The Russia thread.
Out of context: Reply #745
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"In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins"
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"In recent years, Russian society has become a mall society. People spend their weekends in these consumer hubs; heading there for walks, visiting restaurants, watching films, and of course shopping. Russia is a consumers' paradise -- especially after the economic growth of the early 2000s -- thanks to high prices for Russian oil and the end of the post-Soviet transitional period.
In these boom times, the general consensus among the middle classes of the big cities has been "yes, we have an authoritarian leader, but why do we need democracy?" Russians, it appeared, were doing just fine without democracy -- we've learned what kinds of wines we like to drink, we're picky about cars and holiday resorts abroad.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, foreign businesses, brands, technology, parts and partners have increased employment, expanded competencies. We are still on our own -- politically and militarily -- but in lifestyle, we are no different from Westerners.
Over the years, McDonald's has become, in the eyes of Russians, associated with youth and low-level managers. Long forgotten was its symbolism -- of the Western world arriving in the USSR. The first McDonald's in Russia opened in Moscow in January 1990, more than a year before the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991.
When McDonald's shuttered this week, it signaled the end of the West in authoritarian Russia. The days of our merry global consumption were over, and it pointed to darker ones ahead."