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Growing Up in the Soviet Union ... What Was it Like?
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2022 Dec 3, 8:31am 824 views 17 comments
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1
AmericanKulak
2022 Dec 3, 8:47am
AmericanKulak
2022 Dec 3, 8:47am
There was a great youtube channel on a guy who was a teenager in the 80s Soviet Union.
One thing I remember, he said you knew "Something was Up" when the little Box everybody got took too long to go from the 4PM show to the 5PM show and played filler music. A Premier's Death, Chernobyl, etc.
One thing I remember, he said you knew "Something was Up" when the little Box everybody got took too long to go from the 4PM show to the 5PM show and played filler music. A Premier's Death, Chernobyl, etc.
2
clambo
2022 Dec 3, 9:38am
I saw Moscow in the early 70's. It was very eye-opening and also depressing.
We were on a prepaid tour from England; it was illegal in England then to take much cash out of the country so prepaid tours were popular.
It was absurdly inexpensive, like $147 for airfare, hotel, meals, for several days. It sounds impossible.
We were on buses with microphones behind the ash trays in the seats. Everyone was laughing when we found them.
There was also a bug in my hotel room; I stayed at the Intourist hotel, it was a walk to Red Square.
I went walking around and Russian guys were friendly and approached to talk with me; other Russians were following me around.
At the famous GUM store, I remember the meat counter; Russians were gazing at the meat like it was jewelry out of their reach.
The two Russian guys who talked to me were funny; one said he liked my American jacket, my Levi Strauss American Blue Jeans, American hockey teams. I was wearing a Pendleton wool jacket and I stood out like a sore thumb, I also had long hair.
Another Russian kid looked at my Draft Card; he was fascinated by it and I offered it as a souvenir. Why I had it in my wallet I don't know. Soon, a car came who were secret police or something and he ran away into the night.
Another group of Russians gathered around me when I went to see Lenin's Tomb in Red Square; the line for foreigners was short, the line for Russians looked like a mile long. So, some Russians had pretended to be in a group with me and we all approached the entrance together, they pretending to be talking with me.
The guard held up his rifle and used it to push us all backwards; then he grabbed me and pulled me forward.
I recall the dead Lenin looked fake under the glass in his coffin; his corpse was on an incline, just the torso showing. Maybe he was made of wax.
There were armed guards all around the coffin; they probably would shoot anyone trying to touch it.
I thought to myself that the Lenin corpse was important because some Russians might believe that there never was a revolution and it had always been the same miserable situation forever.
At the time I didn't own luggage, so I used my father's WWII green army duffel bag for my suitcase. Of course it was delayed for several days after I returned. It was likely completely searched. How they thought I was a spy at age 19 still amazes me.
The Kremlin Museum was amazing; the jewels and Faberge eggs, and other things put the Crown JewelsI saw in the Tower of London to shame.
I saved some of the toilet paper for a souvenir; it was brown and rough, like the paper towels you wipe your hands with in USA bathrooms.
The girls were hot and I saw them everywhere; they wore out of date fashions.
I saw in 4 days more hot chicks in Moscow than I saw in one year in England.
I saw Soviet soldiers running around sometimes; they were not Russian looking, rather asian looking.
The subway was incredible and interesting, likely built by the Czars.
Edit: I saw the Vostok rocket. It was a firecracker compared to the Saturn V rocket which send Apollo to the Moon. I realized that there was no chance that the Soviets were ever going to make it to the Moon. The "space race" was real, but the "race to the moon" was total bullshit, they were never in it.
Looking around at how stuff was so fucked up in Moscow, I said to my companion "Why is the USA afraid of these guys?"
We were on a prepaid tour from England; it was illegal in England then to take much cash out of the country so prepaid tours were popular.
It was absurdly inexpensive, like $147 for airfare, hotel, meals, for several days. It sounds impossible.
We were on buses with microphones behind the ash trays in the seats. Everyone was laughing when we found them.
There was also a bug in my hotel room; I stayed at the Intourist hotel, it was a walk to Red Square.
I went walking around and Russian guys were friendly and approached to talk with me; other Russians were following me around.
At the famous GUM store, I remember the meat counter; Russians were gazing at the meat like it was jewelry out of their reach.
