America is the great melting pot. Generations upon generations of disparate cultures, all just stewing together in the tasty broth of freedom. That's what made the country what it is today: A barren hellscape patrolled by Corporate Overbots, murderous brand-enforcement drones whose every thundering step sends fear into- Oh, sorry, that's tomorrow. We skipped ahead a bit in the chronology. We meant to say, "That's what made the country what it is today: a cultural powerhouse." In fact, America Americas so hard that even other, less-American countries have to get in on this All-American action. Like ...
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North Koreans Hate America (But Love American Brands)
North Koreans are taught that everything wrong with the world -- and especially everything wrong with North Korea -- is solely the fault of America and the evils of capitalism. That's why it's so odd that, when French photographer Eric Lafforgue toured the country to capture a photographic essay of its people, he came back with pics like these:
Eric Lafforgue
"Just Do It ... Or You Go To Gulag."
All across Pyongyang, Lafforgue encountered people sporting distinctly American corporate logos: Nike, McDonald's, Mickey Mouse, and ... Bart Simpson?
Eric Lafforgue
Better to eat shorts than to eat nothing at all.
When asked about the products, citizens didn't see any problem: They told Lafforgue that they were Chinese in origin. And that's not entirely wrong -- the vast majority of North Korea's goods are imported from China, aka "America's sweatshop."