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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 10, 2022

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That's not my point. My point is that the characters in those series were still relatable to Eastern European viewers, racially speaking. Had, say, J.R. Ewing suddenly appeared in the business district of any local capital in his Mercedes-Benz and usual attire, he wouldn't have stood out, unless his cowboy hat was on. Everyone'd have assumed he's just another local big shot. With respect to negro dolls, I don't think their popularity, which I assume was real, somehow contradicts my point. Again, we're talking about stagnating socialist economies of shortage here. Seldom was any available product unwanted. People were also happy to watch trafficked Western movies on VHS, which were mostly crap even if one discounts the awful fandub, because at least it was different from anything on the two TV channels that were available etc.