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As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union/Russia, this brings back a TON of nostalgic memories. The entire aesthetic is triggering (in a positive way) I don't

As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union/Russia, this brings back a TON of nostalgic memories. The entire aesthetic is triggering (in a positive way) I don't take a jaded approach to the idea that there is an intersection between my childhood innocence and state propaganda. Plenty of North American traditions I see my wife and friends feeling nostalgia for are also based on church or state "ideals" that become beloved traditions over time. You only call the Soviet ones "propaganda" because the USSR was the enemy.

cedex12 8y ago
> The entire aesthetic Do you have any other examples matching such an aesthetic? I quite like it too.
- c-smile 8y ago
  Here is collection of Soviet post cards for International Women's Day celebrated in USSR as Mother's day. https://kulturologia.ru/blogs/080315/23587/ https://kulturologia.ru/blogs/080315/23587/ https://swalker.org/other/1342-sovetskie-otkrytki-na-8-marta.html https://swalker.org/other/1342-sovetskie-otkrytki-na-8-marta...
  - Fins 8y ago
    You probably meant "celebrated in lieu of Mothers' Day" -- March 8th has always been advertised, as it were, as "women's holiday" in USSR, there were no Mothers' (or Fathers') day per se.
    - c-smile 8y ago
      Internally this was precisely Mother's day. As 23rd of February, "defender of the Fatherland Day" was Father's day as all us, men, were liable for military service. I am for example Lieutenant-reserve of USSR's Strategic Rocket Forces ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Missile_Troops https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Missile_Troops )
      - Fins 8y ago
        I got out of serving by going to a college with Военная кафедра [0], but I think we're saying pretty much the same thing -- USA and rest (or most, anyway) of the Western world has non-political Motrher's and Fatrher's day, completely separate from the International Women's Day (let alone Defender of the Fatherland day, which is obviously USSR-specific), while back in the USSR we had a generic women's/men's holidays tacked onto March 8th and Feb. 23rd respectively. I don't remember them ever being even positioned as specifically Mother's/Father's day; I am sure that you have also given gifts to your female classmates even in elementary school on March 8th, and received some on Feb. 23rd, even though becoming a parent while in school was an extremely rare occurrence. [0] For the benefit of those who did not have to deal with it, something similar to ROTC in the US, but available only in some colleges/universities, and mandatory in those where it were available. Instead of being drafted for 2/3 years upon hitting the draft age, you'd receive training there, spend some reasonably short time in the armed forces, and get a reserve officer's rank.
mc32 8y ago
Propaganda is Advertising in the erstwhile Eastern bloc and the Axis powers when thry existed. In other words our advertising is their propaganda.
- sorokod 8y ago
  I think that a value on a sliding scale 1..10 is determined by the extent to which the package being sold has ideological/political content. 1. For good time call .... 10. War bonds: https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb25605696/_2.jpg https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb25605696/_2.jpg
- dahfizz 8y ago
  Disagree. Advertising tries to sell you something. Propaganda doesn't try to get you to buy things, it tries to force you to think/feel certain ways. They're similar media in a lot of ways but very different in thier purpose and outcome.
- kiliantics 8y ago
  The father of "public relations", Edward Bernays, basically said as much.
tlogan 8y ago
It is called propaganda because it is advertising which is paid and sponsored by the state. Also propaganda does not try to encourage the sale of a product, service or idea. Propaganda is not bad per see (like in this case - it is actually very nice). And also this is not "Santa" - it is Дед Мороз (father frost).
- zzzcpan 8y ago
  If you want to think of propaganda in terms of advertising, it's sort of judgement advertising. Doesn't really matter who pays for it. The purpose is to not let people make their own judgements on certain things. While the purpose of advertising products is to inform public about existence of products. Using propaganda in advertisement is usually illegal too.
  - lsc 8y ago
    >the purpose of advertising products is to inform public about existence of products. Really? It's not like any of us don't know of the existence of Coca-Cola; I think that the vast majority of advertising we encounter on a daily basis is for products we know about already (even though this is probably less true now than it was towards the beginning of my life.) > Using propaganda in advertisement is usually illegal too. citation?
- Fins 8y ago
  Grandfather Frost, to be pedantic.
- c-smile 8y ago
  Even in Soviet Union no one would bother to print post cards that no one will buy. So these are of popular demand at that time.
  - Fins 8y ago
    That could also be explained by there not really being many other options. I don't think too many people really wanted to send postcards with Lenins and red flags for holidays, but if this is all you have, you'll buy that. By a similar token, Brezhnev's "memoirs" (Малая Земля etc.) were published in millions, but I have never heard of anyone who wanted to buy, let alone read them.

