Does Lenin Want Fries With That?

Occasional Reason contributor Paul Cantor has penned a remarkable travel essay about a Black Sea cruise he took earlier this year.

It opens with a remarkable juxtaposition at Yalta (yes, Yalta): A leftover gigantic statue of Lenin and a bustling McDonald's hamburger joint.

Cantor's large point:

It is an irony of history that the images of Lenin and McDonald?s have for the moment come to stand as twin sentinels over Yalta harbor. If the larger history of the Black Sea teaches us a lesson, it suggests that in the long run we will be better off following the lead of commerce rather than that of the commissar.

Whole thing here.

Comments

[ed]

Do fat Trotskyites have the right to sue them yet?

[joe]

Two all beef patties, special sauce, cabbage, cheese, pickles, onions, and an ice pick in your ear.

[Jean Bart]

I have a McLenin's shirt from Moscow; Lenin with the arches behind him. There are lots of great Soviet kitsch to be found in Russia; I have some great soviet-era shawls that are nice to wrap up with in winter for example. They are beautiful; bright red, with pictures of Lenin's face, the Soviet seal, etc. The way I look at it, the sales of these items are restitution for what the communists did to Russia. 🙂

[joe]

Of course it's McDonald's, and not some mom and pop hamburger joint. You need to have the goods to pay off Big Daddy if you want to "follow the lead of commerce" in today's "free market" Russia.

[rst]

Come on man, it trickles down.

[joe]

It trickles down in a free market, not one where backsheesh rules.

[Daze]

McDonalds, feh. For the tastiest Leninburgers you need to come to Dallas. Another photo.

[Cheslow Alan]

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DATE: 01/25/2004 03:53:43
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