Cyrena,

That is exactly what i mean. The Russians had been well conditioned to live in a very difficult world. They fully expected their government to hand them the short end of the stick, and so had been living a life where to survive meant going around or under the government rather than through it.  To do without was not a shock, it had been normal for decades. The general level of cynicism was something that Americans have not even begun to approach.

And keep in mind that not all of this was the result of Soviet Communism. Life has never been easy or good for the majority of Russians.

I remember one of my “floor ladies” (keeper of the keys, receptionist, etc) who made in one month what i spent for my half of staple groceries in two weeks…and i should note that my roommate and i ate humbly, like Russians even if we didn’t want for anything. Her life was hard, but her childhood had been spent in the Siege of Leningrad so she was no stranger to adversity.

I won’t ever underestimate the resiliency of human beings, but the difference between Russians and Americans (and they are very similar in many respects) is that one group is as hard as nails and the other is soft, pudgy and self-entitled.

During the 90’s, Russians did whatever they had to in order to survive. It was far from pretty but it was more sad than scary. I can’t help but imagining that America in that situation would be scary first and sad second.

The other factor is that Soviet/Russian life led to an inward society where the joys of life were found in books, conversation, etc…kitchen table community if you will. It was every person for him/herself but there was also a tacit support network because most everybody was in the same shit together. That is a far cry from modern America…though it is probably a fairly accurate description of Depression era America.

Lastly, not all of the social safety net of the USSR disappeared.  People didn’t lose their homes because they never owned their home in the first place. Utilities may have been sporadic, but that was nothing new and the heat would not get turned off because the bill didn’t get paid. The loss of money during the currency devaluations was a bitter pill, but everyone had money because they previously had nothing to spend it on.  The only difference was that they could now buy things, but they didn’t have any money…the end result was the same.

Going from nothing to a different sort of nothing is no fun, but going from having everything to having nothing is crushing.

I do believe Sirota is being ironic in calling this “socialism” (note he calls it “kleptocratic” socialism); however, in this semi-hysterical atmosphere we’re in, this kind of irony muddies rather than clarifies the waters.

In the comments, the comparison between what’s happening now and what happened in post-communist Russia is interesting and very alarming.

By jackpine savage, September 26 at 4:06 am

•  “With each passing day, the Russia Scenario looks more and more likely.  Having watched the original version play out on the streets of St. Petersburg and Moscow, i hold a deep fear for our future.  The difference is in the people: their expectations, their previous experiences, and their ability to deal with extreme adversity.”

Jackpine, I have the same fears. I’m guessing that when you explain the difference in the people, you DO mean that the people of Russia at that time, were far MORE able to deal with extreme adversity, (based on previous experiences) and clearly their expectations would have been far more geared to reality.

In all sincerity, I concur with Felicity and some others who see a depression as unavoidable, unless something very, very, very, counterrevolutionary (like real socialism) can be eeked from this crisis. Now if Bernie Sanders can stick with this counterrevolutionary idea right now, that MIGHT save US, but it’s gonna be either save US, or save THEM, (the fascists) because it can’t happen both ways. And if this bail out goes like any of the others they’ve done in the past 8 years, it’s gonna be the fascists that get saved again, instead of US.

And no…for the most part, the Amerikan people are NOT up for that kind of adversity or hardship. A few of us maybe, but not any large segment of the population, unless one has taken TAO Walker’s advice when he first started giving it, and that was to make our ways to Turtle Island while there was still time.

Meantime, in reading through the comments, I think many of you may have missed David’s wry tone here. I think he was just pointing out the cruel paradox of who it is actually benefiting from ‘socialism’. Kind of like the ‘corporate welfare’ terminology that my dad has been bitching about for years. (like since the onset of deregulation). When corporations claim the same rights as an individual under the rule of law, Fascism and Totalitarianism are the expected results. (at least they SHOULD be expected). And, that’s what we have now. We’ve had it for a long time, but The Coup of 2000 made it official.
That’s when the government was TOTALLY highjacked by the fascist terrorists.

Anyway, I think Mr. Sirota is employing the socialism term rather sardonically here.

Excellent article but one point , what he describes is more in the line of communism or fascism than socialism . Socialism denotes sharing and a true socialist government works for the common good of the people rather than special interests or plutocrats . With communism and fascism the government looks after the interests of the state or corporate interests first . The government controls the people and looks out for special interests . In true socialism the government looks out for the people and controls business and special interests .

