stackyFACTSDuring the Cold War, border checkpoints were terrifying exercises in state power, but Western tourists somehow turned them into a bureaucratic collectible game.
During the Cold War, border checkpoints were terrifying exercises in state power, but Western tourists somehow turned them into a bureaucratic collectible game. Travelers would hoard passport stamps from places like Checkpoint Charlie, turning the terrifying threat of Soviet interrogation into a brag-worthy souvenir. It was the ultimate geopolitical flex: proving to your friends back home that you successfully survived a staring contest with an armed guard.
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