[Table] IAmA_ I Grew Up in the Soviet Union During the Cold War _ Tabled

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  • 7/29/2019 [Table] IAmA_ I Grew Up in the Soviet Union During the Cold War _ Tabled

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    Union during the Cold War (self.tabled)submitted 3 days ago* by tabledresser

    Verified?(This bot cannot verify AMAs just yet)

    Date: 2013-02-02

    Link to submission (Has self-text)

    Link to my post

    Questions Answers

    How were

    Americans

    perceived by

    people in the

    Soviet Union?

    What sort of

    things were said

    about "average

    Americans" by

    the government

    and the media?

    American people were

    presented as two main

    classes. Class of

    capitalists who were

    ruling the country and

    hated us. The other

    class was of workers

    and peasants who

    were just like us.

    Capitalists were war

    thirsty evils who wereso afraid of the spread

    of communism

    awareness that they

    were prepared to

    wage wars to stop

    it.The only good part

    was poor oppressed

    common people of US

    who did not have

    enough courage to

    revolt. Here is the

    example: It changedhowever when

    Gorbachev came into

    power and we saw the

    real picture which was

    of course different.

    I know there

    are plenty of

    people who grew

    up and lived in

    the Soviet Union

    that completelysupported

    Communism and

    to this day, would

    love it if it was

    back. Were you

    supportive of the

    Soviet Union

    while you were

    growing up? If so,

    would you want

    Communism to

    We were so

    brainwashed and were

    not taught to think.

    We were blindly

    excepting and

    repeating the opinionsalready put in front of

    us by our teachers.

    Iron Curtain was doing

    its toll as well as I did

    not know any different

    and had no reason to

    doubt the official point

    of view. I was very

    patriotic when I was

    growing up.I am

    looking at North Korea

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    probably very similar

    how they live there. I

    was 100% supportive

    of everything our

    leaders did. I would

    not like for

    Communism to return.

    I think it is not

    possible and wasproved to fail,

    however the society

    with some socialist

    values would be ideal

    I think.

    American

    citizens were

    taught to believe

    that we'd win a

    nuclear war,

    capitalism wassuperior, and

    that they could

    survive a nuclear

    strike by hiding

    underneath

    desks. What

    things did your

    government tell

    you?

    Pretty much the

    complete opposite,

    however we were told

    that we had to

    compete in the arms

    race to protect thegood people of the

    world from the

    Capitalist

    warmongers. The

    difference was we

    were told there would

    be no winners in a

    nuclear war.

    I can

    understand ifthings weren't

    great in the

    Soviet Union, but

    I'm sure there

    were some good

    parts to your life

    there. What do

    you miss the

    most?

    The kind of people

    that we were. It hasgone once we started

    to get American

    chewing gum and

    jeans. People used to

    care after each other.

    I remember making

    40 minutes journey to

    kinder garden on my

    own when I was 5.

    Apart from walking it

    involved 2 bus

    changes and crossingroads. None of my

    guardians ever

    thought I could be in

    danger. It was that

    safe!! I remember

    when I lost my tickets

    in Moscow and was

    sending a telegram to

    my relatives to send

    me the money -

    someone in the queue

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    and just gave me the

    money, because I was

    in need. I remember

    my parents coming

    home after work with

    a stranger.

    Apparently, they saw

    him sleeping on the

    bench as he had nomoney for the hotel

    and his train was

    departing the next

    day. They thought he

    did not have to sleep

    on the bench as we

    had a folding bed we

    set up for him in the

    kitchen after giving

    him dinner. People

    trusted each other

    more and were more

    caring. Most did not

    care about

    materialistic things.

    Were you

    affected by

    Chernobyl?

    I am not sure if that

    counts or even if that

    was an effect from

    Chernobyl, but here is

    the story. Chernobyl is

    in Ukraine, however

    70% of radioactive

    rains fell on Belarus

    territory within the

    first few months. I

    lived 400 km away

    from it, when it

    happened. My parents

    and myself went to

    live for 4 years in

    Mongolia 3 months

    after the disaster

    happened. Something

    peculiar happened

    there. About 10

    months after thedisaster mu mother

    started to loose her

    hair. She was a

    healthy woman and

    doctors could not find

    an explanation to

    that, neither could

    they cure it. She

    learnt to live wearing

    wig and has no hair

    even on her e ebrows

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    and eyelids for the

    last 25 years. Was it

    Chernobyl? I don't

    know. My Grandfather

    used to live within

    200 km of Chernobyl.

