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In the 30 years since switching away from Communism, how far have the Former Soviet Union being Russia, the whole Eastern Bloc, the Central Asian Stans come in terms of luxury, creature comforts, and splendor in everyday life?
Along communism comes this stereotype of being drab, and dull, monotonous, bland, and very simplistic way of life, bare bones, bare minimum nonchalant existence. Reason is often touted as no variety, little self expression, no motivation to innovate, or seeking out better and better substitutes to make oneself and others around more happy.
I watched Red Penguins recently, and it looks extremely miserable and boring by American standards. This is taking back in the early 90s. I would not spend money to visit. There was nothing to see. Youtube nowadays has a lot of vloggers, and tour promotions, and Russia looks much better.
I always hear great things about Prague in Czechia. A lot of bachelor parties there. When did Prague become destination bachelor party place? Could not have been before 1989.
What about East Germany/East Berlin? Did it take long for them to return to and match West Germany?
Russia has the benefit of Siberian natural resources to fuel their growth. What has Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania done to bring themselves out of stone age lifestyles?
Here is a little vid showcasing some Russian luxury.
It is night and day for most of the former USSR, probably only Turkmenistan, maybe Tajikistan, and Belarus to a certain extent, are kind of frozen, or regressed in many aspects.
It is night and day for most of the former USSR, probably only Turkmenistan, maybe Tajikistan, and Belarus to a certain extent, are kind of frozen, or regressed in many aspects.
I think the "stans" went down the tube actually comparably to the Soviet standards.
Well Turkmenistan is a dictatorship and very isolated from the rest of the world, however they do have a lot of natural gas on the Caspian coast, and their capital, Ashgabat, is built almost entirely in white marble (well at least the newer central areas) but other than that not sure how “luxurious” the place is.
Easy. The Russians built their infrasructure, and left it there for them. Armenia, for example, has a GDP below some African countries. But they have a power grid, running water, paved streets, 100% literacy, modern hospitals, trained professionals, mechanized agriculture, light industries - already there. They didn't have to build up from the grass huts and water jugs left behind by the British and French profiteers. The Russians, for all their faults real and imagined, thought those kinds of things would be assets someday.
It's a night and day for Poland too. Did you heard that Poland is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank and ranks 21nd worldwide in terms of GDP (nominal) as well as 40th in the 2020 Ease of Doing Business Index?
That should give you some ideas about Poland now.
In 2020, Poland's GDP contracted by “only” 3.5%, significantly less than the OECD average of 5.5%. The Polish economy was also performing very well before the pandemic and as the largest economy in the region, with a strong talent pool and a new generation of successful startups like Booksy, Brainly and Docplanner... is becoming an important European tech ecosystem. Unemployment, at 3.2% is the lowest in the EU according to the latest Eurostat figures. https://www.euronews.com/2019/06/25/...nreported-view https://www.dw.com/en/germany-eyes-p...wth/a-56659483
It's a night and day for Poland too. Did you heard that Poland is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank and ranks 21nd worldwide in terms of GDP (nominal) as well as 40th in the 2020 Ease of Doing Business Index?
That should give you some ideas about Poland now.
In 2020, Poland's GDP contracted by “only” 3.5%, significantly less than the OECD average of 5.5%. The Polish economy was also performing very well before the pandemic and as the largest economy in the region, with a strong talent pool and a new generation of successful startups like Booksy, Brainly and Docplanner... is becoming an important European tech ecosystem. Unemployment, at 3.2% is the lowest in the EU according to the latest Eurostat figures. https://www.euronews.com/2019/06/25/...nreported-view https://www.dw.com/en/germany-eyes-p...wth/a-56659483
Maybe for some such as Russia who are big and populous enough to be independent but for the ones in the eu, it's like going into a black hole...you can't say "look at the bright sight" (anyone who isn't retarded and knows what a black hole is will get it).
In the 30 years since switching away from Communism, how far have the Former Soviet Union being Russia, the whole Eastern Bloc, the Central Asian Stans come in terms of luxury, creature comforts, and splendor in everyday life?
Along communism comes this stereotype of being drab, and dull, monotonous, bland, and very simplistic way of life, bare bones, bare minimum nonchalant existence. Reason is often touted as no variety, little self expression, no motivation to innovate, or seeking out better and better substitutes to make oneself and others around more happy.
