Also please consider becoming a patron on patreon or donating through PayPal (links in description) Unfortunately the internet archive lied and one of the background songs was NOT royalty free 😂
Also the US banned (and still bans) movies all the time and no one bats an eye. Ever here of the Hays Code? One of the most destructive things ever to happen to artistic freedom in cinema-and it didn't come from the Soviet Union which allowed just about anything within reason on screen-it came from the bastion of freedom itself.
which allowed just about anything within reason on screen reason mostly condicing with Hays code aside from relgious or muerican epecifi themses in code.Sovet union was also largely puritanical and while hays code experide at end of 70s being chalged before hand cenzorship of problematic themes in ussr continued till era of glasnost whciuh was already end of USSR. Also one thing to note that 50s when Hays code as mostly implmeneted are also known as Golden era or hollyowood whcih coudl mean that those rules and rules in USSR whcih actined similiary in censoring degenated themes like sexual content drugs,glorificaion of criminals etc wasntr that bad.
I was SHOCKED to discover that Soviet citizens weren't allowed to generate portals for interstellar travel. It typically required three months of paperwork before you could build one. Unfortunately, no one could figure out a way to get back, and the practice was discontinued.
“There’s always context!” aka “can you please, for the love of God, at least understand what was going on here instead of having a knee jerk reaction?!” 😅 Like, I can roll my eyes about what they’re doing and not agree with it, but the entire story behind what led to those actions is FASCINATING. Especially when you place it in wider worldwide context, the thread of history has more mirrors than windows. AND OMG AS I WROTE THIS YOU MENTIONED ME. YOU’RE THE BEST THANK YOU.
It's funny how most of these dances are really dances that came from working class spaces to then get co-opted by mainstream culture. Maybe if the soviets had a little less going on, they could've worked on learning about the dances, and doing some deconstruction and reconnecting them to the working class. Also, some of the interpretations of "depravity" and "immorality" are ironically really western based concepts. like all the civilization - barbarism Ideas and such. I guess they couldn't realize that at the time.
The film "Footloose" was actually based upon actual events . It was largely due to the cultural hegemony of the Church of Christ , in the town that all social dancing was officially banned by local ordinance . I remember that also in the church which I largely was brought up in , the Church of the Nazarene , which if you all haven't heard of it , and I wouldn't blame you , is part of the larger Holiness movement , has likewise historically been against people dancing together , and still to this day condemns "carnal dancing " , as being incompatible with proper Christian conduct . So at least Soviet society back then was still relatively more personally free than in such restrictive religious sects as those which some persons , such as myself , had been raised in .
I was watching that new show about the Russian revolution with Ewan McGregor; and I realized that I couldn't think of a single American movie or show, or any media for that matter, that didn't tell the Russian story from the perspective of some royal, or wealthy, or otherwise bourgeois-ish character. I wonder if this is because centering the story around an average person would do too much to highlight the social gains resulting from socialism. It would be interesting to see a video that contrasted the narrative point of view between Soviet produced and American produced movies and such.
Wasn't there that Warren Beatty movie "Reds"? I haven't seen it, but I think I can be confident that it wasn't told from the perspective of the Romanovs! 😅🫣
I also find it funny that the West most officially the United States talks about it when they practically banned rock and roll and black music and Lily ran ads telling people why they shouldn’t listen to black music relying on stereotypes and racism. This is why I can’t stand the United States.
Western authorities since Middke Ages have sought to ban some dance it other, starting + moves vs. flamenco, later, vs. waltz, lindy hop?, early 50s rock (no dance style label, Argentine tango .etcetc.
The way the imperialist capitalist nations can just ban marginalised people's art over stupid stuff like sexism and racism like eg jazz was not widely loved for a time cuz racism for a while, and then the anti dance hall stuff due to misogyny. Although silly theres still a contextually understandable reason why the USSR and eastern germany "had to" ban certain things in the context of espionage. At least thats a legit reason that isnt, i hate minorities or women who are "impure" are bad. Only to have people who banned art for stupid reasons to try to explain to them certain things
Even if the ban was silly and kind of goofy, at least the ussr's reasons are somewhat more relatively "concrete" in context that isnt as flimsy as compared to "moral decay" from..listening to music made by poc and women going to dance halls. Although i personally find the bans p silly and odd its still so weird for the US to try to push red scare with this as if they werent doing the same for bigoted reasons.