    They were measuring

    radiation levels in his

    village and told the

    residents that it was

    not safe to live there.

    Apparently there was

    a radioactive patch

    there. No one allowed

    to grow food for sale

    in that area even now.

    My granddad refused

    to move out and lived

    there until 1996 and

    died aged 77. I have

    visited him few times

    within last 10 years ofhis life. They said the

    area was not clean - it

    is hard to understand

    when you don't see it

    From what I've

    heard, people in

    the United States

    were in constant

    fear of being

    attacked. Were

    people in theSoviet Union just

    as afraid?

    Yes it was exactly the

    same. I had a personal

    issue gas mask and

    basic military

    education lessons

    from the age of ten.

    That was also the ageI was shown how to

    shoot from a AK-74

    You have lived

    in both - east or

    west? Good and

    bad sides?

    Hard to say which is

    better. The good

    things about the east

    was that everyone in

    your community was

    more less equal. What

    you had everyone else

    had. People also had

    more moral valuesand everyone would

    help each other out in

    the community .I

    didnt know then but

    the bad thing was that

    we had less freedom

    of expressing our

    thoughts on any

    issues. In the west the

    bad thing is that

    sometimes people who

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    are a bit mad are free

    to do what they want

    which can affect

    society in bad ways.

    Quite often when you

    are in trouble you are

    on your own you dont

    get enough help. In

    the Soviet Union the

    state would look afteryou and your life

    could be planned

    many years ahead.

    The good things are

    the opportunities and

    choices that you have

    here in the west.

    Why was toilet

    paper in the

    USSR so rough?

    So that even thelast arse would

    be red.

    Funnily enough Toilet

    paper was hard to

    come by and was

    indeed rough. Mostpeople used old

    newspapers instead.

    Good Joke!

    What was the

    one thing you

    were most

    excited about or

    what was the

    thing you most

    enjoyed after

    communism fell

    that you couldn't

    have prior?

    The most exiting part

    to us was that we

    discovered a whole

    world that was hidden

    or distorted. The thing

    I enjoyed most after

    communism was

    freedom to travel

    where I want.

    What is your

    present day view

    on communism?

    I think that

    Communism is an

    Utopia. It is impossible

    to create a society

    where everyone would

    live abiding a set of

    rules driven by their

    consciousness alone.

    The simplified

    definition of

    communism for Soviet

    citizens was:It is

    when you give to the

    society all you can and

    take only what really

    need in return-no

    questions asked. I

    would prefer

    Capitalism with a

    Socialist front.

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    If you could go

    back to the 70's

    and move to

    America with

    your family, a

    house, a car, and

    a magical

    knowledge ofamerican English,

    would you do it?

    Also, how do you

    feel about this

    picture? Link to

    zg.swl-clan.at.

    No I wouldnt, (I

    wouldnt even do it

    now as I am happy in

    The UK and America is

    a bit too extreme for

    me)In the 70s we

    didnt have a car or

    our own house. Webought our first TV in

    1982 and it was Black

    and White! However I

    enjoyed that life and I

    wouldnt swap it for

    the American dream

    Also I enjoyed your

    comic.

    If you enjoyed

    a simpler life

    more, why areyou living in the

    UK and not a

    more "old

    fashioned"

    country?

    I felt very comfortable

    living in the USSR

    before the changes.That country and the

    society does not exist

    any more. Instead

    there is a lot of

    instability and people

    who went through a

    difficult

    transformation. I like

    to have stable and

    safe life. In the late

    90's I came to UK to

    work and found the

    stability I was looking

    for. I feel comfortable

    here and this is my

    country now. My both

    children were born in

    London and I serve

    my new motherland

    by working for

    Metropolitan Police.

    Love my job and

    Londoners. I consider

    myself privileged to

    have two Motherlands.I am twice richer then

    most people because I

    have incorporated the

    best from both

    systems and very

    different cultures.

