After losing the safeguards of the Soviet Era, artists and fans alike felt nostalgic for the safety of rights such as housing and health care, and the safety of a job. It reminds me of a passage I read in an earlier class about single mothers in post-Soviet Berlin, who missed the childcare provided by the government so that they could work. In an ideal world, we could have both the freedom of speech and the freedom from want (in this case, I would categorize that as basic human rights such as housing, healthcare, childcare and another category of work provided by the state). However, this is obviously not the case and so the choice has to be made. Things go awry when the freedom of speech is taken away. Things also go awry when freedom of speech without consequence takes place, as we have seen in the last five years (ex we have public displays of nazism). I think in this case, however, freedom of speech still outweighs the freedom of want. It guarantees that social change can occur when things start going wrong and can help keep minorities protected. Without freedom of speech there would not be any civil rights movements, or women’s rights movements, free love, etc. However, the nostalgia for safety is something that needs to be taken into account. The struggle of the average person is something that can be greatly lessened with social change.
Russia, the Soviet Union, and the CIS (HIS240 S20)
Revolution and its evolution!
Sarah, I have to agree with your comments entirely. I do personally see the want for a sense of comfort and basic security. The Soviet Era did have these safety nets in place for their people, and although conditions were not always ideal, everyone was entitled to a life of somewhat comfort on the basis of human needs (housing, food, etc.). Although it may be hard to accept the fact that these are NOT basic human rights everywhere, and it may be easy to dwell on this comfort that used to be in place, freedom of speech still outweighs this comfort, in my opinion. Without freedom of speech, there is too much room for manipulation and lack of input from those who are directly affected by the actions of the government. Without freedom of speech, there is little room for social change, which is ultimately what could create a movement towards making these comforts felt during the Soviet Era basic human rights for all. Your life begins outside of your comfort zone, and not having the freedom to express and parallel changing social dynamics would greatly outweigh the benefits of basic comforts, in my opinion. Freedom of want should be incorporated into freedom of speech, there should not be a “this-or-that” mentality associated with it. Yes, things can go awry with freedom of speech, but whats to say the same thing couldn’t happen with freedom of want?