A conversation in the People's Republic of Donetsk

CONVERSATION BETWEEN A PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF DONETSK FUNCTIONARY AND AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST

The round, sweaty man, whose name turned out to be Vasily, sat down next to us.

“You’re from America?”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that, in America, the people who lost their houses in the housing crisis live in tents outside the cities?”

“Um…”

“Have you been to Detroit?”

“No.”

“Is it true that Detroit is totally destroyed?”

“I don’t think it’s doing too well, no…”

“Have you ever been to Las Vegas?”

“No.”
...

“I like America,” Vasily said. “It’s the biggest self-proclaimed country in the world. And you know how to raise good patriots. Americans are very patriotic.”

--Julia Ioffe, The New Republic (via MT on Facebook)