    Is it true that

    people in the

    USSR used do

    Not always and not

    everywhere and not

    anything. In 70's

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    to get a smuggled

    pair of blue jeans

    from the United

    States? I've

    always heard

    this, but I want

    to know whether

    it actually

    happened.

    to trade oil and

    brought in some

    imported goods. There

    were people who had

    access to this stuff and

    corruption was of

    unbelievable

    proportions. It was a

    basic human nature towant to have

    something

    fashionable, that

    others could not get.

    Sometimes moral

    values were failing for

    those on a hunt for

    material gain. I

    believe it affected a

    small amount of

    people who lived in

    big cities and had

    foreign friends. I had

    my first pair of jeans

    in 1986 and it was not

    a big deal for me. My

    parents had them

    earlier. I remember

    that their cost about

    half month's salary

    (80 - 100 roubles) a

    pair if you were lucky

    enough to get it from

    the shop. It would cost

    considerably morefrom people who

    would find the

    opportunity to buy

    them for resale

    A Social

    Democracy, or

    regulated

    Capitalsim. In

    terms of modern

    times, I wonder if

    somebody fromCuba would be

    willing to do

    some sort of

    AMA, last time I

    checked it was

    one of the few

    remaining

    'Communist'

    Countries, that

    wasn't in reality

    under some

    Nationalism was on a

    rise in the early 90s.

    It all died down as far

    as I know. There is a

    minority of

    Belorusians who are

    fussed aboutpreserving the

    language and culture.

    Most people I meet

    when I visit see the

    future of Belarus

    tightly connected with

    Russia. the cultures

    are too similar, the

    history is so

    inseparable. As for the

    glorifying communism

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    harsh dystopian

    rule. Also, since I

    note that you are

    from Belarus,

    what do you

    think of

    nationalism

    there? I watched

    a documentary

    on post SovietRepublics,

    apparently people

    there are upset

    that Communism

    is still glorified

    there and that it

    is pressed as

    more as an

    association of

    Russia than it's

    own state,

    leadingnationalism to be

    at a low. Do you

    keep in much

    contact with

    Belarus still?

    - I used to live on the

    SOVETSKAYA STREET

    200 meters away from

    LENIN SQUARE and

    the monument to

    LENIN. My parents still

    live there and last

    time I checked (April

    2012) all of those

    were still there.However, the way it is

    viewed is not

    glorifying anything,

    but "what is the point

    to destroy something

    that was our history".

    If anything it is a good

    reminder. I think most

    people just not

    bothered about keep

    changing the names of

    the streets.

    Any bad things

    you see as a kid?

    No actually not. All

    the bad things that I

    saw were the lawless

    times of transition

    from communist to

    market economytimes. Mafia, racket,

    corruption, greed,

    despair. It was crazy

    and dangerous time -

    life cost very little and

    everyone could only

    count on themselves

    to survive.

    Have you

    visited Belarus

    since?

    Yes a few times. Last

    time in April 2012

    with my wife and myson. I still have a big

    family living all over

    ex Soviet countries.

    They come to see me

    in the UK too.

    Can you travel

    freely in Belarus?

    AFAIK it's the last

    'real' dictatorship

    in Euro e still.

    Yes, you can travel

    freely within Belarus

    and Russia - they

    have no borders like

    some EU countries.

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    How free is it?

    Until recently you

    would need a special

    permission to be able

    to go abroad, in fact

    just a stamp in your

    passport. That would

    refuse this stamp to

    people who are on bail

    for some criminal

    offences, or refuse to

    undergo National

    conscript service and

    stuff like that.

    Apparently, even that

    obstacle is taken off

    now. I cannot

    comment on how free

    is Belarus, I don't live

    there,though have my

    parents, relatives and

    friends living there.

    My impression is thatit is an autocratic

    state, where majority

    doesn't mind that.

    Most feel safe to live

    in such state without

    interference from

    other countries. I am

    a strong believer that

    the people and not

    personalities are the

    driving force of the

    history. When and ifBelarus and its people

    would be ready to

    change the way their

    live - they would be

    able to do it

    themselves. Look at

    the examples of

    Orange revolution in

    Ukraine and Rose

    revolution in Georgia.

    It has been

    orchestrated from theWest and as such did

    not live long. It

    reverted back to

    pre-orange era in

    Ukraine and it seems

    that the same is

    happening in Georgia

    now.

    Where you

    able to visit other

    There were no

    restrictions for

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    Bloc countries?

