V-day vs W-day

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

No, my wife and her parents (factory workers) never belonged to the communist party or any subgroup. And she did live under Breznev and lived in "the suburbs" of Siberia. The research I have done shows only a minority of the Soviet population belonged to the party. If you have different data, please cite it.

I am not going to spend a moment of my life citing data for you. Get real. I wouldn't even bother to look up something in Wikipedia to satisfy you. I have no desire, need or want to do so. My wife was in the Komsomol and Young Pioneers and YES, the Little Octoberists, I just asked her (I hadn't heard that one) She had her master's degree before the Soviet Union was out of business. If you don't believe me, I don't care. If you want to believe something else, despite all the folks who lived there tell you otherwise...I don't care. I have a couple of her photos in her uniform, standing in front of the Soviet Flag, potrait of Brezhnev and saluting. She looks every bit like a Girl Scout would in a similar picture in the USA (though girl scouts is not an overtly political organization) And Alla freely admits it was a brainwashing operation from first grade until she finished college.

I respect FSU women and celebrate Woman's Day with my wife, usually with a great party with other FSU women and their husbands. Always a fun day for me. I do not care if you don't respect your wife and do not celebrate Woman's Day.

[visaveteran 1]

I am not going to spend a moment of my life citing data for you. Get real. I wouldn't even bother to look up something in Wikipedia to satisfy you. I have no desire, need or want to do so. My wife was in the Komsomol and Young Pioneers and YES, the Little Octoberists, I just asked her (I hadn't heard that one) She had her master's degree before the Soviet Union was out of business. If you don't believe me, I don't care. If you want to believe something else, despite all the folks who lived there tell you otherwise...I don't care. I have a couple of her photos in her uniform, standing in front of the Soviet Flag, potrait of Brezhnev and saluting. She looks every bit like a Girl Scout would in a similar picture in the USA (though girl scouts is not an overtly political organization) And Alla freely admits it was a brainwashing operation from first grade until she finished college.

I respect FSU women and celebrate Woman's Day with my wife, usually with a great party with other FSU women and their husbands. Always a fun day for me. I do not care if you don't respect your wife and do not celebrate Woman's Day.

Gary, I don't expect anything from you regarding data or otherwise. But if you dispute my data it makes sense for you to counter with better info...or else just drop it.

My original comments were in regards to the adult communist party....not the marxist Brownies. My wife tells me she did the marxist Brownies thing but that was it...and her parents did not belong to the party. If your wife had a different life experience in a different country, so be it.

Gary, I'm sure you don't care what I say and that's fine. I will however accept all bets that the communist party was a minority of the entire Soviet Republics population. I'll leave it at that until someone corrects me with facts, not commentary.

I don't see a correlation between not celebrating a communist inspired, workers united, political holiday and disrespecting my wife. And, of course, that's none of your business anyway.

Also not sure why you've got so much heat about this conversation which you interjected yourself into. Maybe you need a nice shot of vodka and relax. You seem too in touch with your "inner pit bull."

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Gary, I don't expect anything from you regarding data or otherwise. But if you dispute my data it makes sense for you to counter with better info...or else just drop it.

My original comments were in regards to the adult communist party....not the marxist Brownies. My wife tells me she did the marxist Brownies thing but that was it...and her parents did not belong to the party. If your wife had a different life experience in a different country, so be it.

Gary, I'm sure you don't care what I say and that's fine. I will however accept all bets that the communist party was a minority of the entire Soviet Republics population. I'll leave it at that until someone corrects me with facts, not commentary.

I don't see a correlation between not celebrating a communist inspired, workers united, political holiday and disrespecting my wife. And, of course, that's none of your business anyway.

Also not sure why you've got so much heat about this conversation which you interjected yourself into. Maybe you need a nice shot of vodka and relax. You seem too in touch with your "inner pit bull."

I do not dispute your data. Frankly. I do not care. I made the comment to another poster that my wife was a member of the party as all students were and she was never asked about that in any interviews. I also do not care if you celebrate a holiday, this one or any other one, or what you think of your wife. Such things are your choice, just as they are mine. Yoiu have your reasons and I have mine. I posted my reasons, you posted yours. I don't need no stinking data.

[Martyshk 137]

I do not dispute your data. Frankly. I do not care. I made the comment to another poster that my wife was a member of the party as all students were and she was never asked about that in any interviews. I also do not care if you celebrate a holiday, this one or any other one, or what you think of your wife. Such things are your choice, just as they are mine. Yoiu have your reasons and I have mine. I posted my reasons, you posted yours. I don't need no stinking data.

Gary, to answer you, my family came here as 'refugees'. I am not sure if it was an SOP to ask about being a member of the party, but they did (my father was in it, but my mother was never admitted due to, you know, belonging to a minority and all). Of course on a K-1 visa, and in 2000s no one is going to ask those questions anymore, it's just not relevant. However, since the forms were printed a whiiiiiiiiiiiile back, if you pay close attention, it still asks "if you ever belonged to a Communist Party".

All in all, doesn't matter in the end.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Gary, to answer you, my family came here as 'refugees'. I am not sure if it was an SOP to ask about being a member of the party, but they did (my father was in it, but my mother was never admitted due to, you know, belonging to a minority and all). Of course on a K-1 visa, and in 2000s no one is going to ask those questions anymore, it's just not relevant. However, since the forms were printed a whiiiiiiiiiiiile back, if you pay close attention, it still asks "if you ever belonged to a Communist Party".

All in all, doesn't matter in the end.

