Who shot Communism in Estonia?

I am at a bit of a loss as to what I should write today so I’ll offer this… The recent Estonia-related buzz on the Internet is the proliferation of the Estonian documentary, “Disco and Atomic War.” I haven’t seen it, but it has been out for close to a year and all the folks here know it quite well. It examines how television broadcasts from nearby Finland exposed the residents of Tallinn to the vagaries of capitalist culture during communist times. The television show Dallas, with it’s millionaires and manicures, gets a lot of attention as a cultural product espousing values that couldn’t have been further from what residents in this country were experiencing. It is a highly personal story about how residents from the south of the country would drive north to the capital, where reception was strongest, just to follow the fates of JR and crew. You can read more about it here and here…

In some ways the British Council in Estonia is in the same game. It is an institution charged with disseminating cultural products and values from one part of the world to the other. Such an endeavor can produce a certain amount of hand-wringing from certain camps about the motives of such an enterprise. Is it really a positive thing to encourage active participation in a culture where conspicuous consumption and materialism are pillars of success? I have spoken to enough people here who have been inspired by English-speaking culture to venture into the world of business and the arts to say the positives outweigh the negatives. What is refreshing about the message of the film is that there are worse things in the world than craving a Big Mac.

Of course you can judge for yourself now that “Disco and Atomic War” has a bit of traction in the media. The film is being gobbled up by film festivals around the world. Chances are it is coming to a theatre near you. Even if the message of the film doesn’t appeal to you I would suggest watching it simply because it offers a glimpse into the daily lives and idiosyncrasies of Estonians.

Also… I can’t resist posting this video as well. I know Big Macs are evil and fattening or whatever, but just listen to the discofied bass line in this ad. What other commercial comes with a built in mechanism to get you out of your seat to shake your ass and burn away all those empty calories.