    What were your

    experiences away

    from home while

    within the

    greater USSR?

    travelling within the

    USSR (Estonia, Latvia,

    Lithuania, Belarus,

    Ukraine, Moldova,

    Georgia, Azerbaijan,

    Armenia,

    Turkmenistan,

    Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan

    Kazakhstan,

    Uzbekistan andRussia) , but travelling

    to other countries was

    a nightmare. Most

    citizens have never

    been abroad. As a

    teenager I was lucky

    to go to Mongolia with

    my parent s where my

    Dad went to work. It

    took them over 6

    months to get the

    appropriate forms andmedical tests done.

    They would have to

    have a good

    reputation and even

    family up to cousins

    was checked for

    reliability. It was

    considered to be a

    great honour to

    represent the USSR

    abroad. The place I

    lived in was close toPolish borders. I don't

    recall a single person

    who went there at the

    time.

    Did people

    ever come from

    other countries

    like Poland?

    I would suspect a few

    did, however I saw

    none as I lived in a

    small town (200,000

    people) in Belarus. In

    that town during

    Soviet times I nevermet any foreigners

    apart from in 1980

    where all the trains

    from Western Europe

    passed through our

    town carrying Olympic

    Athletes to Moscow.

    Me and my Grandma

    went and brought

    flowers for the

    Athletes to make them

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    country, no one

    asked/forced us to do

    it.

    There were no

    restrictions for

    travelling within

    the USSR. Come

    on. Maybe one ofyour parents

    were

    high-ranking

    officials, but not

    for everyone.

    The only places you

    wouldnt be able to go

    to without good

    reason would be few

    towns involved withthe production of

    sensitive military

    equipment, few towns

    around Baikanur(

    Space Rocket launch

    facility) for example. I

    am only talking about

    travel in the 70s and

    80s, no restrictions

    just buy a ticket and

    go. Different story if

    you wanted to moveand live in a different

    place, there would be

    a few obstacles. My

    Father was an

    engineer not a high

    ranked official by the

    way.

    What are your

    thoughts about

    Putin and his

    influences in thelast years. Do

    you think he is

    attempting to

    take things back

    to the Soviet

    days?

    I dont think that it is

    possible to take Russia

    back to

    Soviet/Communistdays. However it is

    possible to regain the

    might and influence

    that the USSR had in

    its time and I think

    this is what Putin and

    most Russians want

    and so do I. The

    current world lacks

    polarity and as a

    result stability. Two or

    more powerful nationswith differing opinions

    could make the world

    better and fairer.

    Were you

    raised to think

    anything

    negative about

    america?

    Yes I was. The only

    good part was poor

    oppressed common

    people of US who did

    not have enough

    courage to revolt.

    Here is the example:

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    It c ange owever

    when Gorbachev came

    into power.

    Were there

    any private

    houses in Belarus

    when you lived

    there? I am

    curious how asocialist system

    handles housing.

    Does everyone

    get the same

    sized

    home/apartment?

    Most people were

    living in the blocks of

    flats. However some

    were living in the

    private sector and had

    their own houses. Ithink it was a privilege

    of people connected

    with the countryside,

    farming. Living in the

    big industrial town

    you would have no

    option to purchase

    your own house -

    there were not many

    built and you would

    never save enough for

    it. You would usuallystart your carrier at

    the factory. That

    would give you a room

    in the hostel or

    something like that

    and put you on the list

    for the flat/apartment.

    Depending on the area

    where you lived, you

    would probably work

    for that organisation

    for 6-9 years beforeyou get municipal

    accommodation.

    Blocks of flats were

    built in accordance

    with 5 year plans

    made by party

    officials. There was

    never enough

    housing. Those living

    in their own houses

    would probably inherit

    them after living few

    mixed up generations

    under one roof for

    decades. My family

    never had their own

    property, not even a

    car, which was such a

    luxury.

    I heard you

    had to apply for a

    car and wait for a

    Yes that is true. You

    could only buy Soviet

    made car anyway. In

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    me per o . e s e s wou

    be few years long if

    you wanted to buy it

    for the government

    price. There were

    people who bought

    cars and resold them.

    Your queue to get car

    could be quicker if you

    asked your granddad -veteran of war to do it

    for you. That would

    have priveledges and

    their queue would be

    shorter - could buy a

    car within a year, if

    you had the money.

