Equal Opportunity Ugly

Daniel Tilles from Krakow, Poland raised an important point in this month's issue of The Economist which I think all Remont followers will feel strongly about. According to Daniel, photographs of East Europeans featured in The Economist have perpetuated stereotypical images of babas wrapped up on the streets rather than "the dentally challenged villager" demographic group (pictured above according to the author's information). I'm not sure if Daniel's defense of the dentally challenged is an objection to the media avoiding less attractive subjects to immortalize in print, which would indeed be an injustice unless I am reading the paper with a meal.

This editorial then goes on to helpfully suggest several other underrepresented demographics: "Roma using horse-drawn carts on main roads, elderly veterans in Soviet-style uniforms and furry hats and vodka-soaked vagrants would broaden the picture."Such pictures would surely go a long way towards destroying stereotypes about Eastern Europeans. Perhaps including pictures of bureaucrats taking bribes and angry youths with shaved heads chain-smoking should be added to his list?