The cartoon "Polygon"

[Susexx]

Anti-war movie. Made in USSR. Old cartoon.

[krashkart]

Interesting.

[Platapus]

that's a pretty creepy video.

[UnderseaLcpl]

I have a question for you, Susexx, if you would be so kind. Why is it that so many Soviet films are so fatalistic? I've watched a number of Soviet war films, anti-war films, and even dramas and the like, but it seems like everyone always dies in the end. Does no-one in Russia have a sense of optimism?

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I have a question for you, Susexx, if you would be so kind. Why is it that so many Soviet films are so fatalistic? I've watched a number of Soviet war films, anti-war films, and even dramas and the like, but it seems like everyone always dies in the end. Does no-one in Russia have a sense of optimism?

If you lived in the old Soviet Union, would you have any sense of optimism?

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by Platapus

If you lived in the old Soviet Union, would you have any sense of optimism?

I don't know, I never lived in the Soviet Union. I've heard some former Soviets who hated the Socialist Republics and some who pine for the lost Union. I have no kind of context with which to understand their mentality. That's why I'm asking the Russian, numnuts

[Happy Times]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I don't know, I never lived in the Soviet Union. I've heard some former Soviets who hated the Socialist Republics and some who pine for the lost Union. I have no kind of context with which to understand their mentality. That's why I'm asking the Russian, numnuts

My personal observations.

You can never fully understand them if you dont learn the language and live there.

You can try by reading their history especially from the time and end of the Mongol rule.
They are fatalistic and it seems to come from very tough times endured.

Individual Russians are usually very warm and welcoming persons.
But to be true friends with them is usually not so easy and they have a small but very loyal inner circle.
They really only trust these people.

Its when they are addressed as a nation or a group they are often a pain in the butt.
They have a practical sense about violence and war that conflicts with the western view.

They are often very curious about the outside world and its views towards them.
They are usually very proud of being Russian but still periodically have low esteem about themselfs.

All this combined explains a lot of the fatalistic attitude, dark humor and acceptance for authoritarian rule by small cliques.

[Reece]

Originally Posted by Platapus

that's a pretty creepy video.

More like nuts!!

[UnderseaLcpl]

Thanks for those observations, HT.

[Susexx]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I have a question for you, Susexx, if you would be so kind. Why is it that so many Soviet films are so fatalistic? I've watched a number of Soviet war films, anti-war films, and even dramas and the like, but it seems like everyone always dies in the end. Does no-one in Russia have a sense of optimism?

When there was Soviet Union not it is necessary was to be the optimist or the pessimist, all was excellent. Factories worked, people lived, worked, fell in love, died. A normal rhythm of a life. There was to spit on a dollar exchange rate, cost of oil knew nobody, to serve in army was honourable and it is interesting. Institutes let out the best in the world of doctors, builders, military... And films and books with a bad ending were that people understood that all this paradise not simply so, it can soon come to an end. Then to the power has come to bitch-Gorbachev both simple and peace people became slaves, yes slaves... I would like to live further in Soviet Union and to accept from Europe and America only good and to share only good, without these idiotic Cold Wars.

p/s The Russian person always in an image of any barbarian is a pity to me that. In all politicians are guilty, they and create images of people. History repeats itself and I hope there will be still a revolution and will live again well.

[kiwi_2005]

Its always the pessimistic ones you have to be weary off. When I think of russians the first thing that comes to mind is WW2 and how they pushed back the fascist out of their motherland and marched right into Germany like true conqueror's. If that aint optimism then what is?

At Allied conferences the squat, pockmarked, non intellectual Stalin looked unimpressive. But he was a wily negotiator. Britain's Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden wrote: 'If I had to pick a team for going into a conference room, Stalin would be my first choice...."He never stormed, he was seldom even irritated. Hooded, calm, never raising his voice...he got what he wanted.

[Susexx]

By the way, if optimism that for comparison is necessary esteem German and Russian fairy tales, optimism will suffice for 100 years.

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I don't know, I never lived in the Soviet Union. I've heard some former Soviets who hated the Socialist Republics and some who pine for the lost Union. I have no kind of context with which to understand their mentality. That's why I'm asking the Russian, numnuts

Basically take everything Susexx describes and reverse it, that is how lifein the soviet union looked like from this side, the side of an occupied country that "voulentarily" joined the brotherhood of socialist republics.
To serve in the soviet army was not a privilege, but at times a death sentence, the conditions in the army, as my uncle who served in Afghanistan describes, were horrible at the best of times. My father had a bit of a better time in the navy.
While the factories worked they produced useless crap. People saw it as a duty to steal from the places they worked at. No one was motivated.
Freedom as such did not really exist, while there were elections for some
positions only party approved people ran, and even then there was a clear favorite who had to win. 99.8% of the population voted, yay.
The soviet onion did not fall apart because Gorbatchev was put in power, it was a sinking ship well before that, the economy was not able to sustain itself because it produced items of no value on the internal or external market, the farming industry had huge setbacks as really, really stupid mistakes were made in crop engineering which failed spectacularly. If anything people were slaves before the collapse of the onion, after that we do havea lot more freedom and will not be shot for having an opinion, wont be dragged to the kgb building basement to be tortured.

Most people who miss the soviet union never lived in it, or lived in a position where they were more equal than others. In short it was petty ****, not quite the hellhole the western media made it out to be but just as far from the paradise the ironically named Pravda made it out to be either. The only way to make it was to adopt a fatalistic view of life and develop a darksense of humour that goes with that.

[Susexx]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

Basically take everything Susexx describes and reverse it, that is how lifein the soviet union looked like from this side, the side of an occupied country that "voulentarily" joined the brotherhood of socialist republics.
To serve in the soviet army was not a privilege, but at times a death sentence, the conditions in the army, as my uncle who served in Afghanistan describes, were horrible at the best of times. My father had a bit of a better time in the navy.
While the factories worked they produced useless crap. People saw it as a duty to steal from the places they worked at. No one was motivated.
Freedom as such did not really exist, while there were elections for some
positions only party approved people ran, and even then there was a clear favorite who had to win. 99.8% of the population voted, yay.
The soviet onion did not fall apart because Gorbatchev was put in power, it was a sinking ship well before that, the economy was not able to sustain itself because it produced items of no value on the internal or external market, the farming industry had huge setbacks as really, really stupid mistakes were made in crop engineering which failed spectacularly. If anything people were slaves before the collapse of the onion, after that we do havea lot more freedom and will not be shot for having an opinion, wont be dragged to the kgb building basement to be tortured.

Most people who miss the soviet union never lived in it, or lived in a position where they were more equal than others. In short it was petty ****, not quite the hellhole the western media made it out to be but just as far from the paradise the ironically named Pravda made it out to be either. The only way to make it was to adopt a fatalistic view of life and develop a darksense of humour that goes with that.

To whom in the Union was badly, to that and now in independence is disgustingly. To me of 40 years and I saw that for the country was and in what it has turned. I recommend to watch TV less, it knowingly name "zombie-box". Give we will not water each other with a dirt, especially as to history of our former "general" country. It seems to me not absolutely correctly.

[antikristuseke]

I am sorry, but I find you very difficult to understand could you please rephrase. What I posted does not come from tv, but from people in my immediate and extended family, coworkers and my own experiences.

As far as Estonia is concerned things are a lot better now than they were before. I am not trying to throw dirt on you, if that is what you ment, I am just giving you my perspective on a period of history.