A great start to the series. I was shocked that the young Hungarians knew so little about the differences between U.S. democracy versus totalitarianism and how they are actually implemented. Since Hungary was a captive nation under the USSR, I had the expectation the Hungarians would know more than they did. While their parents who experienced life under communism know its dangers, today's youth in many cases apparently do not. It makes me wonder what they are being taught in school. Perhaps Hungarian schools are like American schools where youth are indoctrinated in Marxist ideology starting at a young age. Without a knowledge of history that is as factual and complete as possible, history tends to repeat. I'm concerned that means we will be combating totalitarian regimes, a novel invention in the 1900s, for many years to come. Communism offers a false hope that sounds pleasant and appealing to many. For the actual consequences of communism, I suggest a visit to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation at victimsofcommunism.org.
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I think we (The US) has done a terrible job of explaining what we are about, what we stand for, and what US values are. Until we can effectively communicate this I fear we're in for more of the same.
I really like the follow up questions at the end of each exercise, particularly the one regarding a loved one.
I was describing these videos to my mom, and while describing the interaction between the young men on the neutral and strongly disagree lines for the claim, "It is better to be ruled by Russia than the USA", she had a lot to say. In the moment, I thought she was providing supporting evidence for why one would not want to live in Russia. After reflecting on the entirety of her response later, I realized she was describing how she saw the young woman version of herself in the young man on the neutral line. She led her response saying she didn't know how bad things could get until she went to Ukraine in the 90s. After describing some of her experiences there (such as empty grocery stores), she started talking about seeing the Berlin Wall coming down on TV and seeing the media's portrayal of different standards of living on both sides. Yet she found herself frozen by an uncertainty of what to believe, until she witnessed the gravity of such a situation herself. That fascinated me, so I went back and rewatched the third video several times. Each time I watched it, I became even more impressed with all the participants. Thank you for sharing!
I was reminded of two other videos while I was thinking about the young man on the neutral line. The first involves Aldous Huxley describing the dictatorship of the future, and how it will likely bypass the rational side of humans by appealing to their subconscious.
The 21 drinking age is America's greatest alcohol policy failure since Prohibition. Google "Miron and Tetelbaum" and you will see that any supposed lifesaving effect has been a statistical mirage, much like how the Covid lockdowns and NPIs were in terms of "flattening the curve".
Let America be America Again, and lower the drinking age to 18. If you're old enough to go to war, you're old enough to go to the bar. 'Nuff said.
A great start to the series. I was shocked that the young Hungarians knew so little about the differences between U.S. democracy versus totalitarianism and how they are actually implemented. Since Hungary was a captive nation under the USSR, I had the expectation the Hungarians would know more than they did. While their parents who experienced life under communism know its dangers, today's youth in many cases apparently do not. It makes me wonder what they are being taught in school. Perhaps Hungarian schools are like American schools where youth are indoctrinated in Marxist ideology starting at a young age. Without a knowledge of history that is as factual and complete as possible, history tends to repeat. I'm concerned that means we will be combating totalitarian regimes, a novel invention in the 1900s, for many years to come. Communism offers a false hope that sounds pleasant and appealing to many. For the actual consequences of communism, I suggest a visit to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation at victimsofcommunism.org.
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I think we (The US) has done a terrible job of explaining what we are about, what we stand for, and what US values are. Until we can effectively communicate this I fear we're in for more of the same.
I really like the follow up questions at the end of each exercise, particularly the one regarding a loved one.
I was describing these videos to my mom, and while describing the interaction between the young men on the neutral and strongly disagree lines for the claim, "It is better to be ruled by Russia than the USA", she had a lot to say. In the moment, I thought she was providing supporting evidence for why one would not want to live in Russia. After reflecting on the entirety of her response later, I realized she was describing how she saw the young woman version of herself in the young man on the neutral line. She led her response saying she didn't know how bad things could get until she went to Ukraine in the 90s. After describing some of her experiences there (such as empty grocery stores), she started talking about seeing the Berlin Wall coming down on TV and seeing the media's portrayal of different standards of living on both sides. Yet she found herself frozen by an uncertainty of what to believe, until she witnessed the gravity of such a situation herself. That fascinated me, so I went back and rewatched the third video several times. Each time I watched it, I became even more impressed with all the participants. Thank you for sharing!
I was reminded of two other videos while I was thinking about the young man on the neutral line. The first involves Aldous Huxley describing the dictatorship of the future, and how it will likely bypass the rational side of humans by appealing to their subconscious.
Aldous Huxley interviewed by Mike Wallace 1958
https://youtu.be/alasBxZsb40?t=607
The second is an interview with a KGB defector where he talks about a concept known as "ideological subversion".
KGB Defector Yuri Bezmenov interviewed by G. Edward Griffin 1985
https://youtu.be/pOmXiapfCs8?t=49
The 21 drinking age is America's greatest alcohol policy failure since Prohibition. Google "Miron and Tetelbaum" and you will see that any supposed lifesaving effect has been a statistical mirage, much like how the Covid lockdowns and NPIs were in terms of "flattening the curve".
Let America be America Again, and lower the drinking age to 18. If you're old enough to go to war, you're old enough to go to the bar. 'Nuff said.