Dangerous Sportsmanship Update

I read somewhere that those North Korean (PRK) athletes get a real carrot/stick approach from the bosses up there.  Win and you might get a refrigerator!  A TV!  Lose and it's off to the labor camp.  Probably get your whole families food allocation cut down too. 

That last could be very serious these days.  They devalued their currency recently in North Korea and it really threw a monkey wrench into the entire food/money/happiness thing.  They're in the middle of one of their once every decade decimations.  Not figuratively, as the word is most often used these days, but literally, like the original Roman meaning, like one in ten gets crossed off the Christmas card list permanently.  So winning is probably a good idea for those PRK athletes. 

If only!  If only it were that easy! 

I also read that it's even more important if the opponent is from the hated enemies:  either South Korea or America.  Bigger punishments; bigger rewards.  So right this second I'm watching a battle of great importance to at least one of the participants. 

One Park-Kim-Lee from South Korea is battling another Park-Kim-Lee from North Korea at Ping Pong. 

In the first game, everything went the Northern guy's way for a while, and boy was he excited about it.  He went up four or five to nothing, and it was all big smiles and fist pumping, with nods to his coach (who's ass might be on the line too, those people play for keeps).   The Southern guy caught up though, and he won the first game, and then he won the second game too.  As the reality of this impending debacle dawned on the Northerner, an increasing look of panic and desperation came over him.  His coach went a little pale too. 

Finally worst came to worst, because, to paraphrase Casey Stengle, Ping Pong is a game of skill and the Southerner had more of it.  Please join me in wishing them good luck, the player and the coach from North Korea.   And on this occasion of the beginning of Buddhist Lent please join me in saying a silent thanks, thanks to the higher power of your preference, or just thanks to fate, or luck, but thanks for putting me in a decent place, with resources.  The next time something goes against you, just remember, it could be worse.