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A well-written piece. TL;DR: African-American prodigy learns racism not a thing in Stalin's USSR, sings his and communism's praises. Stalin rewards him for hi
by mLuby 7y ago
A well-written piece.
TL;DR:
African-American prodigy learns racism not a thing in Stalin's USSR, sings his and communism's praises. Stalin rewards him for his continuous loyalty. After Stalin's death and horrors are revealed, he attempts suicide and is emotionally broken, but never recants. Today, his alma mater is celebrating his impressive accomplishments but ignoring his history with communism and Stalin.
- lonelappde 7y agoRacism was of course a huge thing in the USSR, but racism against blacks was not, because there were so dew blacks that blacks were a curiosity, not an oppressed class.
- i_am_proteus 7y agoUSSR also used the fact of racism in the US (principally racism toward black people) as a talking point on the evils of capitalism. Simultaneously, USSR was enforcing its own brand of Russian nationalism in the outer republics. But the asymmetry in media freedom between East and West made this non-obvious as it was happening.
- twic 7y agoAn Irish friend told me the same thing about rural Ireland.
- DataWorker 7y agoThe most useful useful idiots aren’t idiots.