Communist Chic
Jeff Jacoby writing in the Jewish World Review raises some valid points regarding
glamourization of communist imagery since the end of the Cold War.
As well as endless Che Guevara t-shirts you see about the place, there are at least two trendy clubs and cafes I can think of here in Dublin which use communist themes for the decor - one which goes by the name Pravda, the other which goes by the name Café Mao.
I remember being in Pravda one night several years ago and making the point that if a ‘Cafe Himmler’ or a ‘Club Adolf’ opened next door, all hell would break loose and the sound of moral indignation would be deafening.
It seems one particular brand of totalitarianism gets a free pass, yet the another (the one which lasted longer and killed more people) somehow doesn’t. Then again, Communism was always cooler and more glamorous when viewed at a distance by the folks who didn’t actually have to live under it.