Thread by @sopjap

Once you start interrogating stories and understanding the dynamics within USSR, it’s so easy to start seeing how much people really never pay attention to the authenticity of stories they tell/or hear on behalf of others, usually ‘family members.’

Usually if there isn’t much detail it’s a red flag. Things like ‘died of starvation’ or was ‘arrested simply for being a good guy’ or ‘against dictatorship.’ Almost always false. Generally stories told on behalf of family members are not reliable unless it’s a memoir

What about stories that people like my family members will tell? If they are anti communist and their identity is wrapped up in it; they’ll lie or use exceptions as rule. E.g. meeting one homeless person in 50 years to argue against claim me ‘there were no homeless in USSR’

If they have a hard time relying on their own memories of repression or their families so they point to world of literature like, ‘Have you read Solzhenitsyn?’ Usually they are on thin ground and are grasping at straws.

Most importantly put everything in context!! My family was like ‘We didn’t have cell phones in USSR.’ I’m like no one did in the world. Make sure technological, social and economic developments are actually occurring in the world and not expecting it only to have been in USSR.

Make sure that they aren’t comparing an average Soviet citizen to the 1% of US. The perks and privileges under capitalism are class based - not everyone has them. Soviet dissidents would have compared their life with upper classes of US.

Make sure they aren’t using other people who actually were communists and their stories to misrepresent the situation and weaponize the whole thing (whatever ordeal) as anti communist.

Did repression happen? Of course. Did people suffer? Yes but are most dissident stories false or heavily exaggerated to buttress anti-communism and equate it with Nazism? yes. It’s being able to tell what deserves legitimate attention and concern and what is just propaganda.

Always ask a lot of questions! The trick is they come very moralistic and claim huge abuse so then you can’t question them or you come off as a horrible person. It’s both a tactic and they’re convinced of their superiority. If their whole identity is being anti communist, run!

Find out what they’d rather have happened than USSR. If they embrace capitalism, imperialism, nationalism and oppression of other ethnic minorities or think US is the free world - chances are their claims about USSR as repressive isn’t a universal moral position against tyranny.