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Sure. But just to think -- a few sets of underwear were something that would be considered among things that you need to have gifted by the government, along wi

by Fins 8y ago

Sure. But just to think -- a few sets of underwear were something that would be considered among things that you need to have gifted by the government, along with a car or a house. Can you imagine John Glenn being presented with some underwear in the White House?

avmich 8y ago
I don't quite see what's wrong with that part of Gagarin's award. Maybe some items could be of higher comparative value in USSR than they were elsewhere. Military uniform is usually provided by government, and it's not far from that to some element of underwear. What does it mean, in your opinion?
- Fins 8y ago
  Only that it wasn't some martian silk underwear embroidered with gold and unobtainium threads. Just regular underwear, but even that was something that your regular Soviet citizen had great trouble finding. I can believe that those were of a higher quality than goods provided for regular citizens (elites in the USSR always had access to higher quality, and usually cheaper, goods) but seriously, isn't there something wrong with a picture where a country spends billions on a vanity project but can't even make it so that a well-paid fighter pilot can just go and buy himself whatever underwear he wants?!
  - ivan_gammel 8y ago
    There's definitely something wrong with the picture, where a small part of reward is taken as a proof of something. For a single flight Gagarin got more than $100k in today's money, plus a house, a car and some clothing including underwear which was more like a supply than a reward.
    - Fins 8y ago
      Umm, no, I think it is the other way around (it's not like it were a lifetime supply of underwear, although even that would have been pretty weird). There is definitely something wrong with a picture where several pairs of underwear are listed together with a car, house, etc., as a reward (yes, reward) for extraordinary achievement. The other problem being, of course, that whether you were given $100K, or a million, you couldn't really go buy a car or a house anyway. And, apparently, underwear or a decent coat either.
  - avmich 8y ago
    You're exaggerating :) underwear wasn't that problematic to find in early-1960s USSR. As for spending billions on vanity project, the manned flights have reasons other than political. Check here - http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html .
    - Fins 8y ago
      Decent underwear was not that easy to find even in the 80's. There certainly are reasons for space exploration. In a country where a year after Gagarin's flight army shot unarmed civilians who were demonstrating asking government to give them some food, it is far harder to justify.

by Fins 8y ago

avmich 8y ago

I don't quite see what's wrong with that part of Gagarin's award. Maybe some items could be of higher comparative value in USSR than they were elsewhere. Military uniform is usually provided by government, and it's not far from that to some element of underwear. What does it mean, in your opinion?

Fins 8y ago
Only that it wasn't some martian silk underwear embroidered with gold and unobtainium threads. Just regular underwear, but even that was something that your regular Soviet citizen had great trouble finding. I can believe that those were of a higher quality than goods provided for regular citizens (elites in the USSR always had access to higher quality, and usually cheaper, goods) but seriously, isn't there something wrong with a picture where a country spends billions on a vanity project but can't even make it so that a well-paid fighter pilot can just go and buy himself whatever underwear he wants?!
- ivan_gammel 8y ago
  There's definitely something wrong with the picture, where a small part of reward is taken as a proof of something. For a single flight Gagarin got more than $100k in today's money, plus a house, a car and some clothing including underwear which was more like a supply than a reward.
  - Fins 8y ago
    Umm, no, I think it is the other way around (it's not like it were a lifetime supply of underwear, although even that would have been pretty weird). There is definitely something wrong with a picture where several pairs of underwear are listed together with a car, house, etc., as a reward (yes, reward) for extraordinary achievement. The other problem being, of course, that whether you were given $100K, or a million, you couldn't really go buy a car or a house anyway. And, apparently, underwear or a decent coat either.
- avmich 8y ago
  You're exaggerating :) underwear wasn't that problematic to find in early-1960s USSR. As for spending billions on vanity project, the manned flights have reasons other than political. Check here - http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html .
  - Fins 8y ago
    Decent underwear was not that easy to find even in the 80's. There certainly are reasons for space exploration. In a country where a year after Gagarin's flight army shot unarmed civilians who were demonstrating asking government to give them some food, it is far harder to justify.