    Gorbachev

    seems to be

    despised by

    former citizens ofthe Soviet Union,

    what is your

    opinion of him?

    He is my best

    politician of all the

    times and countries.

    He had the courage toadmit inevitable and

    get the country away

    from the catastrophe

    of much more

    dramatic end. Most

    Soviet people

    associate him with the

    hardest time in their

    lives. Sad. He is one

    of the most sensible

    and charismatic

    people on the worldstage.

    Best

    book/movie of

    what it was like

    in the Soviet

    Union?

    I don't think I watched

    or read any specific

    things about the life in

    Soviet Union. No. I

    know the best movie

    actually - Moscow

    Does Not Believe in

    Tears (1980) Moskva

    slezam ne verit

    (original title). Thisfilm won the Oscar. If

    there is anything you

    would like to learn

    about Soviet Union -

    this one is the best

    reflection. Just the life

    of few ordinary

    citizens throughout

    couple of decades. It

    covers only 60s and

    70s, but this is the

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    and love.

    If you have

    read 1984, how

    similar was the

    USSR to the

    setting in the

    book?

    I haven't read 1984,

    but I know what it's

    about. I personally

    lived in such a bubble

    that i didn't feel that it

    was a 1984 type

    society.

    How did the

    education system

    work in the

    USSR? Could

    anyone go to a

    university? If not,

    how did one do

    it?

    Yes anyone could go

    to an university. All

    you needed to do was

    finish ten years of

    school and pass

    entrance exams.

    Usually for 4 or 5

    subjects. It's

    absolutely free, free

    place in a hostel,

    bursary money andguess what? At the

    end guaranteed work

    placement when you

    leave if you wanted it.

    It might not be the

    best working place or

    in a nice big city, but

    it was there if you

    needed it. Your new

    workplace would be

    responsible for finding

    your accommodation ifyou needed it.

    How do you

    feel about your

    Polish neighbors?

    Antagonists? Or

    brothers

    separated by a

    border?

    I love Polish

    neighbours. I think we

    have so much in

    common. I was born

    250 km away from

    Polish border. I like

    Poland without politics

    and believe it should

    stay that way. When

    you start looking atthe history - not so

    great. I am not the

    one to judge, but I

    think great mistakes

    were done on both

    sides. I was born in

    West Belarus, which

    some Polish people

    would remember as

    Eastern Rech

    Pospolita. Some still

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    like to think that they

    have the right for that

    land. I have met many

    older Beloarussians

    who used to live under

    Poland. Most of them

    remeber it was not

    great. Polish masters

    had no consideration

    for Belorussianlanguage and culture

    and treated peasants

    like slaves. In 1939

    when Soviet Army

    went in West Belarus,

    common people

    genuinely were happy

    to be liberated from

    Polish oppression. I

    think some started

    changing their minds

    when the horror ofcommunist oppression

    started to sink in,

    however the war

    started in 1941 and

    up to 1/3 of civil

    population of Belarus

    died as a result of that

    war. You cannot look

    back and have the

    grudge at either Polish

    or Russians. I believe

    we are all very close

    Slavic people and

    should be brothers. I

    have many Polish

    friends in UK. We

    never even get to

    discuss the past and

    the history - pointless.

    What is your

    opinion of the

    original Marxist

    ideology, as

    opposed to how it

    was

    implemented, if

    there is a

    difference? And is

    there really a

    difference?

    I think it is very

    complicated. Even for

    the young communist

    as I was. My opinion is

    that you cannot

    predict the way the

    society will evolve and

    nudge it in that

    direction. Marx

    created some sort of a

    BIBLE by writing "THE

    CAPITAL" and

    "COMMUNISM

    MANIFESTO". Like the

    BIBLE it was so

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    to interpretations. I do

    not think anyone can

    honestly say that

    know exactly what

    were Marx's intentions

    and how he saw the

    future world.

    Communists in Soviet

    Union like priests inthe church tried to

    find instructions in

    that book for every

    aspect of everyday's

    life. I think for

    ideology to be alive (

    the same as religion)

    it should adapt to any

    current situation and

    be fairly flexible to

    satisfy the majority.

    What was the

    justification for

    calling the

    capitalists

    "warmongers"?

