Capitalism
Consuming Russian Feminism
By Sean at 9 March, 2010, 5:06 am
The theme of my last post on how International Women’s Day has been transformed from a public to a private holiday reminded of the enormous advertisement for Elle Magazine at Lubyanka Square covering Detskii Mir. The ad is a blend of revolution, feminism, and consumerism with its depiction of riotous women holding signs that read: “Let there always be mini-skirts!” “Give us a paid holiday during sales!” “Shopping is the best opium!”
Read More >>Domesticating March 8th
By Sean at 8 March, 2010, 1:12 pm
One hundred years ago today, the First International Women’s Congress adopted International Women’s Day as a day of struggle for women’s rights. But in Russia, where the holiday, what was once a day calling for a “struggle against patriarchy,” has in many ways become patriarchy’s reinforcement.
Read More >>Their Modernization and Ours
By Sean at 28 February, 2010, 2:45 am
In Russia, the time of great campaigns has returned. In Soviet times, we broke new ground and planted corn. Then we fought against drunkenness and concerned ourselves with economic acceleration. We were not always successful, but certainly in the real world. Today’s Russia proclaims the slogan of modernization. But so far this modernization is only in cyberspace.
Read More >>Yulia Antoinette
By Sean at 9 February, 2010, 11:59 pm
I wish I would have seen Yulia Latynina’s Moscow Times editorial earlier. I would have found someway to incorporate it into my post on the Ukrainian election. No matter, the op-ed stands on its own. The beauty of Latynina’s rant, Letting Poor People Vote is Dangerous, is that she’s basically saying what I think every Western liberal wants to say, but can’t because it’s politically incorrect. I guess this is one reason why we should actually thank Latynina. Such honesty, no matter how despicable, is nonetheless refreshing. It’s a rare moment when class war toward the poor hangs all out at a time when its Western warriors shroud their class turpitude with identity politics.
Read More >>Ukrainians Choose to Lose, but History still Wins
By Sean at 9 February, 2010, 10:28 pm
Reading Western press reactions to the election of Viktor Yanukovich as president of Ukraine are lessons in how democracy is measured in our era. Whereas Marx called the coup of Napoleon III a farce to the tragedy of his uncle’s reign, press opinion of Yanukovich’s victory is better viewed as a tragic reenactment to his farcical attempt to steal it in 2004. Thus for observers of this weekend’s election, revolution has given way to potential counterrevolution, enthusiasm to depression, light to darkness, sincerity to tragic irony.
Read More >>Entrepreneurial Blessings
By Sean at 11 December, 2009, 1:27 am
The belief that God says that the rich should rule appears to be a belief held by many of Russia’s entrepreneurs. So much so that when the economic crisis wiped away much of their fictitious wealth, they turned to the Orthodox Church to find out why He had smitten them.
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