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

[seadevil001.livejournal.com]

Been there did that. Stayed in line, got my hamburger and apple pie. Hamburger was OK, pie totally tasteless. I was truly surprised by absolute lack of taste. Still do not know how they managed to do it.
Mostly I was driven by curiosity then. At that time I could buy 7-10 full meals at cafeteria for money paid at McD. Not very tasty but whole meals in Russia, but in Uzbekistan they would be very tasty but less whole. 8-)

Actually US is not less changing now, I believe. It is very different country than one I arrived in 1999...

[peacetraveler22.livejournal.com]

I also am a very curious person. That's part of the reason I write here in the Russian blogosphere. :) How do you think America has changed since your arrival in 1999?

[seadevil001.livejournal.com]

Less freedom. Though it is compensated by my steadily increased status.
More hysterics in politics. No substantial dialogue about country problems and solutions for those. Pretty much bumper sticker politicking now. Ideologie came forward of reason and fact.
Government stopped to see after country and works only for richest few. Manchurian candidates became presidents.

All in all it is like USSR in 1989. Only advantage here - there are no country which can match US propaganda machine and convince americans that it friend for them.