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In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

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Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#111

Post by simplecto »

nevermindiguess wrote: post #98
xeromal wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny you say that because in Los Angeles, mall culture is MASSIVE. Malls aren't stagnant. They are high-end and a lot of fun. Kids go there to hang out and adults go there to shop. I love it and it's sad it didn't take in other areas.

You find it sad because you have never experienced the beauty of a society without malls. With small little local shops instead of the big corporations and high street brands that all look the same. Europeans have. But it is being destroyed by the malls.

Walk the Streets of Stockholm and you will find the same franchise/chain stores on every block.

In fact, many are quite happy to visit the “Mall of Scandinavia”

And many / most smaller towns only have chains.

That Euro charm that so many romanticize is not evenly distributed.

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#112

Post by johnny22 »

bogantech wrote: post #102
nevermindiguess wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not a brutal regime. That’s what the media wants you to believe. Have you lived there and been treated brutally? The US is a brutal regime. Check the incarceration rates.

Americans don't throw you out of windows for criticising the President

you mean the American state doesn't (usually) do that. Individuals certainly might though.

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#113

Post by timeon »

bingohbangoh wrote: post #85
kcb wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strange. Last I checked the US arms many countries that share borders with friends. The Netherlands didn't seem to care when the US sold F-35s to Belgium.

Why does NATO exist again?

Maybe you should ask people in Poland, Latvia or maybe even in Ukraine.

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#115

Post by timeon »

nevermindiguess wrote: post #101
poxrud wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a defensive pact for smaller countries to protect themselves from Russian aggression and imperialism.

And that’s exactly the problem. Seeking an enemy where there’s one eventually creates it. And lots of arms revenues too.

How is it problem if you want to be protected from someone who has already rolled tanks in your country before?

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#116

Post by timeon »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #51
TillE wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really know anything about his personal goals - he's an old man who will probably be dead in around 10 years. But it's difficult to see how even a successful conquest of Ukraine is a positive result. Russia would have gained some territory of minimal value at the cost of crushing sanctions. There's no rational benefit, it's just the bizarre thinking that a physical buffer between Moscow and NATO is somehow he…

Imagine Hawaii declared independence and gave the US Navy a lease on Pearl Harbor. Then 30 years later entered into a defense pact with China.

Imagination is only thing you have in your argument.

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#117

Post by timeon »

aeternum wrote: post #45
TillE wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really know anything about his personal goals - he's an old man who will probably be dead in around 10 years. But it's difficult to see how even a successful conquest of Ukraine is a positive result. Russia would have gained some territory of minimal value at the cost of crushing sanctions. There's no rational benefit, it's just the bizarre thinking that a physical buffer between Moscow and NATO is somehow he…

There really should not be a rational benefit, perhaps only a symbolic benefit (not letting an enemy alliance set up camp on your doorstep). On the flip side, it's ridiculous that the US and NATO leaders are willing to risk nuclear war over something symbolic with miniscule strategic value. If WW3 is started over something as foolish as this when all we had to say was 'Ukraine will never join NATO'. In a way it is hy…

The problem is that Ukraine was not able to join NATO and is invaded anyway.

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#118

Post by sofixa »

PedroBatista wrote: post #62
meepmorp wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe if the Soviet Union hadn't just completely collapsed, things might've been different. Or even just not having a corrupt, alcoholic clown for a president during the most critical period in Russian history since the war.

The chaos was inevitable, it happens ever time and in every society, specially after 70 years of one brutal regime. I was expecting even worse ( and it was bad ). And after a certain period of suffering and unrest, people just want "stability" and that's when any well-intention-ed politician in a country with 5min of democracy experience don't stand a change against the quintessential competent strongman savior of th…

Most of the Warsaw pact are doing much better ( in terms of democratic and economic development ) than most of the ex-Soviet republics, even though they came through a similar path. So it wasn't inevitable.

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#119

Post by sofixa »

_8j50 wrote: post #9
kizer wrote: post #5

What an epic blunder by Putin which we can only hope leads to some kind of change in Russia.

I agree with the blunder part but only if he ends up failing to control ukraine. So long as he succeeds there, the russian people will lose big time but Putin will do just fine. But if he loses, I don't think he will leave peacefully but he will leave.

There's absolutely no way Russia could occupy Ukraine for a prolonged period of time. Ukrainian morale and national unity are very high, and as was seen time and again ( Spain against Napoleon, Afghanistan against everyone, Yugoslav partisans against the Nazis) a determined population is impossible to control by a foreign occupier regardless of its strength.

Re: In Moscow, McDonald's packs up, radio falls silent and the brain drain begins

#120

Post by AniseAbyss »

simplecto wrote: post #111
nevermindiguess wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You find it sad because you have never experienced the beauty of a society without malls. With small little local shops instead of the big corporations and high street brands that all look the same. Europeans have. But it is being destroyed by the malls.

Walk the Streets of Stockholm and you will find the same franchise/chain stores on every block. In fact, many are quite happy to visit the “Mall of Scandinavia” And many / most smaller towns only have chains. That Euro charm that so many romanticize is not evenly distributed.

I see delivery vans in my street every day. As you say the only physical shopping people still want to do is in the upmarket malls.
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