I did notice that. I believe we answered YES but were never asked about it. I would have to dig out my copy of the 485. I gathered that your parents came her some time ago, kinda pieced together, and I have no doubt the circumstances made a difference.

But at least when YOUR Ukrainian wife is asked by a clever American woman if her "husband is also a refugee from Russia" she can say YES and immediately be considered less of a threat by the liberated American women. If she tells them you are a US citizen, she will be considered a predatory "Russian hottie" or a "Bond Girl" (though I kinda like that one) here to steal all "their men" and be a pariah in the community.

[Martyshk 137]

I did notice that. I believe we answered YES but were never asked about it. I would have to dig out my copy of the 485. I gathered that your parents came her some time ago, kinda pieced together, and I have no doubt the circumstances made a difference.

All of us immigrated together almost 11 years ago.

But at least when YOUR Ukrainian wife is asked by a clever American woman if her "husband is also a refugee from Russia" she can say YES and immediately be considered less of a threat by the liberated American women. If she tells them you are a US citizen, she will be considered a predatory "Russian hottie" or a "Bond Girl" (though I kinda like that one) here to steal all "their men" and be a pariah in the community.

She's going to have to decide for herself since, you know, I'm both hehe

[SMR 368]

Komsowhat?

Young Russian hottie, you're doing it wrong. My wife was 3 when the Berlin Wall fell.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Komsowhat?

Young Russian hottie, you're doing it wrong. My wife was 3 when the Berlin Wall fell.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Komsowhat?

Young Russian hottie, you're doing it wrong. My wife was 3 when the Berlin Wall fell.

Um.....ok. Sorry.

[slim 1,525]

Hell, I still have my Star with Lenin's portrait in it from when I was sworn in as a Little Octoberist.

I bought my wife one of those from a gun show a few months back. She attached it to her coat and got quite a few laughs from her Russian buddies.

[Brad and Vika 129]

I bought my wife one of those from a gun show a few months back. She attached it to her coat and got quite a few laughs from her Russian buddies.

Those things must have been everywhere. I have seent the pins for sale all over the FSU - and I bought one for my youngest son. He thought it was cool and retro.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I bought my wife one of those from a gun show a few months back. She attached it to her coat and got quite a few laughs from her Russian buddies.

I am sure you have seen the street vendors selling that stuff, they are all over in Ukraine. All sorts of Red Army medals and blah, blah. I have also noticed a distinct up-tick in the collectors of such stuff at gun shows Whereas Nazi stuff was all the rage before (still is I suppose) it got so pricey and now the Russian stuff is going up in price. So I had the brilliant idea of buying a few shoeboxes full of that stuff and bringing it back to sell on eBay. OMG, nothing doing! Alla flipped out over that. No way she would be part of bringing back what some guy honorably earned in battle saving the country from the facists and selling it to someone who knew nothing of the honor of defending his own homeland from the fascist hoarde who wanted to rape his wife and daughters! Yikes.

Just a thought. Seemed more interesting than those little Russian dolls that stack inside each other.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Those things must have been everywhere. I have seent the pins for sale all over the FSU - and I bought one for my youngest son. He thought it was cool and retro.

Alla is no fun. She think sno one but the guy that earned it (or his family) should have that stuff. If she would spit on anyone (she is too much a lady to do that) it would be on the guys that "sell other people's honor". I guess I will never have any cool Russian pins. I have to find some that are not military related.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Alla is no fun. She think sno one but the guy that earned it (or his family) should have that stuff. If she would spit on anyone (she is too much a lady to do that) it would be on the guys that "sell other people's honor". I guess I will never have any cool Russian pins. I have to find some that are not military related.

Seems to me that there were spots in Kiev that sell (among other stuff) medals that were not military or party related. Some Olympic commemoratives and so forth. Not nearly as interesting though. Fortunately Vika doesn't care much about ex-Communist #######.

[slim 1,525]

I am sure you have seen the street vendors selling that stuff, they are all over in Ukraine. All sorts of Red Army medals and blah, blah. I have also noticed a distinct up-tick in the collectors of such stuff at gun shows Whereas Nazi stuff was all the rage before (still is I suppose) it got so pricey and now the Russian stuff is going up in price. So I had the brilliant idea of buying a few shoeboxes full of that stuff and bringing it back to sell on eBay. OMG, nothing doing! Alla flipped out over that. No way she would be part of bringing back what some guy honorably earned in battle saving the country from the facists and selling it to someone who knew nothing of the honor of defending his own homeland from the fascist hoarde who wanted to rape his wife and daughters! Yikes.

Just a thought. Seemed more interesting than those little Russian dolls that stack inside each other.

When I told my wife how much the pin was at the gun show ($20) she and her friend immediately started cooking up your very plan, Gary. When I told them he wanted $35 for it but I talked him down, they almost started booking flights right then and there. "We can make lotta money from zis deal if we bring back whis us next time many, many stuff like zis. We can buy in Russia for so cheap and sell here at your gun show for lots of money. And it's all cash!"

Needless to say my wife and her friends aren't of the age where the "pride of the Soviet Union" is still inside them. Much to the contrary, actually. While I can understand where Alla's coming from have you made the connection that most of those pins were traded/sold for vodka money so they're not holding too much sentimental value anymore?

Seems to me that there were spots in Kiev that sell (among other stuff) medals that were not military or party related. Some Olympic commemoratives and so forth. Not nearly as interesting though. Fortunately Vika doesn't care much about ex-Communist #######.

I'll never forget the guy on old Arbat trying to sell me a real, authentic Kosmonaut helmet. I think it was the one Sputnik himself wore.