Why is Eastern Europe portrayed like this?

[eddievanzant]

I apoloigise for being inherently unclear about this, as I've never even been a mile out of the U.S. It seems that any film that deals with Eastern/Central Europe portrays the region as totally shitty, but according to wikipedia, eastern europe has a great landscape, tons of sights and fun shit to do. There're even some cool pictures in the wikis of countries like slovakia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9c/Tatras_valley.JPG
Why do films like to make it look so shitty? Are there any people in this region that could explain this for me?

[PaRanOiD81]

like what movies are you refering to? I've seen hostle but you know what I think people from iceland took more offense than amsterdam (which people were portrayed like assholes) or in slovika which the people went to.... but what other movies, you got me curious now....

[OrangeKush]

The movie "Euro Trip" portrays eastern europe as a horrible slum like place in great poverty.

[esrabalamir]

ask to az.
...

[dirty raider]

I think while it is a poor area compered to Western Europe and much of the west in general the main reason due to its unfair portrayl is that America in particular was influenced heavily by anti-communist propaganda during the cold war. As a result Eastern Europe as former communist states have been sterotyped as a result.

[colton]

Some places are really poor, hence why alot of eastern europeans come to Britain for work, i think alot of places are still recovering from wars like in Kosavo and also communism and people tell me alot of the countries have corrupt governments and shit, but on the other hand there are some nice places around to, i hear some places in croatia and slovakia are nice, which is why there is a bit of a property boom going on there

[eddievanzant]

The movie "Euro Trip" portrays eastern europe as a horrible slum like place in great poverty.
Yeah, Eurotrip and Hostel were the recent ones that I should've mentioned.

[eddievanzant]

Carlos Mencia said something like Romanian children strangle you at night and start fires.