Symbols of America

[peacetraveler22]

For the past few weeks, Ilya Varlamov has published posts incorporating photos from Moscow in the late 1980's - early 90's. I love these! Amazing to see how the country looked right before the collapse of the USSR. In today's post, I saw this photo from 1990. A massive queue to enter the first McDonald's in Moscow! I can't imagine such a scene, or how this fast food chain symbolized so much to people at that time. In 1990, I was 17. A senior in high school, getting ready to graduate and enter university, and closely following events overseas.

What other places, items and things did Soviet citizens associate with America before the collapse? My aunt visited Russia in the early 1980's, and she told me stories about locals asking her for bubble gum and wanting to buy her Levi's, straight off her body. This is no joke.

This is what makes Russia so fascinating to me - very rich and diverse history, constantly shifting and changing. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Not sure how most Russians feel about the current direction in which Russia is moving...I hope you feel for the better, because it's depressing and sad to live in a place where you feel absolutely no hope or prospect for the future. I have never once felt this way about my life in America...

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Sure Average American is not thinking about Russia all the day ) But IF Russia is mentioned in MSM, it will be mentioned in some negative context with 73.17% probability :). Iron Curtain is no more, Shanon, we do read US media, play US video games, watch US-made movies. And we note that
RT is not "for Russians" or "about the Russians". It targeted on whole world. World news. And who has its "global interests" in every place? Who has bases on entire globe? Who is sticking it's nose everywhere? Bombing and bossing? Right, 'Murika!
Naturally, USA is mentioned much more

BTW RT is "propaganda" because it's state controlled? Or because it's often contradict "most free, independent and trustworthy Western Media"?

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

All State controlled media is biased. The sole objective of these networks is to promote the governments agenda, with little or no room for criticism. To make every other place on earth seem deplorable, so citizens who don't have the opportunity to explore the world and see reality believe their existence is normal. That the root of the problem is everyone else, not from within.

[(Anonymous)]

Riiiight!
Next step. Why do you think, that not state-controlled media are not biased? They are. More, most of usa news are controlled by couple of Murdoch-scale magnates. And you have a lot of independent news virtually, but DoS and Murdoch news actually :) No diversity. That's why you should treasure alternative sources like RT, not throw ss...tuff in it :)

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Do you regularly watch U.S. news? Because it's absolutely diverse. The main news networks - CNN and FOX are completely opposite. CNN is more liberal, FOX promotes a conservative agenda, absolutely critical of almost every step of U.S. policy (both domestic and foreign). However, the key point is that both networks constantly and openly criticize U.S. government and Obama. This is the true sign of a free press. And you think it's normal that your government wishes to impose all these Internet restrictions, require bloggers to register, etc.? Or, that it shows citizens shows like this - http://www.vox.com/2014/12/1/7313025/russia-gay-propaganda, which are a complete LIE and distortion of reality? Almost as bad as North Korean propaganda, showing Americans starving and eating dead birds.

[(Anonymous)]

Well, usually I'm only watching foreign news that mention Russia (to the compare with our internal news, lol). I admit that they (foreign msm) may differ in domestic issues. But it seems news about Russia are made by carbon copy process. Do you remember shitstorm in USSA media about Sochi-2014? You have noted that it was greatly distorted in US. But you only was able to notice that because you have seen Sochi from inside, right? I see that "Sochi" constantly while reading western media :)
About video - Russians are not the first (and the last) who fell for chan's pranks
Half of internet restrictions are for impose copyright restrictions (it was west who demanded it, remember?) Other half is because one particular country staged way too many coupes (that country call them "color revolutions") that was organized and coordinated by social networks. Self-defense :)
Blogger registration. Well, USA have NSA who monitor every citizen, know you real name and location and rats you when you write joke about bomb in twitter. You don't need such registration, truly. Russian "NSA" is limited that's why they asks you for registration