W, thanks for the link.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/fashion/30russia.html?ref=europe

(An article about Russian teenagers and twenty-somethings embracing hip-hop culture even though the political climate is so anti-American--the photo was taken yards away from where Ира and I were sitting the night of the psychological-portrait guy)

I missed the competition, but the article definitely jibes with what I've seen around. People wear that style of clothes (even if they'd never be mistaken for American), and I've even seen some freestyle competitions by the metro. It's also fun going to clubs where Aubergine DJs and seeing everyone go wild when he remixes Cypress Hill or the Talking Heads or the Beastie Boys (I gather he's pretty well-known on that scene, and his (British) nationality must help).

More contemporary, mainstream American culture is popular too. Next week, Kerrill, of the diamond-studded spinning dollar sign belt buckle, is missing my class to see the Beyonce concert (last month it was Black-Eyed Peas). American movies make it over too, and are always popular (though, frustratingly, always dubbed).

The one thing in the article that tripped me up was this : "Anti-American sentiment may be big in Russian politics right now, a sure vote-winner for the country’s leaders..." I don't gather that people are going to vote based on anti-American sentiment. It sounds like it's much more important that a candidate guarantee stability and prosperity, and encourage people to be proud of being Russian (in which anti-Americanism could play a secondary part, I guess).

This Times article from a couple weeks ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/world/europe/10sitcom.html contains this howler:

"Older Russians typically roll their eyes at mention of “Schastlivy Vmeste” [a "Married with Children" Russian remake], as if they briefly wonder whether life under Communism was not so bad after all."

There's no "briefly wonder" about it. A lot of older people here (and a decent amount of my generation) feel near-unqualified pride for the USSR and Stalin's leadership (granted, maybe it's exaggerated when they're talking to an American), and the question of whether life is better then or now is honestly a difficult one. And that's coming from people rich enough to afford the language school.