I watched Red Penguins recently, and it looks extremely miserable and boring by American standards. This is taking back in the early 90s. I would not spend money to visit. There was nothing to see. Youtube nowadays has a lot of vloggers, and tour promotions, and Russia looks much better.
I always hear great things about Prague in Czechia. A lot of bachelor parties there. When did Prague become destination bachelor party place? Could not have been before 1989.
What about East Germany/East Berlin? Did it take long for them to return to and match West Germany?
Russia has the benefit of Siberian natural resources to fuel their growth. What has Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania done to bring themselves out of stone age lifestyles?
Here is a little vid showcasing some Russian luxury.
.
I almost feel like it's pointless to try to talk to you about these countries, because the old stereotypes are firmly entrenched in your mind, so you wouldn't believe anything positive anyone would want to say. Your questions border on the absurd: "splendor in everyday life"?? How much "splendor" does your everyday life have?! And who decided "splendor" was the metric by which a life well-lived should be evaluated? And to this, you add "batchelor parties"?? These are embarrassingly superficial interests and values you seem to live by, and judge other countries by.
Life is what you make of it, OP. When I was a student in Leningrad (aka St. Pete's), I had a blast! I'd spend one day on most weekends sailing on the Gulf of Finland. Have you ever been sailing, OP? Most Americans haven't. Such drab little lives they live. I'd go biking with a younger cousin of mine, whose family somehow scored an apartment in the middle of a large beautiful park in town. I brought a frisbee, and taught him how to throw it, so we'd spend time playing frisbee on weekends. We went to a couple of shows at the local planetarium--I LOVE planetariums! Do you know what a planetarium is, OP? Most Americans don't. Back then they were very rare in the US; only a few cities had them. One weekend we took a hydrofoil down the river to Peter's palace, and played in the fountains, and yes--we brought a frisbee to toss around through the extensive park-like grounds. Any palaces in your neighborhood, OP? No? What a shame. I don't know how you endure your lackluster existence. Have you ever travelled by hydrofoil? In Russia it's a common mode of transportation in riverside cities. Or was, BACK in the, BACK in the USSR, as Paul McCartney crooned. They're a little less common now. The factory stopped making them, unfortunately. That's progress for you.
The best part about Russia is the quality of conversations. The tradition of being hosted in someone's kitchen with tea and local munchies, which sometimes include red caviar spread on bread like butter, is an experience not to be missed. The art of conversation is alive and well in Russia, and always has been. In America, it''s been dead and buried for many generations. And it's so much worse now, that all this personal technology is at people's fingertips 24/7. People have forgotten how to even have a conversation, even about something banal, let alone about more intellectual topics.
And you said what? There's nothing to see? BTW, much of what those bloggers show you was there in the 90's, and the 80's, and the 70's. There's always been a lot to see and do, for those with any imagination and initiative. it's a vast country; saying there's nothing to see is ludicrous. A statement like that is more a reflection on the impoverished state of mind of the people who say (and believe) that, than it is a n accurate description of reality.
But yes, parts of Russia have gained some creature comforts, like air conditioning. Aside from that, the apartments haven't changed, which is a good thing, IMO. American apartments have shrunk in the last 40 years or so, and the construction quality only gets worse. Russian apartment buildings are very well-insulated for sound as well as for cold weather. And there's none of this bussiness of reducing the kitchen to a mere corner station in a combination living/dining room, like what's become all too common in the US. (Much cheaper to build, and therefore--to buy, you know. It seems that Americans can no longer afford to have a separate kitchen.) It's sad, really.
And what's this, about Romania being in the stone age? Prince Charles was so enchanted by it on his first visit, he bought land there and set himself up with an estate, and set up some small businesses. Clearly he sees something in the country you don't. he sees a very different type of splendor, than the flashy kind you seem enamored of. Romania is a beautiful country that's preserved a lot of its age-old traditions. Not really your speed though, except maybe here and there in the larger cities, which I tend to avoid.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 09-08-2021 at 03:46 PM..
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And who decided "splendor" was the metric by which a life well-lived should be evaluated? And to this, you add "batchelor parties"?? 
These are embarrassingly superficial interests and values you seem to live by, and judge other countries by. 
