AP Reports Taliban Awestruck by Large Buildings and Shops
What do you mean Bed, Bath, AND Beyond?
It’s only been a few days, but publications are already struggling to find new and refreshing angles to cover what’s going on in Afghanistan. Scrolling through my Twitter timeline, I came across an Associated Press story that stopped me in my tracks.
The framing of this story is fantastic. Young Taliban members marveling at the wonders of capitalism, not unlike Brendan Fraser in Blast From the Past or Kimmy Schmidt. We hear from one young fighter, Ezanullah, who describes the “plush furniture” from inside the Interior Ministry as, “Something from a dream.” Just wait until this guy hears about LoveSac.
America and American chains are, of course, the most impressive things in the world. The first time I went to Los Angeles from my small town (Toronto, Canada) in 2018, I felt similarly awestruck. The streets were extremely wide, there was fast food I had only seen on television and the buildings were so tall — I thought to myself, “Finally, the American dream!”
What was Enzullah most amazed by? Is there an Auntie Anne’s in a mall? Was Paw Patrol: The Movie playing at the Cineplex?
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