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

[elena-88888.livejournal.com]

We are of the same age approximately.
When I was young I was overfilled with propaganda - of Soviet way of living, of attitude to people, of WWII etc...
And nevertheless I heard conversations of my parents, their friends, other people and due to them we felt some kind of different piece of pie can be in that devil's M :))) As every kind of threat it could be very seductively...

Moreover it wasn't the case when you take a piece of bread in an enemy's home - they came and they are here... And yesss! It was just a common curiosity - who are these Americans that they frightened us with them...

P.S. We haven't it in our town till today))) And today I visit it when I'm in Minsk in one case only - when I need to find a restroom :))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

It's really interesting what you said - "who are these Americans that they frightened us with them..." Because sadly it seems Putin's current agenda is to revert Russian mentality back to this state. Where ordinary Americans are seen as evil, barbaric and lacking all sense of values. I say this because I was recently so shocked to read about a current program on Russian news which claimed US parents routinely indoctrinate children with gay themes/porn. If this program was really shown to Russians, it's frightening because it is so completely false!! http://www.vox.com/2014/12/1/7313025/russia-gay-propaganda

[elena-88888.livejournal.com]

I followed this story more than a year ago... And completely agree with you. Moreover I can admit that there were cases with gay parents in the USA BUT they never - never would even admit these children who were left and who live in Russia to tell their real stories about their lives in orphanages.
As for seeking for evil and enemies it's just a way to retract their attitude from that things happened between them, in Russia...
By the way, my daughter now is more understandable and clever than I was in her age :))) She doesn't let propaganda to come into her brains... But a lot of people in Russia just trust Putin and all this bullshit... :(((

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

It's good you have raised an open-minded and smart daughter! :) Yes, there are gay people in America, some of them are even parents. I have several gay friends, and they would never promote their lifestyle on their children. And the video of the gay posters on the little boys wall which is depicted in the Russian program comes from an American comedic scene, not reality. Btw, is there absolutely no sex education in Russian schools?

[elena-88888.livejournal.com]

Frankly speaking I don't know about nowadays situation in Russian schools. When I studied in school we had it but our school had very clever team of teachers and it was quite progressive-minded...
My daughter also had some classes at school from time to time.

[klava-17.livejournal.com]

There are LGBT clubs at every school in the US. Is it really necessary? Isn't it a common sense to think that kids can't really identify themselves as L or G or B or T:) so early...

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I think it's always necessary to promote tolerance, with respect to sexual orientation, religion, ethnicities and different viewpoints. I don't believe there are LGBT clubs in all U.S. schools, def. not elementary schools. Probably they exist in a lot of middle/high schools. However, I'm not certain because I have no children and have been out of school for almost twenty years. :))