This isn’t the first time I’ve heard some alleged former citizen of an Eastern Bloc country bring up the lack of imported fruits, and I always found it odd that they choose to blame the communist government instead of, idk, the fact banana republics were controlled by imperialists and probably insanely hard to come by? Regardless, it also feels like a petty caveat to throw onto a weak argument about why I should feel bad for them having grown up in a country with free housing, low unemployment, free education, and free healthcare (or damn near free, anyway). Because they didn’t get Star Wars or oranges often?
I worked at a hospice (I guess you could call it that?) here in the States, and this nurse was from Romania. I’ve noticed a trend with “former communist citizens” randomly working in “I was from communist country” into interactions for some kind of sympathy, I guess? There was no rhyme or reason for it, but while talking to her, she brought up she hadn’t had bananas when growing up in Romania because they were a communist country. When I suggested it might have been because a lot of bananas were grown in American-controlled regions and the US probably refused to trade them to communist countries, she looked really confused at me, like she hadn’t expected me to actually give a sensible reason for it. I’ve also talked to a comrade who worked as a psych student and had to deal with an Eastern European entrepreneur who would do the same thing: work in something about how he didn’t have access to (X), blame it on communism, laugh, and wait for some kind of positive affirmation about it, then get uncomfortable or confused if whoever they’re talking to doesn’t care.
I sense a pattern, especially when I read articles from other wealthy or well-off immigrants from socialist countries. A sort of exaggeration of hardship that, in a vacuum, looks bad, but with context undermines its severity. But I only know a few cases, so maybe it’s just coincidence. Then again, if I were to move and live comfortably in a socialist country, I’d probably tell the citizens how much shit was wrong here in the States, even unprompted.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard some alleged former citizen of an Eastern Bloc country bring up the lack of imported fruits, and I always found it odd that they choose to blame the communist government instead of, idk, the fact banana republics were controlled by imperialists and probably insanely hard to come by? Regardless, it also feels like a petty caveat to throw onto a weak argument about why I should feel bad for them having grown up in a country with free housing, low unemployment, free education, and free healthcare (or damn near free, anyway). Because they didn’t get Star Wars or oranges often?
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I worked at a hospice (I guess you could call it that?) here in the States, and this nurse was from Romania. I’ve noticed a trend with “former communist citizens” randomly working in “I was from communist country” into interactions for some kind of sympathy, I guess? There was no rhyme or reason for it, but while talking to her, she brought up she hadn’t had bananas when growing up in Romania because they were a communist country. When I suggested it might have been because a lot of bananas were grown in American-controlled regions and the US probably refused to trade them to communist countries, she looked really confused at me, like she hadn’t expected me to actually give a sensible reason for it. I’ve also talked to a comrade who worked as a psych student and had to deal with an Eastern European entrepreneur who would do the same thing: work in something about how he didn’t have access to (X), blame it on communism, laugh, and wait for some kind of positive affirmation about it, then get uncomfortable or confused if whoever they’re talking to doesn’t care.
I sense a pattern, especially when I read articles from other wealthy or well-off immigrants from socialist countries. A sort of exaggeration of hardship that, in a vacuum, looks bad, but with context undermines its severity. But I only know a few cases, so maybe it’s just coincidence. Then again, if I were to move and live comfortably in a socialist country, I’d probably tell the citizens how much shit was wrong here in the States, even unprompted.