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It might not be pronounced out loud, but in deep taiga you could meet with people that you would rather not want to meet with. Which could end with bad outcome.

It might not be pronounced out loud, but in deep taiga you could meet with people that you would rather not want to meet with. Which could end with bad outcome. I don't think that chances of being eaten by bear are much higher. Bears don't really hunt people with very rare exceptions. And guns could definitely help there as well.

retrac 4y ago
In the early days, even just a humble farmer might think you're a space alien, or worse, an American. When Yuri Gagarin's flight re-entered he ejected and landed a little off the target zone. The first people who encountered him were perhaps a little apprehensive? > A farmer and her granddaughter, Rita Nurskanova, observed the strange scene of a figure in a bright orange suit with a large white helmet landing near them by parachute. Gagarin later recalled, "When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"
- SkittyDog 4y ago
  > In the early days, even just a humble farmer might think you're a space alien, or worse, an American. When Yuri Gagarin's flight re-entered he ejected and landed a little off the target zone. The first people who encountered him were perhaps a little apprehensive? I think you're going way, waaaay far beyond the evidence to suggest that these farmers though Gagarin was a space alien. That's a funny little narrative, but I don't think it's remotely necessary. These remote Soviet people weren't likely any stupider than you or me... Less educated, sure--but they knew what human beings looked like, and were aware of the fact that airplanes existed. This was more than a decade after WWII ended, after all. I can think of a hundred perfectly terrestrial reasons why these isolated, remote farmers would have good reason to be apprehensive in this situation... I'd imagine they get almost zero visitors, so the sight of any strangers would probably be the big news of the year--let alone a military aviator parachuting down in bright orange clothes. In fairness, I should confess that I'm pointing this out because it kinda bugs me for us to be looking down on these folks, as if they're children or simpletons. At the very least, that narrative seems to serve our own egos, more so than any interest in accuracy.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - GauntletWizard 4y ago
    Plenty of Americans in reasonably cosmopolitan areas reacted poorly to space-related uncertainty. Grover's Mill[1] is within walking distance of Princeton campus. People didn't know what to think, and the Soviets were far more secretive of their space program than the Americans were - Their successes were announced after the fact, their failures were quiet. I would not have blamed anyone in rural Siberia for not recognizing a cosmonaut in a spacesuit/jumpsuit as "human". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grovers_Mill,_New_Jersey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grovers_Mill,_New_Jersey
    - SkittyDog 4y ago
      That is a pretty good counter-example, I have got to admit... I'm not convinced, but yeah, you got a hell of a point there. I think the US in 1938 was maybe in a distinct situation, though... For one, the US in the 30s may have been primed to thoughts of space aliens by the consumption of mass quantities of SF--radio serials, films, books, etc. Also, the real-world news in 1938 was pretty tense, and very heavy on the specific theme of invasion... WWII was already swinging in the Pacific, and everybody in Europe was expecting the shooting to start soon. Here in the US, there was a general sense that we'd get violently drawn into it, sooner or later. So I dunno... You definitely moved the needle for me on this one, but I'm still pretty skeptical that some isolated Siberian farmers in the 1960s would go straight for the "space aliens" explanation. Maybe I'm just rationalizing my earlier post--I'd be the last to know.
      - justsomehnguy 4y ago
        Just look at [0] There is no doubt those people saw StarWars in some way or the other and they definitely saw stormtrooper armour in some time in their lives. Yet... [0] https://globalnews.ca/video/6908239/woman-in-star-wars-stormtrooper-costume-arrested-by-lethbridge-police-on-may-4th/ https://globalnews.ca/video/6908239/woman-in-star-wars-storm...
2-718-281-828 4y ago
who could you meet in deep taiga that might harm you?
the_only_law 4y ago
> but in deep taiga you could meet with people that you would rather not want to meet with Now you got me curious. Who are these dangerous taiga people?
- vbezhenar 4y ago
  One example is criminals who’re hiding from police. Another example is just some drunk locals. Law enforcement is weak in remote areas. Think of Wild West, but without its romantics.

retrac 4y ago

In the early days, even just a humble farmer might think you're a space alien, or worse, an American. When Yuri Gagarin's flight re-entered he ejected and landed a little off the target zone. The first people who encountered him were perhaps a little apprehensive? > A farmer and her granddaughter, Rita Nurskanova, observed the strange scene of a figure in a bright orange suit with a large white helmet landing near them by parachute. Gagarin later recalled, "When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"

SkittyDog 4y ago
> In the early days, even just a humble farmer might think you're a space alien, or worse, an American. When Yuri Gagarin's flight re-entered he ejected and landed a little off the target zone. The first people who encountered him were perhaps a little apprehensive? I think you're going way, waaaay far beyond the evidence to suggest that these farmers though Gagarin was a space alien. That's a funny little narrative, but I don't think it's remotely necessary. These remote Soviet people weren't likely any stupider than you or me... Less educated, sure--but they knew what human beings looked like, and were aware of the fact that airplanes existed. This was more than a decade after WWII ended, after all. I can think of a hundred perfectly terrestrial reasons why these isolated, remote farmers would have good reason to be apprehensive in this situation... I'd imagine they get almost zero visitors, so the sight of any strangers would probably be the big news of the year--let alone a military aviator parachuting down in bright orange clothes. In fairness, I should confess that I'm pointing this out because it kinda bugs me for us to be looking down on these folks, as if they're children or simpletons. At the very least, that narrative seems to serve our own egos, more so than any interest in accuracy.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- GauntletWizard 4y ago
  Plenty of Americans in reasonably cosmopolitan areas reacted poorly to space-related uncertainty. Grover's Mill[1] is within walking distance of Princeton campus. People didn't know what to think, and the Soviets were far more secretive of their space program than the Americans were - Their successes were announced after the fact, their failures were quiet. I would not have blamed anyone in rural Siberia for not recognizing a cosmonaut in a spacesuit/jumpsuit as "human". [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grovers_Mill,_New_Jersey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grovers_Mill,_New_Jersey
  - SkittyDog 4y ago
    That is a pretty good counter-example, I have got to admit... I'm not convinced, but yeah, you got a hell of a point there. I think the US in 1938 was maybe in a distinct situation, though... For one, the US in the 30s may have been primed to thoughts of space aliens by the consumption of mass quantities of SF--radio serials, films, books, etc. Also, the real-world news in 1938 was pretty tense, and very heavy on the specific theme of invasion... WWII was already swinging in the Pacific, and everybody in Europe was expecting the shooting to start soon. Here in the US, there was a general sense that we'd get violently drawn into it, sooner or later. So I dunno... You definitely moved the needle for me on this one, but I'm still pretty skeptical that some isolated Siberian farmers in the 1960s would go straight for the "space aliens" explanation. Maybe I'm just rationalizing my earlier post--I'd be the last to know.
    - justsomehnguy 4y ago
      Just look at [0] There is no doubt those people saw StarWars in some way or the other and they definitely saw stormtrooper armour in some time in their lives. Yet... [0] https://globalnews.ca/video/6908239/woman-in-star-wars-stormtrooper-costume-arrested-by-lethbridge-police-on-may-4th/ https://globalnews.ca/video/6908239/woman-in-star-wars-storm...

2-718-281-828 4y ago

who could you meet in deep taiga that might harm you?

the_only_law 4y ago

> but in deep taiga you could meet with people that you would rather not want to meet with Now you got me curious. Who are these dangerous taiga people?

vbezhenar 4y ago
One example is criminals who’re hiding from police. Another example is just some drunk locals. Law enforcement is weak in remote areas. Think of Wild West, but without its romantics.