The two Russian guys who talked to me were funny; one said he liked my American jacket, my Levi Strauss American Blue Jeans, American hockey teams. I was wearing a Pendleton wool jacket and I stood out like a sore thumb, I also had long hair.
Another Russian kid looked at my Draft Card; he was fascinated by it and I offered it as a souvenir. Why I had it in my wallet I don't know. Soon, a car came who were secret police or something and he ran away into the night.
Another group of Russians gathered around me when I went to see Lenin's Tomb in Red Square; the line for foreigners was short, the line for Russians looked like a mile long. So, some Russians had pretended to be in a group with me and we all approached the entrance together, they pretending to be talking with me.
The guard held up his rifle and used it to push us all backwards; then he grabbed me and pulled me forward.
I recall the dead Lenin looked fake under the glass in his coffin; his corpse was on an incline, just the torso showing. Maybe he was made of wax.
There were armed guards all around the coffin; they probably would shoot anyone trying to touch it.
I thought to myself that the Lenin corpse was important because some Russians might believe that there never was a revolution and it had always been the same miserable situation forever.
At the time I didn't own luggage, so I used my father's WWII green army duffel bag for my suitcase. Of course it was delayed for several days after I returned. It was likely completely searched. How they thought I was a spy at age 19 still amazes me.
The Kremlin Museum was amazing; the jewels and Faberge eggs, and other things put the Crown JewelsI saw in the Tower of London to shame.
I saved some of the toilet paper for a souvenir; it was brown and rough, like the paper towels you wipe your hands with in USA bathrooms.
The girls were hot and I saw them everywhere; they wore out of date fashions.
I saw in 4 days more hot chicks in Moscow than I saw in one year in England.
I saw Soviet soldiers running around sometimes; they were not Russian looking, rather asian looking.
The subway was incredible and interesting, likely built by the Czars.
Edit: I saw the Vostok rocket. It was a firecracker compared to the Saturn V rocket which send Apollo to the Moon. I realized that there was no chance that the Soviets were ever going to make it to the Moon. The "space race" was real, but the "race to the moon" was total bullshit, they were never in it.
Looking around at how stuff was so fucked up in Moscow, I said to my companion "Why is the USA afraid of these guys?"
3
HeadSet
2022 Dec 3, 10:58am
HeadSet
2022 Dec 3, 10:58am
RayAmerica says
Like what happened to Roger Stone? 5am raid with CNN truck to be sure everyone knew what treatment people who support non-establishment types like Trump can expect.
He said one of his greatest fears was a simple 'knock on the door, because you never knew what it meant or who it was.
Like what happened to Roger Stone? 5am raid with CNN truck to be sure everyone knew what treatment people who support non-establishment types like Trump can expect.
4
DD214
2022 Dec 3, 11:14am
RayAmerica says
H-1Bs in Silicon Valley so I am not getting the shock factor here.
Try to let this sink in; 16 (or more) adults lived in a one room apartment. There were several other similar apartments on the same floor. Each floor had only ONE BATHROOM!
H-1Bs in Silicon Valley so I am not getting the shock factor here.
5
DD214
2022 Dec 3, 11:15am
RayAmerica says
And the difference between what is going on here now and back then in the Soviet Union is ?
everything in the Soviet Union was broken, and, crooked. The only way you could obtain most items was through the black market, but even then, everything was in short supply. Only people that were 'rich' could afford a car, which was almost always old and barely functioning. People had no incentive to work, and the workers always put forth very minimal effort.
And the difference between what is going on here now and back then in the Soviet Union is ?
6
DD214
2022 Dec 3, 11:16am
RayAmerica says
Still not getting the shock factor, shit like this been the norm since the early 1950s here
You had to be extremely careful about what you said and who you said it to.
Still not getting the shock factor, shit like this been the norm since the early 1950s here
7
DD214
2022 Dec 3, 11:17am
RayAmerica says
How did we get it down to just one event ? Any chance it could take several events or multiple events on a cascade feedback loop ?
Keep this in mind; we are only one 'Black Swan' event away that will create the 'crisis' that the psychopaths, and their fellow travelers, at the WEF will not let go to waste.
How did we get it down to just one event ? Any chance it could take several events or multiple events on a cascade feedback loop ?
