Oh, Romania.

Preface: Because that’s the new pattern I’m trying to start here. I figure if I’m going to write a blog, if I’m going to allow complete strangers (faux strangers, people I actually know via REAL social contact, random robots, etc, etc.) I should at least, try to create a format. Preface to Preface: I will start a format.

Real Preface: This article reminds me while I have vague flickers of being a stereotype,(Vice magazine! Sooo hip!) Despite me reading hip, cool, white people magazines, I will never, ever, be as culturally insensitive as this person.

http://www.viceland.com/blogs/en/2009/11/02/hitchhiking-through-video-game-territory-of-romania/

After reading this article; a clearly affluent white male traveling to Romania to discover the inner landscaping of …Zelda (but is really more of a narrative of his adventure) I am completely stunned that this would actually get published. In fact, I’m a little offended. The jokes are only comedic, based off of age-old Post-Cold War stereotypes, communism/capitalism, poverty, a primitive culture (lacking modernization and pushing the ideal of the ‘modern’ on to other cultures) and finally, the complete lack-of respect for the ‘punk’ women he hitchhikes with and the Romanian culture in general via language, history, politics…
One positive aspect, his photos, probably taken with a snap and shoot automatic digital camera, are decent and capture, an honest glimpse into Romanian life.