*ITS ALWAYS CLAIMED* you could not criticise the government - a few years ago my Bulgarian friend showed me a Bulgarian Classic Movie - its a parody of the bureaucracy and the government from beginning to end. And this was their equivalent of the classic Christmas movie. And all that dark oppressive wood in the buildings - I realised from the movie -- that was bright and fresh and AMAZING when it was new. And so were the clothes, she still has her mother's wardrobe from the 1960's, 70's and 80's - they had BEAUTIFUL clothing.
with exception of maybe 1935-1950, criticizing govt was fairly acceptable. writers like Bulgakov, Demyan Bedniy and Sholokhov, Ilif and Pertrov duo were fairly critical of it. The real problem was not the lack of criticism, but the complete destruction of organized political opposition (i mean left-wing independent parties and organizations). The determination of CPSU to control all social movements (and destroy those that didn't comply) was really destructive, and what in the end led to the degradation of CPSU as many believe.
@@Daniel_Zhu_a6f You are 100 X more educated and knowledgeable than I am on this. Im a British guy who moved to Bulgaria with the usual lies in my head about what communism was like as provided by Western propaganda. Turns out propaganda is REALLY effective cos it was nothing like I was told. The bit that annoys me the most, is it was really LAZY propaganda, cos its not like people living here didn't have criticisms of socialism. Just not the ones we were endlessly told in the west,
I got into czechoslovak movies recently and yeah, showing wealthy bribing state clerks or just wealthy existing in czechoslovak society using power for their benefit like its Tuesday until something extraordinary puts an end to that doesn't fit the internet stereotype of communist enforced groupthink, lies being truth and nothing bad ever happening in communist countries by law.
@@piccalillipit9211 yes, reactionary propaganda relies on ignorance and emotional manipulation. it's fairly easy to see through, when you know basic facts on the subject, but the downside is that reactionaries can produce ungodly quantities of it in a matter of days.
@@piccalillipit9211 what's more interesting and much more disturbing, that many ppl in ex-soviet countries believe in a lot of these myths. eg one of the funniest things i've heard is that in gulag they made people to extract uranium from ore manually by melting it on giant (~1m in diameter) "cooking pans". soviet penitentiary system definitely wasn't fun, but this is bordering on breaking the laws of physics, kind of hard to heat an open pan to 1000C without air-frying people who operate nearby.
Hi, I think your looser style of telling stories and enjoying yourself, is even more engaging and fun to watch. Your energy is super inspiring to me, both politically and personally. The personal yapping time segment is fun, I think you should consider keeping it in. Apart from the history and the politics, there’s also a anti-alienation element to it, I think. Which is healthy for us. Thanks comrade!
Thank you!!! I'm really trying to get better at editing but my laptop is 5 years old and lags so much it takes me days to edit now and some of the timing of the text and images are skewed because of it 😭😭😭
This is why we must thoroughly root out conservatism within the communist movement. This attitude of putting chastity on a pedestal is detrimental to social progress.
'Social conservatism' is fundamentally anti-materialist. Social norms are just as much a part of the material world as everything else. Feudal modes of human reproduction are no more "default human nature" than wage labor and market competition are "default human nature".
More a problem of idealism in my mind. A proper analysis would easily have made it clear, that a certain dance or style of clothes is not equivalent to capitalism. Making people to hide their potential sympathies for capitalism does not make that go away. If there really were spies and western propagandists at those dance floors, the rational thing to do, would have been to send communists there to participate, catch the spies and carefully influence those, who actually were attracted to capitalism instead of just liking the dance or style. And the sure method to neutralize the whole problem, would have been to offensively embrace the foreingn culture in the name of internationalism and even invite comrades from the US or western Europe to teach those cultural aspects to change the context.
No, we must represent our people in its current stage of development. Which is what it was with these bans (which were more in the form of public discussion and criticism anyway) in the 1920's. 'Chastity on pedestal being detrimental to social progress' is confusing the basis with the superstructure.
