Post by Jaga on Sept 24, 2010 5:30:48 GMT -7
It would be interesting to hear from members of the forum who grew up under communism. Aside from the propaganda on both sides, did you experience a feeling of moral superiority over the west? Were there any other cultural feelings that have been lost in time?
Kai
It is hard to say that we experienced the feeling of moral superiority always, especially when the economy fell down in 80s. But there is something to it.
Until now, when I talk to people here I stress that we had a good education system. Education (not propaganda) was important in Eastern Europe. Yes, there was some ideology and one could not talk whole clean history legally, still.
I remember the history and politics lectures at the university which attracted the crowd since they were talking about real history. As a comparison, in America probably only lectures about how to get free money would attract a big crowd ;D
In Eastern Europe scientists, humanists, teachers, spiritual figures were respected. We think that in America just people who are successful and have money are respected the most.
The prosperity theology (these folks who thinks that big cars and lots of money means that God loves you) would not be successful in EE.
Also art, theatre, poetry etc were very important and popular in Poland, especially in 80 after Solidarity was squashed, the theatres spectacles had a special flavour, since they were talking about difficult subjects.
The cinema of the 80s was also very interesting - so called "kino moralnego niepoloju" (cinema of the moral distress" was talking about the dilemma of dealing with social-political reality of the official communism and the reality.