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>"The Soviet Union's approach to paid time off (PTO) was unique, as it not only provided workers with time off but also determined how they spent it" Utter bul
by FpUser 4y ago
>"The Soviet Union's approach to paid time off (PTO) was unique, as it not only provided workers with time off but also determined how they spent it"
Utter bullshit. I was able to travel to every part of USSR (except of course restricted areas and abroad) during my vacation time without any problems. USSR had gobbles of big problems and general lack of freedom but vacations were not part. As a matter of fact I spent more vacation time in more places than the average North American.
Yes if one wanted they could join some semi-/organized form but there was nothing mandatory about it.
- tsukikage 4y agoThe article focuses on early/mid century, less on the 80s/90s. It doesn’t mention dacha villages either.
- FpUser 4y agoYou might include 70s as well. I do not have personal experience on how it was before. As for "focuses" - then it is not an article but a piece of propaganda. Hence it has a deserved place in a trash.
- legitster 4y agoI think there is not a distinction being made between "time-off" and "vacation" - the author seems to be focused entirely on travel destinations and resorts.
- mantas 4y agoThere was no distinction between time-off and vacation in USSR either.
- ivan_gammel 4y agoYou are right with your disagreement, because the article starts quite sensational with this phrase and does not make it clear enough how different was USSR in different times. It is a typical mistake that many Western writers and readers make to judge Soviet Union based on Stalinism, NEP or Perestroika. Yet as the story in the article develops, you can find there that there was indeed some freedom about travel in Soviet Union. It is unfortunate that it does not cover all aspects of Soviet tourism and the rich culture around it.
- cpursley 4y agoYep, my wife grew up in the USSR and enjoyed more and longer vacations (up to two months, and at least one) than we ever did as an upper middle class American family. Disclosure: this is no endorsement of the Soviet-style systems. But my wife had a much better childhood then the anti-Soviet would have you believe.
- FpUser 4y ago>"this is no endorsement of the Soviet-style systems." You do not have to apologize for confirming that not everything about USSR (late USSR in particular) was mothers eating their kids for breakfast. People with more than 2 brain cells should understand that the world is not binary. And those who do not should go back to school as the education in their country (whatever that be) had definitely failed them.
- cpursley 4y agoUnfortunately on HN you do, the majority of the people here live in coastal American echo-chambers. If you mention anything here that could portray any aspect at all of the Russians (any era) as positive (or even just neutral but factual), you'll be eaten alive with down-voters. Including this very (my) comment.
- FpUser 4y agoNot completely true but there is definitely some degree of it here. Some of it I think is propaganda machine doing the job, some of it is lack of critical thinking, some - intolerance to the opposite opinions and we probably have healthy dose of Ukrainians here who are understandably in no mood to let anything non negative slide. As for downvotes themselves - I personally do not give rat's ass about those. In large part those are "I do not like you" type of reaction. So fucking be it. I am not being paid for karma. Personally I did not downvote single post however I feel about content / poster.