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Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

theamericanconservative.com

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Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#2
I was born in the USSR, and I have read a great deal about this period (and have read works of all writers mentioned), so i think i have a very clear pictire of how things were at that time... And that's why I'm very opposed to today's 'woke' culture, because it is so much alike the totalitarian USSR society that caused so much harm. Sure, some of the proclaimed values are different, but methods are almost the same.

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#3
This is an excessively well written article that tells the history as it was (I heard first hand accounts from people who had to emigrate from the Soviet Union).

People in apparatchik-driven open source projects anno 2021 should take note and draw the obvious parallels.

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#4

I was born in the USSR, and I have read a great deal about this period (and have read works of all writers mentioned), so i think i have a very clear pictire of how things were at that time... And that's why I'm very opposed to today's 'woke' culture, because it is so much alike the totalitarian USSR society that caused so much harm. Sure, some of the proclaimed values are different, but methods are almost the same.

I was also born in USSR and old enough for Komsomol when it disintegrated.

Nope, it wasn't much similar to woke culture, mainly because it was rather rigid top-down command hierarchy of values. The current brands of values and socialist morals were rationalized in the Central Committee, then propagated through Republics committees, then oblasts and regions down to town administrations into individual organizations, factories and schools (and sometimes police stations).

In other words it was very much the opposite direction. Now you can liken woke culture to mob rule (tho I think that'd be exaggerating) or whatever, point is it's nothing like the Soviet system.

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#5
I enjoyed the article until the inevitable comparison to current trends. It's like reading a retro article. "Holding people in power to account is EXACTLY WHAT THE COMMUNISTS WOULD Do. DON'T ASK HOW. Smoke Lucky Strike Brand cigarettes for that healthy asbestos glow. Vote Mondale. "

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#6
post #4

I was born in the USSR, and I have read a great deal about this period (and have read works of all writers mentioned), so i think i have a very clear pictire of how things were at that time... And that's why I'm very opposed to today's 'woke' culture, because it is so much alike the totalitarian USSR society that caused so much harm. Sure, some of the proclaimed values are different, but methods are almost the same.

I was also born in USSR and old enough for Komsomol when it disintegrated. Nope, it wasn't much similar to woke culture, mainly because it was rather rigid top-down command hierarchy of values. The current brands of values and socialist morals were rationalized in the Central Committee, then propagated through Republics committees, then oblasts and regions down to town administrations into individual organizations, f…

I wasn't talking about how did these two systems come up with their values, but about how similar they are in enforcing them.

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#7
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was also born in USSR and old enough for Komsomol when it disintegrated. Nope, it wasn't much similar to woke culture, mainly because it was rather rigid top-down command hierarchy of values. The current brands of values and socialist morals were rationalized in the Central Committee, then propagated through Republics committees, then oblasts and regions down to town administrations into individual organizations, f…

I wasn't talking about how did these two systems come up with their values, but about how similar they are in enforcing them.

Gulag? Forced psychiatric internment?

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#8
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't talking about how did these two systems come up with their values, but about how similar they are in enforcing them.

Gulag? Forced psychiatric internment?

Advancing in society by demonstrating your commitment to the proclaimed values, through ratting out your less committed neighbors, or even falsely accusing them of being less committed.

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#9
post #4

I was born in the USSR, and I have read a great deal about this period (and have read works of all writers mentioned), so i think i have a very clear pictire of how things were at that time... And that's why I'm very opposed to today's 'woke' culture, because it is so much alike the totalitarian USSR society that caused so much harm. Sure, some of the proclaimed values are different, but methods are almost the same.

I was also born in USSR and old enough for Komsomol when it disintegrated. Nope, it wasn't much similar to woke culture, mainly because it was rather rigid top-down command hierarchy of values. The current brands of values and socialist morals were rationalized in the Central Committee, then propagated through Republics committees, then oblasts and regions down to town administrations into individual organizations, f…

There are bottom-up movements like BLM, but mostly the woke culture is corporate and "elite" endorsed and therefore top-down.

What the academic "elites" are trying to achieve is clear: The topics create work for the soft sciences and even after a potential revolution their jobs would be safe.

What the corporations are expecting is less clear. They are doing well under a model of capitalism with a woke branding.

A bit of what China is doing with its curious capitalism/nepotism branded as communism model, though I don't think that is exactly the goal of U.S. corporations.

They are doing fine with the current political theater. If the lower classes in the U.S. wake up to actual class warfare, they may find that they overplayed their hand though.

Re: Howling in Unison: The Soviet Writers' Union

#10
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was also born in USSR and old enough for Komsomol when it disintegrated. Nope, it wasn't much similar to woke culture, mainly because it was rather rigid top-down command hierarchy of values. The current brands of values and socialist morals were rationalized in the Central Committee, then propagated through Republics committees, then oblasts and regions down to town administrations into individual organizations, f…

I wasn't talking about how did these two systems come up with their values, but about how similar they are in enforcing them.

Any grassroots attempt to challenge the system values (what you would call "woke") was met with the full repressive force of the system. It only softened in the last 3-4 years of decay but even then was still sporadically enforced.
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