Comments by "Piccalilli Pit" (@piccalillipit9211) on "Part 2. Pripyat Before and After the Chernobyl Disaster." video.

Im British, Ive lived 15 years in the mostly Soviet-built city of Burgas in Bulgaria, I have to say the Soviet city planning was very good, it allowed people to form "village" communities within the city, served by their own little high street of shops and facilities, local doctors and schools, plenty of green spaces and parks, we even have a small woodland 800m from my apartment. And you have to remember - Soviet architecture was not as grey, derelict and run down as it is now, in my city they are refurbishing the apartment blocks and they are bright white and modern-looking post-renovation. I obviously can't speak for ALL Soviet cities, but mine is incredibly well designed and a lovely place to live.
9
@ChernobylFamily - this is ALSO a very good point for us Westerners - we were told its all the same, its homogonous, identical, miserable - its a uniform block of oppression, misery, and grey buildings. Whereas in reality it was different in different countries and even here in Bulgaria your experience would vary depending on the city or town you lived in. Whereas my friends in Romania - their parents had a horrific time. She used to get a pig's ear as a treat to chew on at Christmas. I dont want to romanticise it an any way. But I thnk the important thing for Westerners to know is, for good and bad, it was nothing like we were told. Its not that it was better or worse - its that is was DIFFERENT - and just how effective and misleading propaganda is...
4
THAT WAS AMAZING Im trying to capture what life was like under communism [socialism] for the ordinary people in my city, as Westerner we were told it was unbelievably horrible, everyone was miserable all the time, they had nothing and they all wanted to come to the West. Apparently, this was a LIE. The people I have talked to had good lives, they were happy and they miss socialism. It would be wrong to generalise a continent from one city, but this video shows - PEOPLE HAD LIVES --> Rich complex lives, they had facilities and universities, they had cafes and bars, they lived varied lives just as we did in the West. It was NOT the monolith of misery we were told.
3
@ChernobylFamily - Obviously its hard to get an idea of the past, people do suffer from nostalgia. But I have talked to maybe 250 people in the region of Burgas Bulgaria and the biggest takeaway I have is that our Western propaganda was very lazy. Its not that socialism was utopia or great, its that the things WE were told were horrible were not the things that the people living it thought were horrible. The lack of freedom of movement is one thing that comes up a lot. Here there were endless police checkpoints. You had to get permission to leave the area. But no one said they were miserable and h4t3d it and they are pleased its in the past. OH they didnt like the snitches thats another common thing.
2