8
rocketjoe79
2022 Dec 3, 11:22am
rocketjoe79
2022 Dec 3, 11:22am
The Glorious Motherland has In-wincible Planned Ec-yonomy that outstrips all Western Prod-yuction!
Pravda says toilet paper is a luxury, not a necessity. Deal with it.
Pravda says toilet paper is a luxury, not a necessity. Deal with it.
9
DD214
2022 Dec 3, 11:24am
rocketjoe79 says
Just like health care here !
This is America! If you can't afford it, you deserve to die! And besides, if you were a good and proper Christian, God would heal you if you prayed for it
Pravda says toilet paper is a luxury, not a necessity. Deal with it.
Just like health care here !
This is America! If you can't afford it, you deserve to die! And besides, if you were a good and proper Christian, God would heal you if you prayed for it
10
HeadSet
2022 Dec 3, 11:44am
HeadSet
2022 Dec 3, 11:44am
DD214 says
Gee, I wonder who is using the plethora of hospitals and clinics. Even small towns have hospitals.
Just like health care here !
Gee, I wonder who is using the plethora of hospitals and clinics. Even small towns have hospitals.
11
FortwayeAsFuckJoeBiden
2022 Dec 3, 1:14pm
we definitely become more soviet in america than original soviets. the woke absurdity brainwashing is out of this world.
shut up and obey, esg or die.
shut up and obey, esg or die.
12
Bd6r
2022 Dec 3, 7:14pm
Bd6r
2022 Dec 3, 7:14pm
I grew up in Soviet Union. Left soon after it fell apart. It seems that US of A is following Soviet path since early 2000's. Remember, it is slow initially, but accelerates...just like inflation
13
richwicks
2022 Dec 3, 7:42pm
richwicks
2022 Dec 3, 7:42pm
Bd6r says
Do you think Russia is better or worse than it was before 1991?
Do you think it's improving or getting worse?
I see the US in decline, and although Russia CERTAINLY has it's problems, I think it's FAR better than it was 40 years ago and the US is considerably worse. Is this me being naive?
I grew up in Soviet Union. Left soon after it fell apart. It seems that US of A is following Soviet path since early 2000's. Remember, it is slow initially, but accelerates...just like inflation
Do you think Russia is better or worse than it was before 1991?
Do you think it's improving or getting worse?
I see the US in decline, and although Russia CERTAINLY has it's problems, I think it's FAR better than it was 40 years ago and the US is considerably worse. Is this me being naive?
14
Robert Sproul
2022 Dec 3, 8:56pm
Bd6r says
Does this dude sound legit to you? He has been defamed, of course, and it is a little hard to know if this was a bit of a grift.
https://rumble.com/v1xrkif-1984-kgb-defector-yuri-bezmenovs-warning-to-america.html
I grew up in Soviet Union
Does this dude sound legit to you? He has been defamed, of course, and it is a little hard to know if this was a bit of a grift.
https://rumble.com/v1xrkif-1984-kgb-defector-yuri-bezmenovs-warning-to-america.html
15
Bd6r
2022 Dec 4, 10:59am
Bd6r
2022 Dec 4, 10:59am
Robert Sproul says
I cant make up my mind about him. There seems to be a lot of truth in what he says, but he does seem to try to monetize his experiences. He overestimates competency of KGB I believe
Does this dude sound legit to you?
I cant make up my mind about him. There seems to be a lot of truth in what he says, but he does seem to try to monetize his experiences. He overestimates competency of KGB I believe
16
Bd6r
2022 Dec 4, 11:08am
Bd6r
2022 Dec 4, 11:08am
richwicks says
US is worse, Russia is different than 40 yrs ago. They have changed from totalitarian state to mafia state. I suppose both are bad and it depends on what a certain person prefers. In totalitarian state, if you tow party line you will be ok. In mafia state, you may be randomly whacked just because but level of repression will be overall lower in most cases. In Soviet times, state apparatus was not too corrupt (KGB actually was stamping out corruption), in Russia the main occupation of FSB (successor of KGB) is enrichment of fsb chiefs.
That said, I have not been in Russia in last about 10 years.
see the US in decline, and although Russia CERTAINLY has it's problems, I think it's FAR better than it was 40 years ago and the US is considerably worse. Is this me being naive?