It’s curious that while raping, killing and pillaging the other countries of the world with milton friedman’s evil economics, how the u.s.a.‘s capitalist and friedman butt punchers would always demand that the failure of industries, government holdings and anything that did not conform to what these pricks thought would enrich themselves were a natural thing and that not a one was to be ‘bailed out’ as that was unnatural(I guess because riches would not get into their pockets). But it is extremely important to bail out these institutions here in the u.s.a. because they are such planetary treasures, not just national ones. Would this be a definition of criminal hypocrisy? I sure as hell think so!

I feel like picking nits.  When de-regulation walked in the door, socialism was forced to walk out.  To label the bail-out socialism is to completely misunderstand what socialism is.

Our love affair with free-market capitalism is blind - isn’t love usually? - to its built-in and inevitable bouts of recession.  (Eager-beaver capitalists over-produce, supply outruns demand and voila, a recession)

What’s happening today is the result, along with high crimes and misdemeanors committed by Wall Street criminals, of years devoted to postponing those inevitable recessions - mainly thank politicians for that practice. By now we’ve accumulated all those little postponed recessions into what, I think, may end up to be a sizeable depression.

Stop misrepresenting Socialism, you are helping disguise exactly Who is responsible for this Economic Meltdown.
This is Pure Unadulterated Corporationism. Very similar to Facism, Totaliatrianism, Imperialism- but Certianly not Socialism.
lets get this straight and end this LIE
Socialism is a system that aims to provide the basic needs of the Citizens- by barring profiteering from playing the skimming middle man in areas of national Interest.thus such things as Food Production are managed and Distributed by the government- All hAve equal Access. Also Such things which are required to facilitate providing those basic needs LIKE Energy! Also a need and Right to access by the citizenry. Health Care- healthy Worker means less to support of those who are unable to contribute to the Collective. As for ‘Money Changers’ we all have a Historical (or religious) Knowledge of how Money Changers infect the Welbeing of the citizens and Thus the Collective.
Now in comparison CorpoRationism- first and Foremost HATES the Free Market- so they devour or destroy their competition. Second their goal is to infiltrate areas of guaranteed Essential needs-( Like a Funeral Home never has a Slow Season- regardless of the Economy- people die, they gotta be buried,cremated etc). So the Goal is to insinuate your corps influence and manipualtion in areas of ‘No Choice’ spending- Like Big Ag Business, Privately Owned Energy corps. what gives them a Real Wet Dream is the ability to not only Heist a naturally occuring Resource (thus no real Production) but to hoard it to drive up the Price.Gotta buy gas to get to work.
Now also inject yourself into both the Income and Debt sides of the Equation and you can Milk them dry coming and going. Stagante their Wages, decrease their benefits, decrease job opportunities, increase worker competions via Volume…then Hook them in to Loans YOU provide, at interest rates YOU Determine- since you have assured their income will never exceed the cost of Essentials and Baby You are King of the World!
THIS IS NOT SOCIALISM, IT’S TREASON!!!!

The more salient point of comparison between the USA and the USSR would be a nation drowning in debt, entangled in foreign wars that it cannot win, an economy geared heavily towards military expenditures, and an inability/unwillingness to look out for the people who actually comprise the nation.

The US, however, will probably skip the portion of history where grandmothers stand down tanks on the streets of the capitol to demand their freedom.

Instead, it will move seamlessly into the oligarchic era of Yeltsin’s Russian Federation.  The little people will be left to starve; the pensioners will get nothing; and a few well placed will buy up the combined wealth of a nation for pennies on the dollar.

With each passing day, the Russia Scenario looks more and more likely.  Having watched the original version play out on the streets of St. Petersburg and Moscow, i hold a deep fear for our future.  The difference is in the people: their expectations, their previous experiences, and their ability to deal with extreme adversity.

Now David, Amerika is not becoming a socialist country, quite the contrary, it is now widely accepted as a Fascist republic. So in reality all entitlements and justice decisions are to benefit only the corporations that are now the rulers. Marching orders are brought in by lobbyists that now serve as the Gestapo.. And we people? Just one’s to serve and not be heard from. And for are elected boot-lickers? Just for making the take-over legal.