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

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Such bombings have absolutely nothing to do with the way ordinary Americans live. And you think I personally authorized that bombs be dropped anywhere in the world? It's always amazing to me when Russians start saying stuff like this. You've never counted or considered the number of people killed at the hands of your nation, including many of its OWN citizens during Stalin's regime. Anyway, the post is not about politics. It's about ORDINARY people and their thoughts, which is what I always focus on in this blog.

[ambival.livejournal.com]

Well I guess you should respect other people opinion.
)))

It's hard. I know.

And why on Earth did you mention Stalin? "In any case say STALIN!!! -and Russian will be ashamed" - it's a great move )))
May be I should say "KU-KLUX-KLAN"? Or tell you the story of NATIVE Americans?

Or better we both stop this Cold War in LJ? ))

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

Yes, cessation of the Cold War in my blog please. :) It is the opposite of the values/purpose I try to promote, where I advocate for us to better understand each other as people. Btw, you mention the KKK as if it's normal. This is such a small organization, completely reviled by most Americans. Native Americans, yes, this was over a century ago. And what about now? The U.S. government gives them so many reparations to make up for past wrong doings. So to feel sorry for them in present day is not possible, at least not for me. Native Americans are making millions off of all the white folks visiting the casinos on their reservations on a daily basis. And what land has the U.S. tried to acquire in recent times? Zero.

[ambival.livejournal.com]

Btw, you mention the name of Stalin as if it's normal. This was a period of the history of the USSR yes, this was over a half a century ago.
)

You know, most of all I hate double moral.

"And what land has the U.S. tried to acquire in recent times? Zero."

I remember US troops in Yugoslavia, Vietnam, Iraq, Iran (operation Delta), Afghanistan. They killed. Yes. They killed people. Did they occupied these countries? Let's see. Troops are still in the Middle East, in Japan, in Europe.

If you are saying about Crimea - just find a good history manual. This land was Russian as long as Alaska was American.

[onkel-hans.livejournal.com]

This AMBIVAL is shameless.

I have a friend,a pathologist, who happens to also be a Japanese. He exhumed on a UN mission the victims of the Serbian massacres in Yugoslavia. Even he, a Japanese - and you know the Japanese psyche - was deeply shocked withe the Serbian atrocities.

The US brought peace to Yugoslavia.

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

He's entitled to his viewpoint, but we don't have to agree. :) I just find it a bit hypocritical when everyone bitches and complains about evil America, without remembering the history of their own nation. Including the present day war. I've never claimed the U.S. has bloodless hands either, people just jump to this conclusion at times. This is why I stay away from politics in this blog.