US is worse, Russia is different than 40 yrs ago. They have changed from totalitarian state to mafia state. I suppose both are bad and it depends on what a certain person prefers. In totalitarian state, if you tow party line you will be ok. In mafia state, you may be randomly whacked just because but level of repression will be overall lower in most cases. In Soviet times, state apparatus was not too corrupt (KGB actually was stamping out corruption), in Russia the main occupation of FSB (successor of KGB) is enrichment of fsb chiefs.
That said, I have not been in Russia in last about 10 years.
17
richwicks
2022 Dec 4, 11:24am
richwicks
2022 Dec 4, 11:24am
Bd6r says
Then I guess the US is becoming more like Russia. From what it appears to me, the main job of the intelligence agencies has become a job to enrich criminals within our government, and this extends into our foreign policy. The US appears to always try to start a war, and once it starts, they start fleecing the US population right away and then raiding the country that they invaded.
It's been this way for 30 years, if not longer.
US is worse, Russia is different than 40 yrs ago. They have changed from totalitarian state to mafia state. I suppose both are bad and it depends on what a certain person prefers. In totalitarian state, if you tow party line you will be ok. In mafia state, you may be randomly whacked just because but level of repression will be overall lower in most cases. In Soviet times, state apparatus was not too corrupt (KGB actually was stamping out corruption), in Russia the main occupation of FSB (successor of KGB) is enrichment of fsb chiefs.
Then I guess the US is becoming more like Russia. From what it appears to me, the main job of the intelligence agencies has become a job to enrich criminals within our government, and this extends into our foreign policy. The US appears to always try to start a war, and once it starts, they start fleecing the US population right away and then raiding the country that they invaded.
It's been this way for 30 years, if not longer.
Years ago, my wife developed business contacts, and subsequently became friends with, a family of Jewish immigrants that came to America in the 1970s under the immigration agreements between America and the Soviet government. Although these people always referred to themselves as Russians, they actually came from the port city of Odessa, Ukraine's third most populous city.
The father (now deceased) lived under Stalinism. I'll never forget his chilling account about people 'suddenly disappearing, without any explanation, never to be seen or heard from again.' He said one of his greatest fears was a simple 'knock on the door, because you never knew what it meant or who it was.' The obvious fear was that on the other side of the door, the government police were coming to take you away.
This man's daughter described, in great detail, the 'living' conditions her and her husband lived under. (Perhaps this is what is meant by 'you'll own nothing, and be happy?)
Try to let this sink in; 16 (or more) adults lived in a one room apartment. There were several other similar apartments on the same floor. Each floor had only ONE BATHROOM! She told me that the apartment had a cot that had a bed sheet that hung from the ceiling which separated the romantic couple from the 14 or more other adults in the room. She said, of course, there was no privacy, as everyone could hear what was going on. When you were done, the next couple took your place on the same cot. I asked her how in the world could one bathroom serve so many people? She said it couldn't. You either had to 'hold it, or go in a bucket in your room.' Hopefully, that had a sheet for Soviet style 'privacy.'
Her husband told me that everything in the Soviet Union was broken, and, crooked. The only way you could obtain most items was through the black market, but even then, everything was in short supply. Only people that were 'rich' could afford a car, which was almost always old and barely functioning. People had no incentive to work, and the workers always put forth very minimal effort. Showing up for 'work' was mandatory, sickness was often no excuse for staying home. He said that he would often receive a call to come back to 'work' after just working a 12 hour shift, which was crazy because he barely did any work as it was. There was no appeal, you either came back to work or the authorities would pay you a visit. So much for the so-called "workers paradise." He also told me that EVERYONE knew that the system was a complete failure, but of course, you could not complain about it in public. You had to be extremely careful about what you said and who you said it to. People that HEARD criticism of the government were required to turn that person in as a seditionist, otherwise, if they didn't, they TOO could be arrested for NOT reporting the incident.
There's more, but I'll end here. I ask YOU, which direction do you think America is headed in? Are we on the road to MORE freedom, or, are we moving closer and closer to recreating the old Soviet Union? Keep this in mind; we are only one 'Black Swan' event away that will create the 'crisis' that the psychopaths, and their fellow travelers, at the WEF will not let go to waste.