Astroturf Russian Youth Movement Not Lovin' McDonald's

Not content with scapegoating their Olympic officials for Team Russia's poor performance, a government-sponsored Russian youth group has turned on McDonald's. To make their case against the international grease-merchants, the group staged Olympic reenactments with obese athletes outside a Moscow McDonald's. From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

On March 3, a handful of activists from Zdravmol, a youth organization and a joint project of the Federal Agency for Youth Policy and the obstreperous youth movement Nashi, gathered in front of a Moscow McDonald's and chanted: "Thank you, McDonald's, for our 11th ranking." They were venting their anger at one of Russia's poorest medal tallies ever at a Winter Olympics – only three golds at the Vancouver games. 

Zdravmol was founded in December 2009 with the aim of raising awareness of health matters among young people. Flash mobs are among its favorite tactics.

No word on whether they objected specifically to width of McDonald's fries.

Comments

[Marc]

To state the obvious, and hopefully do so first: why wouldn't they look at the performance of the US in the Olympics and draw the conclusion that McDonald's is the key to success?

[Pro Libertate]

At last, our total victory over the Russians is complete.

[Tman]

First thing I thought immediately. Russia now has obnoxious 20 year olds who can spew nonsense on stilts while they protest with puppets, and the worst thing that will happen is they will make the 6 o'clock news. We should be glad that they aren't shuffled off to Siberia, despite their stupidity.

You're welcome Russia.

[wylie]

Rocky IV sheds a tear of joy.

[Ken Shultz]

10 rubles says the average Russian kid cares about as much about what Zdravmol has to say about McDonalds as the average American kid cares about what Michelle Obama has to say about obesity.

Oh, and by the way, if Team Russia wants to do better in Sochi than they did in Vancouver? They could do a lot worse than getting a sponsorship deal from McDonalds. I believe team USA had one! I bet McDonalds would be happy to sponsor Team Russia.

...if Team Russia has anyone worth sponsoring.

[Tulpa]

If Russian Olympic officials -- who have a considerable amount of control over their athletes' diet and exercise regimens -- were allowing their charges to eat at McDonald's in the runup to the Olympics, whose fault is that?

[wylie]

McDonalds, duh. The coffee was dangerously hot too.

[Big Fat Stupid Bitch]

Damn right! But they paid, oh how they paid...hehe. Thank you jerdishal systom!

Only in America!!!

[Tulpa]

a government-sponsored Russian youth group

I would convert ACORN into Cyrillic script, but I know I'd get one of those xenophobic "ENGLISH ONLY PLEASE" messages from the Reason server.

[Bergholt Stuttley Johnson]

Here you go: AKOPH

That wasn't so hard, was it?

[Tulpa]

It is hard if you don't try.

[Yakov]

In Russia, McDonalds gets diarrhea after eating at you!

[sage]

LOL WUT

[Paul]

In Soviet Russia, Olympics play you.

[heller]

I would be angry if this wasn't so pathetic.

[sage]

I wonder if they handed out mock "medals" made of long strands of onion rings and balled-up lard. As for how they get the gold, silver, and bronze "color"...use your imagination.

[wylie]

No, they didn't want to get on The King's bad side.

[Joel]

Oh, what happened to the Great Satan of my youth? They're just a bunch of whiners. And we do that better, too!

[Lith Ping]

Marc beat me to it. Still, it's good to know that Anti-Americanism is still the default position of Russian officials and their spawn. That's a population that can't die off fast enough, AFAIC.

[Episiarch]

They make big trouble for clown and burglar!

[@]

Forbidden +1

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat!

[ed]

That trick never works.

[Paul]

On March 3, a handful of activists from Zdravmol, a youth organization and a joint project of the Federal Agency for Youth Policy

Good god, Russia now has to suffer through government-agents-cum-hipsters making protest performance art as public service announcements?

I thought we were the only country that suffered through that with those god-awful anti-tobacco ads.

[Martin Owens]

That's right Igor, down with McDonald's!

They should return to the good old Soviet standards, where a lard sandwich was perfect accompaniment to a 1/2 pint of overproof vodka ( with soft-lead seal yet), while smoking 2 packs a day of cigarettes rolled from tobacco that would have been banned as garden mulch anywhere else...

[Mad Max]

A Russian government investigation has uncovered additional culprits in the Russian Olympic team's losses:

10) Wal Mart
9) Teetotalers, because vodka makes you strong!
8) Milton Friedman
7) Multinational corporations
6) NATO
5) Sarah Palin, who is sabotaging Russian sports from her strategic location across the Bering Straits
4) MTV
3) Bubble gum
2) Conspirators operating from Turkey, thus underlining the importance of Russia finally conquering Constantinople
1) Russia's traditional enemies - we all know who they are, and it rhymes with 'shoes.'

[Gyro Captain]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, Rockatansky.

[Mad Max]

Wow, Gyro Captain, you out-Catholicked me!

[Bergholt Stuttley Johnson]

And what about the Uzbeks?

[Putin]

The Uzbeks will be sucking our big Russian cocks soon enough.

We have bigger smelt to fry in millet oil.

[Tulpa]

I believe the Russians call it Cosmoturf.

[wylie]

Catholicked and Cosmoturf.

/highfive