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In absolute terms you are right. In relative terms well in east block in 80s you were not expecting to have anything on the shelves when you went to the shop.
by ozim 5y ago
In absolute terms you are right.
In relative terms well in east block in 80s you were not expecting to have anything on the shelves when you went to the shop. You were expecting to wipe with newspaper for rest of your life and sometimes if you are lucky get rolls of TP.
When we live nowadays, we plan that we go to the shop and we will have it.
Like a car example, your father was not planning a road trip next year because he knew he is not going to get a car.
Nowadays people might plan a road trip make arrangements and then be surprised by car shortage - who is losing more? I expect that person who made arrangements for a road trip and then got nothing because there are no ICUs to make cars.
- xyzelement 5y agoOn one level I agree with you: happiness = reality - expectations. However what I am saying is that we don't actually have real impact on our lives today. From what I can tell, nobody actually failed to get a car and had to cancel their road trip (to use your example)
- raspasov 5y agoPerhaps surprised that they can't make the trip in the car with the specifically selected Premium Leather Seats and the Piano Black trim within the next 2 weeks? :) In all seriousness, that's not entirely true. From first person accounts I've heard, in the early 80s and throughout the 70s everything was more or less OK in the Soviet block. Of course the selection was not as great as in the West, but essential 20th century conveniences were available. In the late 80s things really started to fall apart and it became painfully obvious that their economic model is not competitive and ultimately unsustainable.