cedex12 8y ago

> The entire aesthetic Do you have any other examples matching such an aesthetic? I quite like it too.

c-smile 8y ago
Here is collection of Soviet post cards for International Women's Day celebrated in USSR as Mother's day. https://kulturologia.ru/blogs/080315/23587/ https://kulturologia.ru/blogs/080315/23587/ https://swalker.org/other/1342-sovetskie-otkrytki-na-8-marta.html https://swalker.org/other/1342-sovetskie-otkrytki-na-8-marta...
- Fins 8y ago
  You probably meant "celebrated in lieu of Mothers' Day" -- March 8th has always been advertised, as it were, as "women's holiday" in USSR, there were no Mothers' (or Fathers') day per se.
  - c-smile 8y ago
    Internally this was precisely Mother's day. As 23rd of February, "defender of the Fatherland Day" was Father's day as all us, men, were liable for military service. I am for example Lieutenant-reserve of USSR's Strategic Rocket Forces ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Missile_Troops https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Missile_Troops )
    - Fins 8y ago
      I got out of serving by going to a college with Военная кафедра [0], but I think we're saying pretty much the same thing -- USA and rest (or most, anyway) of the Western world has non-political Motrher's and Fatrher's day, completely separate from the International Women's Day (let alone Defender of the Fatherland day, which is obviously USSR-specific), while back in the USSR we had a generic women's/men's holidays tacked onto March 8th and Feb. 23rd respectively. I don't remember them ever being even positioned as specifically Mother's/Father's day; I am sure that you have also given gifts to your female classmates even in elementary school on March 8th, and received some on Feb. 23rd, even though becoming a parent while in school was an extremely rare occurrence. [0] For the benefit of those who did not have to deal with it, something similar to ROTC in the US, but available only in some colleges/universities, and mandatory in those where it were available. Instead of being drafted for 2/3 years upon hitting the draft age, you'd receive training there, spend some reasonably short time in the armed forces, and get a reserve officer's rank.

mc32 8y ago

Propaganda is Advertising in the erstwhile Eastern bloc and the Axis powers when thry existed. In other words our advertising is their propaganda.

sorokod 8y ago
I think that a value on a sliding scale 1..10 is determined by the extent to which the package being sold has ideological/political content. 1. For good time call .... 10. War bonds: https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb25605696/_2.jpg https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/object/bb25605696/_2.jpg
dahfizz 8y ago
Disagree. Advertising tries to sell you something. Propaganda doesn't try to get you to buy things, it tries to force you to think/feel certain ways. They're similar media in a lot of ways but very different in thier purpose and outcome.
kiliantics 8y ago
The father of "public relations", Edward Bernays, basically said as much.

tlogan 8y ago

It is called propaganda because it is advertising which is paid and sponsored by the state. Also propaganda does not try to encourage the sale of a product, service or idea. Propaganda is not bad per see (like in this case - it is actually very nice). And also this is not "Santa" - it is Дед Мороз (father frost).

zzzcpan 8y ago
If you want to think of propaganda in terms of advertising, it's sort of judgement advertising. Doesn't really matter who pays for it. The purpose is to not let people make their own judgements on certain things. While the purpose of advertising products is to inform public about existence of products. Using propaganda in advertisement is usually illegal too.
- lsc 8y ago
  >the purpose of advertising products is to inform public about existence of products. Really? It's not like any of us don't know of the existence of Coca-Cola; I think that the vast majority of advertising we encounter on a daily basis is for products we know about already (even though this is probably less true now than it was towards the beginning of my life.) > Using propaganda in advertisement is usually illegal too. citation?
Fins 8y ago
Grandfather Frost, to be pedantic.
c-smile 8y ago
Even in Soviet Union no one would bother to print post cards that no one will buy. So these are of popular demand at that time.
- Fins 8y ago
  That could also be explained by there not really being many other options. I don't think too many people really wanted to send postcards with Lenins and red flags for holidays, but if this is all you have, you'll buy that. By a similar token, Brezhnev's "memoirs" (Малая Земля etc.) were published in millions, but I have never heard of anyone who wanted to buy, let alone read them.