    The Americans at

    least withdrew

    from the territory

    they had

    conquered during

    WWII.

    Not my words

    Soviet Propagandas

    To be honest its hard

    to disagree

    considering Americas

    involvement in every

    conflict since

    WWII(Korea, Vietnam,

    Grenada, El Salvador,

    Honduras even

    Afghanistan in the

    80s)

    I have heard

    that the

    architecture was

    very peculiar, in

    the sense that if

    there was one

    good building it

    was to be rebuild

    the same way, 5

    times, in a row.

    Is this true? And

    how well were

    the buildings

    maintained?

    There were 2 types of

    passports in Soviet

    Union and after it -

    internal and external

    for going abroad. For

    some strange reason,

    after USSR collapsed

    all the independent

    republics kept using

    the old blank

    passports for few

    years. The copy I

    provided was my

    external passport

    issued by independent

    Republic of Belarus in

    1995. You would have

    to be born in the

    USSR to be issued

    with that. I still have

    my internal USSR

    passport somewhere

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    passport at the age of

    16. It is all in Russian

    though . Are you

    working in Border

    Control by any

    chance? You should be

    a detective - well done

    for spotting that!

    Also, not to

    criticize you but

    wasn't the Soviet

    Union dissolved

    in 1991? Your

    certificate says

    1995.

    You are right about

    the buildings. It was

    just mass production -

    the easiest way to

    build is to create one

    design and copy it

    across the country.

    There is a cult movie

    in USSR when one lad

    just moved in to a

    new district new block

    of flats of Moscow inabout 1980. Then he

    went to sauna with his

    friends just before

    New Year, got drunk

    and accidently they

    got him on the plane

    to Leningrad instead

    of someone else.

    When he arrived in

    that city, he took a

    taxi and gave him his

    address. The driver

    took him to the same

    street name and the

    same apartment block

    number, but in

    Leningrad - not in

    Moscow. The area was

    so similar - he did not

    even spot the

    difference. The block

    was the exact copy

    and even his keys

    matched the door

    lock. The rest was justpure comedy.

    Thanks for the

    reply! I do not

    work in Border

    Control, but I am

    very interested in

    the Soviet Union

    and the scientific

    research that

    It is called The Irony

    Of Fate and it was

    filmed in 1976. I do

    not know if there is a

    subtitled English

    version, but I

    managed to find

    animated intro to the

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    area. Also the

    movie that you

    described sounds

    very funny, do

    you remember

    the name of it?

    link to watch it

    In Belarus, is

    there genuinepopular support

    for Lukashenka,

    or is he incredibly

    unpopular? I've

    been told that,

    though there is a

    lot of vote

    rigging, it isn't

    quite as simple as

    a dictatorship.

    Last time I went there

    (April 2012) I metmainly two types of

    people. One type

    which support him one

    hundred percent and

    call him father of the

    nation, and another

    type which could see

    no worthy alternative

    to him as they believe

    current opposition to

    be heavily sponsored

    by the west and

    doesn't reflect the

    aspirations of the

    people. Both types

    would vote

    Lukashenka- better

    the devil you know

    than the devil you

    don't. I think the

    country is so far from

    a market economy

    that most people are

    too scared to turn

    back and go throughthe horrors of shock

    therapy neighbouring

    states went through

    some time ago.

    Do you have

    an opinion on the

    Republic of

    Georgia? When I

    was in Russia, I

    made friends with

    a kid from there

    my age back

    then-- he's a

    lawyer now,

    seeking to

    immigrate to the

    UK. He's

    extremely critical

    of Russia and its

    influence of

    former Soviet

    re ublics.

    I love Georgians. They

    have such a unique

    culture. I think

    Russians adore their

    cute accent. By the

    way, I think it is the

    only nation in the

    world which calls the

    father - MAMA, and

    the mother - PAPA. I

    don't know what

    happened recently, I

    mean last 20 years. I

    remember when USSR

    was collapsing, Russia

    was supporting some

    separatist movements

    within Geor ia. In

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    return, Georgian

    government started to

    support Chechens

    when they wanted

    independence. As for

    the influence, it seems

    that like in older days

    it is again either

    American or Russian

    influence and I can

    relate to the feeling

    that it is better to step

    up and try to be in

    control in bordering

    regions, rather then

    let very remote and

    alien US to fill the

    gap? I came from

    Belarus which have

    greater integration

    with Russia then any

    other ex republic,which is build on a

    very different and

    fairer base. I think it

    is the way forward for

    a few other countries

    in the region - if they

    want it! There is not

    that much bullying

    any more from Russia

    and countries have

    choices (that does not

    necessarily apply toGeorgia. I am not

    happy about Russian

    attitude towards

    breakaway regions)

    How was living

    in Mongolia

    different from

    living in Belarus?