That's not a good idea, the majority of the global south is conservative and it would only promote culture wars and conflict not social harmony. I think it would be better if things were just left up to the people to decide for themselves what they like, while also making sure local culture is available as well.
Absolutely love the style on this one. Thank you, also, for discussing some of the more...ahhh...sensationalized and inaccurate pop culture claims about the USSR.
@@LadyIzdihar Im a "semi-professional" tailor of men's historical suits 1890 - 1940. But with women's clothes its just "OH that nice" - I dont have the background knowledge.
Dusya is my favorite, what a star! But also I have been loving your videos! Especially appreciate how you focus on aspects that you are personally interested and connected with because that’s what makes learning history enjoyable:)
I think personality to information ratio is fine as it. I certainly enjoyed the yapping section of the video and would love to hear more wacky/interesting stories. "Dusyaism is not revisionism"
Really!!!!. My mother was born in the Soviet Union and later joined the Red army as a sniper. Singing and dancing was a very important aspect of Soviet life not only in civilian life but the military. During the Great Patriotic War famous male and female actors would entertain the troops behind the front lines an well as in Leningrad, Stalingrad and Moscow. In those same cities fashionable clothing was the rage.
this video had it all, stilyagi, soviet records, the wider cultural and social context of the infant soviet union...i love it. would you ever do a video about the whole bone record thing? i'm a lover and avid collector of soviet music!! speaking of soviet records of western artists, i have a soviet CCR record, they were HUGE in the USSR!!
When Georg Lucas even admit it that in Udssr,the movie maker had more freedom,in making movies,on many topic,so long it did not against Gouvernement,you had many freedom's and creativity,visa vis USA,tells you everything what you need to know what,society did value or not.
I think you are doing great on the ratio of information and personality. I also enjoy the little stylized “skits” or whatever you want to call them. They add nice craft to the videos. And they’re fun! Dusyaism is not revisionism!
Also comrade Izdihar it is amazing to get know your personal experiences, personality, etc, because as you told yourself it is humanising and helps realise that there is a real person with their own unique life behind these videos and not just another video on this platform that you consume and move on, but on top of that it also makes the videos feel less like a lecture and umm more friendly (not in like a parasocial) and that makes learning about these topics more engaging and fun, I hope im making sense. Also a Marxist analysis on Hazbin hotel? Yes plss ✨✨✨ Anyways these are just my lil ol opinions
Thank you, I appreciate knowing that people like this direction! And I agree, I think it's humanizing. I think it's just a constant uphill struggle to be taken seriously for me so I worry about making that aspect worse 😔
I believe some of Aleksandra Pakhmutova's music was briefly banned for being "too western" in the 1970s, before the party realized that they were being a bunch of nerds about it and reversed it in less than a year.
Chechenya also banmed banned bpm songs higher than a certain valeu, and i said it was to stop the attack by the west on their ideolgy, but the real reason for the ban was to stop punk and anti russian government songs, i think the bam in does dances might have been the same idea
The only time I've seen adults learn the correct lesson about the consequences of telling kids not to do a thing are the marketing executives who created those federally mandated "Parents, please sit your kids down and tell them not to smoke" commercials for the cigarette companies back in the 2000s. (USA)
The appropriate ratio imo is malleable and whatever you are comfortable with. I think it's important to not forget the fundamental ugliness at the root of RU-vid as a platform.
I originally started watching because I was really interested in this side of history and everything you knew about it and after seeing the addition of your personal inputs, opinions and stories I've only realized that your not just knowledgable but also super relatable which feels really good since there aren't many people I can talk to about workers history and then immediately switch over to a discussion about a show I watched last night lol (you should start a podcast btw 100% would watch)
People need to learn that even though context doesn't justify many actions, it's important to understand. Though I think banning ways for people to have fun is counterproductive to maintaining the faith of people, and is reminiscint of Bourgeois social conservatism
This really helped contextualize some of the weird nonsense I heard about the USSR in the ‘70s and ‘80s (it wasn’t *fresh* nonsense, but it was still in circulation). For what it’s worth, I think your ratio is firmly in the Goldilocks zone.
