that have been neglected, overlooked, or not thought of that can be exploited by someone doggedly determined enough to find entrance and spew malice.

And the threats posed by the North Korean group certainly are baleful in their intention. If they wanted to set about proving that they are capable of destroying a company, they certainly succeeded. Making public names, medical records, emails, corporate issues, even the release of not-yet-issued films, all of Sony's computers, servers, its website were fully compromised, and now utterly useless. All its records, its capability of functioning at any level, destroyed.

The hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace left Sony's infrastructure crippled, whether beyond resuscitation is yet to be seen. In its security department there are "three information security analysts, overseen by three managers, three directors, one executive director and one senior-vice-president"; a covey patterning themselves after the Keystone Kops.

"Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism", was the demand, and the assent came, abjectly with the withdrawal of the offending comedy, The Interview. A new kind of terrorism, cultural bludgeoning of free speech. Serious films and comedies alike can be made of the U.S. administration, the CIA, the FBI, parodying and holding them up to ridicule, and all is well.

But hold a camera up to the absurdity of a North Korean preening popinjay eager to have the world tremble at his word, and 'sophisticated' actors can engage in cyberespionage and bring the U.S. film industry to its quavering knees.

"The world will be full of fear. We will clearly show ... how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to."
"Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment. All the world will denounce the SONY."
Guardians of the Peace 

Funneee, Ho-Ho.
George Orwell, where are you when we need you most; you'd love the perversion of language and meaning beyond anything you ever imagined back in those days of innocence. Even you might not have foreseen a tin-pot dictator of the pretentious and murderous quality of King Jong-Un as an international film critic of such impeccable and canny sophistication.