How Soviet Kitchens Became Hotbeds Of Dissent And Culture
npr.org
npr.org
'Khruschevkis' have been built since ca. 1959 through in fact, late 1970s (and very little, mainly in Moscow, were built before Khruschev was ousted), and they actually had thin walls through which you can hear. Most people in Khruschev's era lived in wooden temporary buildings (many of them stand till now, completely uninhabitable) built right after the war, or dormitories, or communal apartments (which were build in Stalin era and were normally very well built, except a family got a single room in 6-8 room apartment). Very few, upper class people could get a whole apartment of that kind. These indeed, had thick walls, high ceilings, were well-designed and still form a highly sought after part of real estate in Russian cities (while not many were built).
And yes, Khruschevkis were a good thing because they, as primitive and oversimplified as they were, were the only way for most families to move to the city from countryside, or to get their private housing for the first time.
Pretty much every single apartment complex in the US I lived in (MA and CA).
Loud arguing lands somewhere in between. Still, what choice would you have?
I grew up in a 5 story prefabricated concrete Krushevka in Moscow. This is my experience:
[ ] you could hear your neighbor
[ ] very small toilets
[ ] very small kitchens
[X] small toilets
[X] low ceilings
[X] small kitchens
Krushevkas may have been derided as ugly pox upon the cities, but at rubles to bubliks they got people out of communal apartments. Many families were able to live in their own spaces for the first time.
Then lived a newer (built in the early 90s concrete block 9 story building). Much nicer, big windows, larger rooms. Wall not as thick but still very sturdy and don't remember hearing my neighbours same as above. Windows were letting cold air through in the winter and elevator kept breaking often but sound proofing was find and no cracks or structural issues that I remember.
There's your problem (or lack thereof).
The provincial cities had it worse.
I had relatives from back there look at my typical American built house and comment "oh nice hut, like a summer dacha or something". Thinking about it, I guess it is a ridiculously expensive wooden hut, but oh well. That is the standard here.
I am currently reading a book called the Whisperers[1] which chronicles what really went on "behind the scenes" in Stalin's russia
http://www.amazon.com/Whisperers-Private-Life-Stalins-Russia...
Edward Snowden revealed that the USA was monitoring its citizens and storing that data in a way that far outstrips anything the KGB was ever capable of. Should he fear repression? He should, the government wants to lock him up and throw away the key for revealing this, just like they did to Manning for what he revealed. Actually, NPR spends most of its time bashing Snowden.
They seem gaga for dissidence in some foreign country, in a government that hasn't existed for over two decades though.
She, not he
Can't imagine life like that? Yeah, I thought so.
Mostly, things are under control here: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/princeton-scholar-demise-of-...
Do you understand the words repression and harassment? Do you understand that if he had ventured into such research (much less published it, much much less been interviewed about it in a publication), he (and his wife) would at best have lost their jobs. Probably reassigned a new flat of the sort described in the article, in a remote area (docile academics often enjoyed access to privileged accommodation). Worst case, re-education in a Gulag.
The fact that the US isn't by a long shot perfect doesn't make it Soviet Russia.
High standards.
Me: > There is little evidence that the NSA monitoring was used for repression of citizens, and even less evidence of the sort of repression that was rampant in the Soviet bloc
You: > Do you think that people who want fundamental change in the US are not harassed and repressed, and their activities criminalized?
The context of the discussion is literally about whether the US is better than the Soviet Union. And is is, by a huge margin.
It's not about settling, it's about not derailing a discussion about NSA overreach and legitimate democratic issues in the US (and most other western countries) by making hyperbolic comparisons that aren't even in the same league.
But even then, the article you linked to is not even remotely evidence of anyone being "harassed and repressed, and their activities criminalized" in any sense, Soviet or otherwise. To the contrary, it's evidence that there exists freedom to openly discuss big and fundamental issues of government without fearing repression.
Still, it is impressive how viral some culture was. With nothing more than tape recorders and word-of-mouth, some soviet rock bands still had millions of listeners and could easily fill a stadium for a gig (and indeed did a bit later, when it became possible). Same for books and poetry.
This internet-level virability is no longer seen. Today you can't do much on the word-of-mouth - cultural space is too crowded.