There was a bit of a "Jazz War" in the 50s -60s when the US tried to make American jazz ideological in a way and opposed to communism. But by that point jazz had flourished around the world!
I'm so glad that you have found the energy and motivation to go back to posting. Your content is a breath of fresh air and an inspiration ❤ I found this video to be cohesive and coherent, honestly, and the end was the cherry on top!
@@qwertykeyboard5901 I agree I really wish there was more literature out there that laid out the exact layout of the Soviet gov and how elections worked
Called it! The Soviets, and especially the Chinese, were big on banning things they saw as too bourgeois. At least the Soviets were always more lax and forgiving about it than China was/is.
I just subscribed to your channel and I'm blown away. It's one of the best channels in RU-vid for those of us who love history, especially about the Soviet Union. This video was very informative about a subject that's not talked about much. As a film major many years ago I studied Soviet Cinema because it was required. I was lucky to have an excellent professor who, like you, had a passion for what she was teaching. She discussed various cultural and historical aspects in order for us to understand Kuleshov, Eisenstein and others because it could only be understood within the context of Marxist ideology. However, this is the first video I see about the banning of certain dance styles and the reasons behind it. Keep up the great work!
I love when you add in personal anecdotes, it really helps to humanize the subject matter. Knowing why another person in this modern day is fascinated with socialism helps me unpack my own mind. Please only ever share what you want though, no pressure. :D
Loved this video! I love to dance and never knew anything about how it was approached by the soviet union. The balance between information, humour and personal stories was great, keep it up!
Dusyaism is not revisionism. For the algorithm!😊 Also, Hazbin and Helluva are alright to me. Spectacular musicals those shows are, and I don't think that can be denied much. I think they're otherwise not as devoted to the writing and world-building. Not that I'm saying it's bad or anything, but the musical aspect is obviously matters most. And Stolitz, of course. As you even pointed out, they did the tired Marvel trope of "revolutionary has a bit of a point but ultimately is just in it for power/sadism" with Striker, so I don't anticipate a deep dive into the material conditions of fictional hellspawn. Regardless, I'm more invested in seeing how the rest of Hell works in this world, as well as seeing the team's interpretation of the other cardinal sins. Laviathan and Bel are apparently going to be women, which is something. So yeah, as you can see, dialectical analysis of the Helluverse is the kind of overthinking I'd be into!
Oh, I loved this. One angle that was not discussed, though, if there was a racism element to the North American moral panic in the 1920 and 30s and also the American government banning indigenous ceremonial dances in the late 19th century.
Also Hazbin/Helluva is amazing! I like your current mix. The bigger worry is just that putting your info into the internet can be very dangerous. That kinda thing definitely stresses me the hell out and I don't even make videos.
5:00 Why was it OK for the Soviets to have their version of a Blue Scare & discriminate against Americans but you complain about America 's Red Scare against Russia ?
true, I am a leftist that stumbled upon this channel, but still, stop being a tankie and constantly praising the USSR, this channel is very keen on pointing out all the good things about the USSR but the arguments are constantly filled with what-aboutism and false equivalences, ask any person that lived on the eastern front and the eastern USSR in general about how life was during those times, and youll get your answer as to how life in the USSR actually was like (spoiler alert: it wasnt as grand as many may think it was)
As with all Soviet apologia, this was just 1 part whataboutism and 2 parts "they had to do it becaus they were under threat." It's okay to say the USSR did bad things. It doesn't make you a bad socialist.
This was an excellent video as someone who is also invested in cultural dance (I'm a Morris dancer) and alt-subcultures. What I found so funny is that the motives behind the dance bans regardless of side, are fundamentally very similar; the 'corruption of youth' and the 'infiltration of outside forces' (tho Ussr definitely had more to actually worry from that). Its so fascinating to me but I absolutely adore the push of traditional dance and cultural in the soviet union. Also... I HAVE ANALYSED HAZBIN AND HELLVERSE IN A MARXIST LENS!!!!THAT SHOW IS ALL ABOUT CLASS AND CLASS DYNAMICS OMFG!!!! Ps. Yrahhh the whole idealisation of another culture to disillusionment pipeline is so hilariously universal. My brain just went 'oh so the blue jeans in USSR were the weaboos of the 80s' and everything made sense
"Charleston ", as depicted here, is a composition written by the great James P Johnson, one of the premier Black composers. The actual step predated this, and was the basis of dance crazes(!) AFTER. Tango ,another Black dance was apparently banned by the Catholic church in the early twentieth century in Argentina. As a Black musician, I presumably would have been sent to Magadan?
