Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Regarding PC

No, not Personal Computer (this is not another Apple-bashing post). Political correctness.

Lebedev Studio presents Documenticus, a politically correct passport cover with different ethniticies living in the Motherland drawn on its front (click on the picture to see it in greater detail):



A little background: in the Soviet passport (an everyday identification document, like driver’s license in the US), amongst birth date, gender, address and the like, there was an entry called “nationality” — meaning, ethnicity. (By the way, “Jew” — top left corner on Documenticus — was one of the choices. A Jew is not a religion, of course.)

In modern Russia, you have face control — not, however, just in airports, like in the US, but also on a street.


(Documenticus in action)

* * *

Obviously, “Russian Jew” is an oxymoron. You’re either the one or the other.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was just talking about this the other day with my friend.

Someone had asked her what her nationality is and of course, she answered "American."

"No, I meant your other one."

"Jewish," she said.

I thought it was rather bizarre until she gave me that look that says, "It's a Russian thing."

Anarchist Chossid said...

It’s really a European thing. It was just most pronounced in Russia.

Possibly why Alter Rebbe routed for Alexander I, not Napoleon.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Spiritually, though, it makes sense.

Originally From Brooklyn said...

I don't get it, anyone can look like any one of those faces. Whats the point?

Anarchist Chossid said...

You have to see his other products to figure out what’s going on.

Think of it as iPod.

Anarchist Chossid said...

I mean, iPhone (getting my Apple products confused).

le7 said...

Wait is this a joke? I started to talk about it in one of my classes as if it's a real thing....

Anarchist Chossid said...

Which part?