Although my family lived fairly lavishly during the Soviet Union, I despise it.
I loathe all that’s Soviet: the “Soviet” way of thinking, the mindset, and many other things…
No matter the strata, anything associated with the Soviet Union (except education and intelligence)—stated for the third time already—are, to put it bluntly, quite distasteful.
Corruption (Of the Society)
The less fortunate typically thought they were just a piece of workforce and manpower, that they were not meant for more (as in, “you should know your place”): they were supposed to work and help their employer help their Motherland. This notion, in my opinion, violates the sovereignty of an individual to a certain degree: thus, one cannot pave one’s path, and one should be satisfied with (and seek nothing more except) everything one has.
Even more so, those to whom it fell it fell to think critically clearly saw through the exploitation and corruption that pervaded Soviet society.
Additionally, there were wealthy people who misused their privileges and exploited the country, even while knowing its history (WWII, massive losses, the economy, and so on); corrupt police officials who, in cooperating with criminals, confiscated and expropriated people’s possessions; good people who lacked morals to stand up against the corruption, and so on.
Drama
Petty drama. Soap opera. Tittle-tattle, gossip, talking behind people’s backs, “woe is me,” too much emotion and too many emotions.
A lot of people felt that they should be following a different path, a more lavish, a more happy, a more ambitious one; they feel that they were destined for other things, but while sensing their helplessness, lack of agency and hope, having no idea how to achieve their goals, they, in their misery, began to hate everything around them, including themselves. (A modified quote from Netochka Nezvanova by Fyodor Dostoevsky.) Or, what’s worse, they hadn’t had these ambitions to begin with.
And so the never-ending cycle continued.
Intelligence & Education
Intelligence and education are the only things I admire about the “Soviets”. Among other less minor things, there is a single thing here troubles me here—that’s credentialism. With the absense of credentialism, it would’ve been a great intellectual space.
The respect shown toward the intellectuals, scientific “trendsetters,” pioneers is certainly admirable and the way it should be.
- Nihad Badalov