During the 1910s when the tango first became popular, many different countries thought it was controversial due to how close people were to each other during the dance. At the end of the 18th century, when the waltz had first become popular across Europe, many thought it too sexual as well, as before it, the most prominent dance was the minuet, where each dancer stood a good distance away from each other, gradually getting closer throughout the length of the dance, but would never touch. The waltz however, allowed dancers to hold hands and stand close to each other, making it very contovertial to the older generations during the 1790. All this to say, when both the waltz and the tango both arose it their own time, they were seen as too sexual and dirty, not only in Russia, but across Europe
I think a good ratio is one at which you feel comfortable at. In the end, this is a two-way relation. Even if you don't see us, I wouldn't want you to share anything you don't feel confortable sharing. However, knowing how you came to like the dance style and got interested in the topic is quite interesting from the perspective of a person interested in culture. 😀
What a fascinating history and analysis ! Dance as a social artifact is so fragile to time but often so reflective of the culture and period it originated in. I never really thought about dancing as seriously before this video (at least non-folk dances), so thank you for that. The idea of the spy in the dance hall is so intriguing. The security justification for the ban I can get, even if may disagree somewhat. However, the whole banning dance as a source of immorality will always be funny to me. Especially from the point of view of today and how it happened basically everywhere in the world at some point. "Let the people dance!" I say. Anything less is revisionism, which dusyaism certainly isn't! Regarding the point at the end. I find it very hard to hide my enthusiasm about a topic I am passionate about. These video ooze with personality to me because of your drive and dedication and I like that. I found there was a good balance of education and personality. Have a good day, comrade!
Regarding the questions posed at the end, I feel like the ratio of personality to education is totally fine. We are all social beings and there is an aspect of learning with the understanding of who is teaching that not only helps with getting the information out, but the information to stick. You could easily have made a impersonal video relaying just facts, statistics, dates, etc (not that any of your videos are) but by adding that human element helps with keeping the information retained instead of just regarded as an "oh, yeah, that makes sense." Sorry, I hope my wording makes sense, not my strong suit. Also, regarding Helluva Boss/Hazbin, an analysis would be awesome.
Re: the ratio of personality to info; I like it. It's great to learn about all the stuff you deep dived into and presented to us, but then having the personal aspect of *why* it's important or interesting to you gives it a further dimension. Also appreciating tovarisch Dusya's important and enlightening input, as always!
Some of the same favorite pieces of music as me too. (RU-vid is a great place to find old music, because commercial re-releases are always terrible quality - go for the RU-vid amateurs.)
I love your videos because not only is it great to hear another perspective but you focus on the lives of the ordinary working class people and not just the rulers. Also, your fashion sense is impeccable. If I could afford a Patreon, it would be yours.Oh, and it's great to hear about you as a person. Dusyaism is not revisionism
Salaam comrade, thanks for the video. Do you think the ban on dancing and music in some of the more conservative Muslim countries has a similar root in wanting to root out creeping western ideology? Jazakallah Khair to all comrades 🇦🇴🇦🇴🇦🇴
Really like your take on this part of history, we generally know little and forget what we know - prohibition etc. Hearing you contextualising those times is very enlightening. Thanks.
Comrade Dusya, a Cheburashka plushie, Alastor from Hazbin Hotel, the Charleston dance and early Soviet history in one and the same video?! The RU-vid algorithm works in mysterious ways! 😀 👍
Comrade Izdihar! Awesome video! Dusyaism is not revisionism!! OmG Supreme Leader Dusya's speech was fantastic!!! 😍😭😍😍 Dusya looks super intelligent. Love seeing more of your personality, I think just whatever feels natural and you are personally proud of making, like making art. In other words, in a commie way not a capitalist way! ❤✊
