I suspect that this is why the exact location of the stereotypical ideal tends to wander with economic conditions. Pretty much anything ‘Eastern Europe’ works if you are just looking for exotic-but-in-a-white-way; but if you are looking for obedience and conveniently low standards, it really helps if the locals are poor enough to be relatively desperate and to see your level of wealth as a dramatic improvement(if economic upheaval has encouraged high levels of substance abuse, pointless violence, and premature mortality among local men, even better).
This isn’t to say that ‘bah, all culture is secondary to economics’, but when it comes to identifying people likely to put up with your shit, looking for ones whose options are limited and deeply uninspiring is a reliable(if undeniably ugly) strategy.
