Neo-Soviet Romanticization?

Zdravstvuj comrades! Humphrey has noticed a recent trend, and officially coins the term to describe it here: neo-Soviet romanticization.

Readers will surely recall that he reported on the debut of Arquiste's odd fragrance, Aleksander, designed to recreate the olfactory sensations of Pushkin's last day. Then, this week Banana Republic's new Anna Karenina capsule collection dropped - a far cry from last year's capitalism-gone-wild Mad Men capsule collection! Now, Humphrey knows that these are examples of romanticizing pre-Soviet Russian icons.

Detail from BR's website

He took these things to be coincidence. But then today, the news reported that Russian president Vladmir Putin thanked presidential candidate Mitt Romney for proving "the correctness of [Russia's] approach to missile defence." The statement was made after Romney named Russia as America's "number one geo political foe."

Now if that's not romanticizing the Cold War, Humphrey has no idea what is!

Then, Humphrey made his second trip to the market for groceries this week. The first time, shelves were empty, he had to wait in line for a rain check for parmagiano reggiano, then wait again in yet another line to pay for a piece of bread that happened to be in stock. Everyone spoke Russian and he had little idea what was going on (this is a frequent occurance in Willowdale).

Upon his return to the store today to use his rain check, the other things he needed were not in stock! So again, he made his way to end of the loooong rain check line, and of course had difficulty getting what he needed since his Russian is a little rusty. Then back to the loooooong payment line to cash in his rain check on the reggiano. Fortunately, they took hard currency since he was completely out of rubles.

Just as he was getting into his car - which might as well be a Lada - it dawned on him! Late capitalism in North America is just simulacra of Soviet-style society! And those who own the means of production (Banana Republic, Arquiste, Holt Renfrew, Mitt Romney) are making efforts to romanticize all things Soviet (and Russian, since North Americans probably don't know the differnce) to gain compliance via nostalgia!

In keeping with this new trend, Humphrey decided to feign the attitude of a Russian poet, quietly brooding and staring out the window into the abyss, the air freckled with gray sleet on that cold, dark afternoon.