    Very different in many

    ways. Culture,

    climate. Most

    importantly,

    Mongolians had much

    lower living conditions

    and it made us sovietpeople apreciate more

    what we had in the

    USSR.

    Is there are

    brain drain

    happening in

    Belarus? Where

    the people with

    smarts and

    ambition leave

    Sorry but I honestly

    don't know. I live in

    the UK but I wouldn't

    call myself a brain. It

    is very difficult for

    people in Belarus to

    find wa s to o and

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    the country?

    work/live abroad

    unless it's in Russia or

    Ukraine

    Do you hate

    the "In Soviet

    Russia..." meme?

    No, I find it cute! It is

    a very Russian quality

    - to be able to laugh

    at ourselves. "In

    Soviet Russia" has gotvery little connection

    with the reality and it

    is funny in different

    way. Funny to see

    what people think

    Soviet Russia was. Its

    the same as some

    Americans used to

    think that bears were

    wondering the streets

    of Moscow and other

    stereotypes..

    Did you ever

    see the Russian

    hard rock band

    Gorky Park in

    concert in the

    late 80's? If so,

    what was the

    public/private

    opinion towards

    them? And did

    you see the

    Moscow Music

    Peace Festival?

    It was extremely

    popular and I was a

    fan as well. I watched

    Moscow Music Peace

    Festival on TV. I was

    not lucky enough to

    go to Luzhniki

    Stadium to watch it.

    That was my kind of

    music at the time. I

    think most young

    people in USSR at that

    time were discovering

    rock and hard rock

    music without limits.

    The soloist of GORKY

    PARK - Alexander

    Marshal is still singing,

    but he is a pop artist

    now.

    What makes

    more sense,

    English or

    Russian?

    If you are asking

    about the language -

    ENGLISH. It is simple

    and precise. The best

    language for

    instructions hence

    making sense..

    Russian is beautiful in

    poetry though!

    Have you ever

    read "Russian

    Disco" by

    No I haven't, thanks

    for mentioning I will

    look in to it.

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    Kaminer?

    Were you

    shocked the first

    time you went

    outside Soviet?

    No I was not shocked,

    just excited. By the

    time I went outside

    Soviet Union I have

    already seen what the

    life was like on TV and

    met other people whohave been some

    places. I was just

    excited to see it with

    my own eyes. A bit

    like if you saw

    Egyptian Pyramids

    many times in the

    books or TV and one

    day actually went and

    saw them in front of

    you?

    ,

    Privet zemlyak!

    Lets imagine,

    its the 80's you

    get to see a

    propaganda video

    of the U.S

    lifestyle. and its

    showneverything, that

    the average

    family owned at

    that time. What

    would have gone

    trough your head

    after you saw

    that video.

    I believe I have seen

    those propaganda

    documentaries.

    Inevitably, they had

    Soviet commentaries.

    I just would not

    believe that a commonUS citizen would have

    such an easy and

    relaxed life and have

    so much opportunities.

    We were told that all

    the luxuries were

    affordable only by the

    rich and it was

    achieved via centuries

    of slave driving

    ordinary American

    people and otherpeace loving nations.

    Basically, I would view

    those films as "The

    propaganda" and

    nothing common with

    the real life.

    In soviet

    russia... you

    don't wear

    earmuffs...

    In Soviet Russia

    president assasinates

    you!

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    earmuffs wear

    you.

    Do you see

    similarities

    between the

    rhetoric of

    democrat

    politicians in the

    US and the

    communists of

    Belarus?

    Sorry, I cannot

    comment as I do not

    follow US domestic

    politics a lot. Sorry to

    dissapoint.

    Last updated: 2013-02-06 15:17 UTC| Next

    update: 2013-02-06 21:17 UTC

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