A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
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A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
1–10 of 92 posts
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#2Growing up with my grandparents in the 80s in Moscow, I remember standing in line in front of a place literally called 'Store' for hours. Nobody knew what the line was for or what it was the store was getting in that day. Some people spend the night waiting just to be in front. After standing in line all day, finally by dusk a truck pulls up. Everybody looking in anxiety and worried about not being enough merchandise, still not knowing what was inside. A few men start unloading the boxes inside the store. All of a sudden people at the front of the line start spreading the rumors, "it's bananas!", "what is a banana?" I thought to myself. I was 5 years old and had no idea what it was. We made our way from outside, into the store. The store was full of empty shelves, there was literally no inventory. Finally we got the cashier, it was our turn and my grandpa got handed a big box and he handed the clerk money. "Hurry" my grandpa said, we rushed out of the store and started walking back home. "There's no more!" I heard somebody shout out of the store. There were still at least a hundred people in line. We kept walking, not looking back. We got home and opened the box. It was full of green bananas. We tried to eat them, I loved it. Only later in life I found out bananas supposed to be yellow and not bitter :)
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#3ouch... I must have something in my eye...
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#4I think its important for Hacker News readers to read this because techno-communism is becoming a very serious force in western politics. It needs to be tempered with a historical context.
The problem we should focus on is over-centralization, which comes easily out of a competitive OR cooperative society.
Yes to holistic measurements, efficiency and equality. But do that on a meta, protocol level that allows for diverse decentralized systems to evolve while still integrating information.
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#5For as long as I can remember I've had an interest in going to live in another country. But the older I get and the more I get to understand people and the more I travel, the more I start to hold myself back from actually moving to another country. Even if just for a year or two. I think I realise more and more that cultures really are different, vastly more than I once thought. It has me wonder what I would actually end up gaining from such a move, countries with language barriers even more so. Yet, I cannot stop thinking that by NOT doing it, I'm missing out greatly...
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#6For as long as I can remember I've had an interest in going to live in another country. But the older I get and the more I get to understand people and the more I travel, the more I start to hold myself back from actually moving to another country. Even if just for a year or two. I think I realise more and more that cultures really are different, vastly more than I once thought. It has me wonder what I would actually…
You are missing out. It's a stressful experience but it will change your life.
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#7I have read many articles but found this the most helping and motivating http://googler700.blogspot.com.tr/2015/08/self-seo-training....
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#8I think its important for Hacker News readers to read this because techno-communism is becoming a very serious force in western politics. It needs to be tempered with a historical context. The problem we should focus on is over-centralization, which comes easily out of a competitive OR cooperative society. Yes to holistic measurements, efficiency and equality. But do that on a meta, protocol level that allows for div…
On that note, if one go back to old guy Marx we find that he was no fan of centralization. His thinking was towards workers owning the factory they worked at.
Then again he also apparently had himself talked in circles to make his findings fit the labor theory of value.
Still, while mostly we hear about worker exploitation etc he did dial in on the issue of debt and banking. And how there was a second struggle between industrial capitalists and financial capitalists.
From that an later sources it may well help to think about a economy as a systems of flows. Goods in one direction, and money in the other.
And much like with all asynchronous flow systems, there has to be buffers to even out peaks and slumps.
Banks do that for the money flow via their issuance of debt.
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#9Sweet story.
Re: A Western Kid Living in Communist Poland (2014)
#10For as long as I can remember I've had an interest in going to live in another country. But the older I get and the more I get to understand people and the more I travel, the more I start to hold myself back from actually moving to another country. Even if just for a year or two. I think I realise more and more that cultures really are different, vastly more than I once thought. It has me wonder what I would actually…
We're on our fourth country, and we've traveled to many more. I think what you learn is that there are many ways to do different things. Other cultures get some things very right that your home culture gets wrong. Your home culture gets some things right that other cultures get wrong. But overall, the main takeaway is that it broadens your view of the world and it opens your eyes to possibilities that you would not otherwise see. You get some of this from travelling, but not nearly as much as what you get when you go and live in another place with a different culture.